Medical Lab Technician

Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority•Cherokee, NC

65d•Onsite

About The Position

Performs clinical procedures and testing in accordance with approved policies and procedures and clinically accepted standards. Performs and reviews quality control and maintenance procedures while being cross-trained to function in any area of the clinical laboratory. Performs scheduled duty on weekends, holidays, and possible emergency callback when requested to do so in order to facilitate patient care. May be necessary to work when administrative leave is granted if patient care would be compromised. Performs clinical procedures and testing in accordance with approved policies and procedures and clinically accepted standards in the following areas; chemistry, microbiology, hematology, immunology, urinalysis, serology, parisitology, and blood banking. Performs and reviews quality control and maintenance procedures while being cross-trained to function in any area of the clinical laboratory. Performs instrument start-up procedures, observes all safety procedures, identifies instrument malfunctions, unacceptable reagent performance, provides clinical instruction to other technologists and technicians, reviews complex section procedures and participates in proficiency testing (CAP) as requested. Performs laboratory instrument calibration standardization and preventative maintenance. Performs phlebotomy procedures in accordance with accepted policies and standards on pediatric and adult patients. Keeps abreast of new developments by attending continuing education seminars. Prepares reports and other documents as directed by the Supervisory Medical Technologist. Provides assistance to section supervisors in assessing, preparing, and/or updating procedure manuals. Maintains confidentiality of reports and provides careful and respectful treatment to all patients and staff members. Uses safe work practices that include maintaining a clean workplace, following established policies and procedures for safety and infection control, following universal blood/body fluid precautions, and reporting accidents/incidents promptly. Organizes and prioritizes work efficiently to maintain a high level of productivity without sacrificing quality. Assists the laboratory in maintaining CAP/JCAHO accreditation by compliance with standards and accurate performance of proficiency testing. Will also meet all competency requirements, including age specific competencies as mandated by accreditation organizations.

Requirements

Associate Degree in Medical Laboratory Technology and certification of MLT (ASCP) or equivalent accrediting body, or applicant must obtain certification within 24 months of hire date.
Student(s) enrolled in an accredited MLT program doing their clinical rotation at the CIHA laboratory would be eligible for hire prior to graduation.
A high school diploma or equivalent is required and records of training to perform moderate complexity testing as defined in the CLIA regulation 42CFR493.1423.
Failure to graduate at specified date, if hired, would be grounds for termination.
Position requires 18 months to become technically proficient.
Knowledge of medical laboratory technology relative to the following disciplines: Chemistry, Microbiology, Hematology, Blood Bank, Serology, Immunology, Parisitology, and Urinalysis.
Knowledge and skill sufficient to organize and conduct a wide variety of complex specialized laboratory tests relative to the following disciplines: Chemistry, Microbiology, Hematology, Blood Bank, Serology, Immunology, Parasitology, and Urinalysis.
Knowledge of computer panels and how computers use and store data, electronic malfunctions and instrument capabilities as well as specific methodologies for the many tests in each of the laboratory disciplines.
Knowledge of preventive and corrective maintenance procedures for laboratory instrumentation.
Knowledge and understanding of quality control procedures to be able to determine conformance to protocol.
Knowledge of Privacy Act regulations governing the confidential safeguarding and dissemination of medical information/records.
Must possess a valid NCDL.

Nice To Haves

Incumbent must be sufficiently cross-trained to be able to perform with limited supervision in each of the areas of the clinical laboratory as delineated above.
The incumbent is required to assess, interpret, and evaluate all laboratory testing to determine if the desired results have been achieved with limited supervision.
Incumbent may be required to perform official supervisory tasks for other employees at the request of the Laboratory Supervisor or Laboratory Manager.

Responsibilities

Separates serum and plasma from red cells and performs Chemistry testing on specimens from simple qualitative tests through complex quantitative analyses using both manual and automated methods.
Performs quantitative analysis on urine and CSF specimens.
Verifies that results are reportable by analyses and interpretation of quality control.
Repeats testing on both specimens and quality control materials as necessary to assure accuracy of results.
Maintains equipment in working condition. Performs preventative maintenance as scheduled and needed. Maintains records of preventative maintenance and corrective actions. Keeping equipment in working condition may include minor repairs and will require extensive knowledge of the problem and working with technical experts from equipment vendors.
Assesses when samples must be recollected due to various interferences such hemolysis or lipemia as some test results are erroneous with these interferences.
Cultures pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms for the purpose of identifying and performing susceptibility assays on clinically significant isolates for the treatment of patients.
Monitors all specimens submitted for proper collection, preservation, and identification. Specimen types may originate from any part of the body but are most commonly fluids, wounds, blood, throat swabs, rectal, or vaginal swabs.
Places specimens in appropriate holding transport media or broth.
Prepares, treats, and inoculates specimens onto appropriate media and maintains them under special conditions (ex. CO2 enhancement, oxygen deprivation, etc.) to enhance the growth of microorganisms.
Examines culture and subculture growth for possible pathogens, discriminating between potential pathogens versus normal flora or contaminants.
Separates colonies needed for identification and susceptibility testing.
Using biochemical analytical methods, identifies isolated colonies to the species level for bacteria.
Identifies the presence of fungal elements.
Performs susceptibility testing using precise dilutions of microorganisms with known concentrations of antimicrobials.
Performs gram stains, oxidase, and indole testing, as well as other manual biochemical methods.
Maintains equipment in working condition. Performs preventative maintenance as scheduled and needed. Maintains records of preventative maintenance and corrective actions. Records include temperature checks, QC testing, rapid testing, and records of media QC testing. Keeping equipment in working condition may include minor repairs and will require extensive knowledge of the problem and working with technical experts from equipment vendors.
Reports susceptibilities using NCCLS standards to aid the physician in appropriate therapy.
Performs venipuncture, capillary puncture, therapeutic phlebotomy, and bleeding times as appropriate.
Prepares, treats, dilutes, and identifies blood specimens for all requested hematological analysis (ex. CBC, ESR, Reticulocyte Counts, Coagulation, WBC differential, RBC Counts and morphology, etc…).
Performs cellular analysis on body fluids (ex. CSF, Joint fluids, etc.).
Performs hematology testing and reports the results in a timely manner.
Refers specimens and slides to appropriate personnel who use their clinical knowledge of normal and abnormal physical conditions to appropriately and adequately identify those patients requiring more testing and analysis by more specialized personnel (ex. Hematologists, Pathologists, etc.).
Tests non-ideal specimens by pretreatments to remove interferences when encountered, e.g., lipemia.
Maintains equipment in working condition. Performs preventative maintenance as scheduled and needed. Maintains records of preventative maintenance and corrective actions. Keeping equipment in working condition may include minor repairs and will require extensive knowledge of the problem and working with technical experts from equipment vendors.
Performs all required Blood Bank procedures according to the standards of the AABB including but not limited to ABO, Rh typing, antibody screening, antibody identification, antibody titer, cross-matching, direct coombs, and the transfusion reaction investigation.
Coordinates with the American Red Cross for the acquisition of needed products and maintains records of acquired blood products to ensure safety and tracing as needed.
Selects correct types of blood products depending on component needed, adhering to protocol and severity of the situation.
Monitors all critically temperature-controlled refrigerators and freezers according to AABB and CAP standards.
Maintains equipment in working condition. Performs preventative maintenance as scheduled and needed. Maintains records of preventative maintenance and corrective actions. Keeping equipment in working condition may include minor repairs and will require extensive knowledge of the problem and working with technical experts from equipment vendors.
Capable of reacting immediately and appropriately in all emergency transfusion requirements.
Performs automated or manual “dipstick” testing of urine and performs microscopic exams of urine sediment.
Maintains equipment in working condition. Performs preventative maintenance as scheduled and needed. Maintains records of preventative maintenance and corrective actions. Keeping equipment in working condition may include minor repairs and will require extensive knowledge of the problem and working with technical experts from equipment vendors.
Assist in teaching students or newly hired technicians in all areas of the laboratory as needed.
Attain adequate skills to be able to work without supervision on weekends, holidays, 1st ,2nd and 3rd shifts when needed.
Subject to on-call status as necessary and must be able to return to the laboratory within 30 minutes when called by a provider for laboratory work on patients at all hours of the day.
Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor (ex. workload reports, changing shifts occasionally to accommodate workload requirements, etc.).