Research Specimen Processing Technician, Northwest Biospecimen/Northwest Biotrust

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

10d•$45,348 - $61,116•Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology has an outstanding opportunity for a Research Specimen Processing Technician to join their team. This position supports Prospective and Customized Biospecimen Procurement and Annotation. This role has operational access to patient health information and clinical materials, including pathology specimens, archival blocks, and slides. For these activities, the incumbent must adhere to covered-entity HIPAA Privacy and CLIA rules and has a “dotted line” reporting relationship to the CLIA certificate holders and applicable clinical laboratory management staff. This is a full-time day shift position located at the University of Washington Medical Center – Montlake campus. The specific work schedule will be discussed with the hiring manager. The salary information is provided below.

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; able to function both independently and collaboratively with strong problem-solving ability.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Knowledge of medical terminology that is sufficient to screen for appropriate tissue collection with experience abstracting medical information from patient charts.
Knowledge of universal precautions, lab safety procedures, and bloodborne pathogens.
Ability to distinguish and identify human tissues.
Previous experience involving direct patient contact.
Ability to lift 50 lbs 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 the research use of archival clinical samples.
Experience obtaining informed consent.
Familiarity with Institutional Review Board (IRB) requirements.

Responsibilities

Review clinic and OR schedules for NWBT cases.
Obtain NWBT general protocol consent (including research-only biospecimens) pre-operatively or in SCCA clinics.
Coordinate the collection and processing of biospecimens and associated data for basic research and clinical trials across care teams.
Gather IRB-approved clinical information (e.g., questionnaires) and research-only samples (e.g., buccal swabs, cores, urine, and blood).
Perform intraoperative blood work with anesthesia teams, including special timed protocols for prospective blood and sterile biospecimen collection under pathology direction.
Handle non-sterile collection and processing of tissue after review by pathology attendings, senior residents, or pathology assistants (PAs).
Communicate clinical histories and research protocol requirements to teams across all collection areas.
Record all parameters associated with specimens and data (e.g., cold ischemia time, specimen size) and report on this data.
Communicate with research staff regarding procurement specifics and distribution arrangements.
Notify designated moonlighting staff of any potential after-hours procurement activity.
Ensure biospecimens are dissected appropriately, processed quickly, 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 to confirm there are no inconsistencies or unexpected results related to the research biospecimen, and that the report notes tissue was collected for research.
Ensure all releases of biospecimens and information comply with patient consent, research protocol, and IRB approvals.
Log all distributions and obtain signatures from research staff.
Maintain short-term biospecimen storage and freezer space.
With proper certification and approvals (including study-specific IRB approvals), may perform other procedures involving direct patient access, such as phlebotomy and patient questionnaires.
Annotate biospecimens per approved protocols, query clinical databases/records, and pull archived pathology materials for review as needed.
May assist with other service lines, such as requests for research use of archival specimens.
Train other staff, including students, on procedures.
Perform other duties as assigned.