Laboratory Assistant II
About The Position
The Laboratory Assistant II supports hospital and clinic laboratory operations by collecting, preparing, and processing specimens; performing waived and moderate-complexity testing; maintaining supplies and equipment; and supporting patient care and laboratory quality processes. The role serves as a liaison between clinic and hospital laboratories and a reference for nursing staff. Testing and quality control at moderate complexity are performed under the direct supervision of a Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) or Medical Technologist (MT). The position requires professional, courteous, and caring interactions with patients, staff, customers, and vendors; compliance with hospital and departmental policies and applicable regulations; effective communication and teamwork; and adherence to confidentiality, infection-control, safety, and risk-management practices. The employee participates in meetings, training, emergency drills, and continuous-improvement initiatives, and completes other duties as assigned.
Requirements
- Must be at least 18 years of age; positions requiring driving require age 21 and a valid driver’s license.
- Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
- Must successfully pass a background check.
- Must successfully pass a pre-employment drug screen and breath alcohol test, if applicable.
- Must complete an Employee Health meeting before starting employment.
- Required phlebotomy certification from a recognized certifying agency; examples include ASCP, NHA, AMT, or an equivalent nationally recognized certifying body.
- Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification, or obtain it within 90 days of hire.
- Proficiency in phlebotomy for all ages using appropriate collection devices.
- Proficiency in waived testing and quality control, and in moderate-complexity testing and quality control under the direct supervision of an MLT or MT.
Nice To Haves
- One year of phlebotomy experience.
- Working knowledge of medical terminology.
Responsibilities
- Support staff and hospital teams in a positive and professional manner, and interact courteously and promptly with customers.
- Comply with departmental and hospital policies, procedures, and applicable state and federal regulations, including infection control, HIPAA, safety, and risk management.
- Complete required emergency-planning drills and attend monthly staff meetings.
- Work with other departments to solve problems, participate in process improvements and evaluations, and contribute to continuous quality initiatives.
- Serve as a liaison between clinic and hospital laboratories and as a reference for nursing staff.
- Keep supplies stocked and order supplies as needed.
- Enter accurate patient demographics and tests in the computer database.
- Provide customers with specimen-collection instructions and answer telephone calls.
- Perform age-appropriate phlebotomy using appropriate collection devices, including venipunctures and blood-culture collection.
- Collect throat, nares, and nasopharyngeal samples; obtain specimens and start tests for glucose tolerance tests; perform drug and breath alcohol screens and paternity collections.
- Assist with collecting and preparing Fine Needle Aspirate (FNA) samples.
- Prepare Gram stains and set up microbiology cultures for technicians to read; assist with preparing Gram-stain slides, excluding actual staining; prepare peripheral smears for hematology; and set up cultures.
- Prepare specimens for shipment to reference laboratories and pack, unpack, or receive blood products.
- Perform waived and moderate-complexity testing and quality control, including listed tests such as urinalysis, MEDTOX, HCG Kit, Alere, ISTAT, Triage, HIV Rapid, ROM Amnisure, MONO, Cepheid, blood gas, and micro kit tests.
- Operate and maintain moderate-complexity laboratory analyzers and place samples on Xanthohumol (XN), Vitros, and coagulation analyzers as needed.
- Participate in proficiency testing and call critical values according to department policy.
- Respond to Code Blue events and traumas and use two patient identifiers while applying age-appropriate and patient-mental-status guidelines.
- Perform glucometer quality control each day of use, dispose of and change sharps containers, and reconcile DTC reports.
- Complete annual education, training, in-services, and licensure or certification updates; participate in required meetings or review meeting minutes.
- Maintain patient confidentiality, follow the organizational dress code, report punctually, and complete assigned duties within established timeframes.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
No Education Listed
