Laboratory Assistant

Mercy Medical Center - Marion, IA

Part-time

Marion, IA

Nursing and Residential Care Facilities

About the position

The Laboratory Assistant position at Mercy Medical Center is a part-time role focused on supporting patient-centered care through clerical and limited technical services in the laboratory. The assistant ensures quality test results by adhering to established policies and procedures, while effectively communicating with co-workers, providers, and patients.

Responsibilities

• Ensures accurate and clinically relevant information is communicated with patients, families, and co-workers during handoffs.
• Takes necessary measures to ensure effective communication among involved parties for optimal patient outcomes.
• Reads and records temperatures and performs daily chores as required.
• Completes required department documentation and performs instrument maintenance.
• Prioritizes workload to ensure timely reporting of results.
• Maintains and improves skills by participating in at least one continuing education activity annually.
• Actively seeks and identifies opportunities for process improvement.
• Assists in procedure writing, updating, and validating.
• Acts as a resource for laboratory medicine information to providers and others.
• Uses laboratory information system to access and enter information.
• Properly identifies patients and samples during all phases of testing.
• Follows safety guidelines and promptly reports unsafe conditions or incidents.
• Documents and sets up new cultures according to sources and types in the Marion Emergency Department.
• Performs gram stains and results Strep screens, RSV, Influenza A&B, and other tests.
• Collects nasal, nasal aspirates, and throat cultures in the outpatient area and administers and reads TB skin tests.
• Performs waived testing and other duties as assigned.
• Answers incoming phone calls and places outgoing calls using proper phone etiquette.
• Receives specimens into the laboratory and delivers them to proper locations.

Requirements

• Must have 6 months of phlebotomy experience.
• High school diploma or equivalent preferred.
• Knowledge of laboratory testing procedures and regulatory requirements (CAP, COLA, CLIA, TJC, FDA).
• Ability to work quickly and efficiently under pressure without sacrificing quality.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize, and work with interruptions.
• Skilled in the use of standard laboratory instrumentation and laboratory information systems (LIS).
• Ability to recognize and troubleshoot problems with quality control and laboratory equipment.
• Detail-oriented with the ability to complete documentation clearly and completely.
• Knowledge of different patient populations and their needs, including neonatal, pediatric, and geriatric.

Benefits

• Up to $1500 sign-on bonus for external applicants.