Research Specimen Processing Technician, Northwest Biospecimen/Northwest Biotrust

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

3d•$45,348 - $61,116•Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology is hiring a Research Specimen Processing Technician to support prospective and customized biospecimen procurement and annotation. The role has operational access to patient health information and clinical materials, including pathology specimens, archival blocks, and slides. The technician must follow covered-entity HIPAA Privacy and CLIA rules and has a dotted-line reporting relationship to CLIA certificate holders and applicable clinical laboratory management staff. This is a regular, full-time day-shift position at the University of Washington Medical Center – Montlake campus. The listed schedule is 10:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m.; the specific work schedule will be discussed with the hiring manager. The role coordinates and collects research biospecimens and associated clinical data, supports quality assurance and compliant distribution, maintains short-term storage, and may perform additional research-support procedures with the appropriate certification and approvals.

Requirements

Two years of college-level science in an applicable field, or high school graduation or GED certification and one year of clinical laboratory experience in a clinical or public health laboratory.
Excellent organization and time-management skills, ability to work independently and collaboratively, and strong problem-solving ability.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Medical terminology knowledge sufficient to screen for appropriate tissue collection, with experience abstracting medical information from patient charts.
Knowledge of universal precautions, laboratory safety procedures, and bloodborne pathogens.
Ability to distinguish and identify human tissues.
Previous experience involving direct patient contact.
Ability to lift 50 pounds to move freezer racks and transfer liquid nitrogen tanks as needed.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office software.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of HIPAA and CAP/CLIA requirements for research use of archival clinical samples.
Experience obtaining informed consent.
Familiarity with Institutional Review Board (IRB) requirements.

Responsibilities

Review clinic and operating-room schedules for Northwest Biotrust cases.
Obtain Northwest Biotrust general protocol consent, including for research-only biospecimens, pre-operatively or in SCCA clinics.
Coordinate collection and processing of biospecimens and associated data for basic research and clinical trials across care teams, following applicable clinical procedures, policies, research requirements, and protocols.
Collect IRB-approved clinical information and research-only samples in clinic and pre-operative areas.
Perform intraoperative blood work with anesthesia teams, including special timed protocols for prospective blood and sterile biospecimen collection under pathology direction.
Collect and process non-sterile tissue in pathology gross rooms and frozen section rooms after review by pathology attendings, senior residents, or pathology assistants.
Communicate clinical histories and research protocol requirements to teams across collection areas.
Record and report specimen and data parameters, such as cold ischemia time and specimen size.
Communicate procurement specifics and distribution arrangements to research staff, and notify designated moonlighting staff of potential after-hours procurement activity.
Ensure biospecimens are appropriately dissected, promptly processed, and maintained at the correct temperature.
Ensure a scout slide is created for solid tissue specimens and reviewed by a pathologist to determine percent necrosis and percent neoplasia.
Review the final pathology report for inconsistencies or unexpected results related to the research biospecimen and confirm that it notes tissue was collected for research.
Ensure biospecimen and information releases comply with patient consent, research protocols, and IRB approvals; log distributions and obtain research staff signatures.
Maintain short-term biospecimen storage and freezer space.
With required certification and approvals, including study-specific IRB approvals, perform other procedures involving direct patient access, such as phlebotomy and patient questionnaires.
Annotate biospecimens according to approved protocols, query clinical databases and records, and retrieve archived pathology materials for review as needed.
Assist with other service lines, including requests for research use of archival specimens.
Train other staff, including students, on procedures.
Perform other duties as assigned.