Lab Assistant, FT

Johnson Regional Medical Center • Clarksville, AR

2d

About The Position

The Laboratory Assistant is responsible for cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilizing equipment, media, and work areas in the Clinical Laboratory. The role maintains laboratory inventory and performs specimen plating and staining under supervision. It also includes phlebotomy, specimen processing, routine and STAT laboratory procedures, equipment operation and maintenance, and support for laboratory quality and performance improvement activities.

The position works with laboratory staff and patients while following laboratory and hospital policies, standard precautions, patient-safety practices, confidentiality requirements, and established quality-control procedures. The assistant reports to the Laboratory Director.

Requirements

• High school graduate or equivalent.
• Able to communicate effectively in English, verbally and in writing.
• Basic computer knowledge.
• Meet the role’s physical demands, including continuous standing and walking, lifting and carrying up to 30 pounds, and occasional pushing or pulling up to 40 pounds.

Nice To Haves

• Certification as a medical technician.
• Knowledge of additional languages.

Responsibilities

• Clean, disinfect, and sterilize laboratory equipment, media, glassware, and work areas using approved procedures and disinfectants.
• Draw blood, identify patients before venipuncture, document requisitions, label and record test tubes, and dispose of sharps safely.
• Maintain venipuncture trays and work areas, order or report needed supplies, and maintain laboratory storeroom inventory.
• Perform routine and STAT laboratory assays, qualitative urine analysis, hand chemistries, and other manual laboratory methods.
• Operate and maintain laboratory equipment, calibrate instruments, perform routine maintenance and troubleshooting, and monitor quality controls.
• Perform toxicology testing, including drug screens, blood alcohol levels, and carbon monoxide levels, using instrumentation and manual methods.
• Operate chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, and other laboratory equipment and perform manual differentials as required.
• Perform technical procedures for identifying or assessing the susceptibility of bacteria, parasites, fungi, and mycobacteria.
• Plate submitted cultures, including fungus, acid-fast, and routine cultures, and perform routine stains, including Gram and Wright’s stains.
• Prepare stains, solutions, and culture media by weighing and mixing chemicals according to established formulas.
• Recognize abnormal or panic-value results and notify a Medical Technologist and/or Pathologist.
• Prioritize STAT, ASAP, scheduled, and outpatient orders and complete duties efficiently with minimal supervision.
• Assist laboratory technicians and perform clerical work when needed.
• Follow laboratory and hospital policies, standard precautions, patient-safety practices, and confidentiality requirements.
• Participate in performance improvement and continuous quality improvement activities, offer suggestions to improve efficiency, and contribute to a culture of safety and quality.
• Communicate professionally with patients, coworkers, nursing staff, medical staff, and other laboratory staff.
• Complete required education, in-services, staff meetings or meeting-minute reviews, annual reviews, and regulatory requirements.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: High school or GED