Medical Laboratory Assistant

Boston Medical Center•Boston, MA

13h

About The Position

The Medical Laboratory Assistant works in the Blood Bank and helps receive, irradiate, and ship blood and blood products. The role supports blood product inventory across a three-hospital system, ensuring products are stocked and ready for use, and helps coordinate related paperwork and quality assurance systems. The position also supports laboratory specimen processing and routing, waived testing, automation-line operations, equipment maintenance and troubleshooting, laboratory information and patient registration systems, inventory and supply management, training, and quality improvement activities. The assistant communicates with laboratory staff, external contacts, vendors, and other departments while following confidentiality, safety, infection control, and customer service standards.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
At least 2 years of experience working in a clinical laboratory environment.
Experience with clinical laboratory workflow and basic knowledge of laboratory specimen processing and testing.
Experience performing and reporting waived testing, or the capability to do so, as defined by CLIA regulations.
Experience performing preventive maintenance, minor repairs, and troubleshooting of laboratory automation equipment, or the capability to do so.
Demonstrated technical competency with hospital computer systems, including Microsoft Office, patient registration systems, and Laboratory Information Systems.
Excellent oral and written English communication skills and interpersonal skills for courteous, customer-service-oriented communication with internal and external contacts.
Excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills, attention to detail, organizational ability, and follow-through.
Ability to maintain strict protocols for confidential or sensitive information.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree or bachelor's degree in clinical science is preferred.

Responsibilities

Receive, irradiate, and ship blood and blood products.
Help oversee blood product inventory across a three-hospital system and help ensure products are stocked and ready for use.
Coordinate associated paperwork and quality assurance systems.
Receive and prepare laboratory specimens for analysis; verify specimen identification and label specimens according to policy and procedure.
Route specimens to appropriate laboratory sections within required time frames and load specimens onto automation equipment according to special handling instructions.
Complete paperwork and technical and non-technical procedures needed to process and submit specimens.
Process, prepare, and store specimens for shipment to contracted laboratories.
Perform waived testing as needed and enter results into the Laboratory Information System.
Optimize specimen routing and workbench workflow, prioritizing stat and routine specimens; help locate specimens within automation lines.
Communicate courteously by telephone and other methods, route calls to the appropriate section, and provide timely and accurate reports and documentation while observing confidentiality requirements.
Serve as a resource on the automation line and provide demonstrations as needed.
Perform and document troubleshooting, repairs, routine maintenance, and preventive maintenance; monitor and record daily temperatures.
Use Laboratory Information Systems for order entry, inquiries, crediting, and other functions, and use patient registration systems to register patients, assign medical record numbers, and update demographic information.
Work with technical and assistant supervisors to update inventories, place orders, and maintain supplies.
Assist supervisors with training programs, standard operating procedures, and competencies; train new laboratory support staff and phlebotomy students.
Participate in quality improvement and quality assurance activities, offer input on performance improvement, and help assess implemented solutions.
Liaise with other automation users and vendor research and development scientists to identify opportunities and develop solutions or innovations; assist with quality and usage reports.
Recognize and resolve laboratory technical and non-technical problems, seek help as appropriate, record problems in the problem log, and report issues to supervisors.
Attend workshops to maintain current knowledge and maintain initial and annual competency documentation.
Record late and sick calls for staff when the manager is absent.
Adapt to departmental needs, assist team members, adjust assignments, and foster teamwork.
Follow hospital performance, conduct, patient rights, infection control, and safety standards; maintain a clean and safe work environment and demonstrate professionalism.
Perform other duties as needed.