Director of Laboratory

JOB SUMMARY

Provides leadership planning, management implementation and coordination of Clinical Laboratory Services. Oversees quality control, safety, and quality services, ensures departments comply with all hospital and regulatory agency standards. Oversees work-flow process required to accomplish the organization and department goals and objectives. Coordinates continuing education needs of the staff, review/revise policies, procedures and safety programs as needed. Responsible for developing and maintaining a department operating/capital budget. Makes recommendations for new services, capital equipment purchases and overall direction of the department. Responsible for hiring and performance management of all department staff. Ensures appropriate staffing levels, develops, and maintains a cohesive team that supports excellence in patient care and a collaborative work environment. Delivers services according to the scope of service for Laboratory.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Department Quality & Direction

· Responsible for the planning and coordination of the respective department’s activities, operational efficiency, and staffing levels needed to promptly and effectively perform the procedures requested from respective department.

· Oversees the prioritization of projects and directs resources to ensure the attainment of organizational goals, new program ideas, issues of importance. Looks to leadership for guidance when necessary.

· Regularly examines alternative methods of providing required laboratory services to maximize operational efficiency and effectiveness of services.

· Maintains safety in the departments and institution; ensures compliance with safety standards and disaster plans; develops safety rules for the department.

· Completes evaluations of personnel, relative to performance, conduct, attendance, and adherence of departmental/hospital policies.

· Responsible for ensuring the departments’ meet and adhere to all applicable federal, state, CAP, and CMS regulatory requirements and for ensuring the department's success in any regulatory survey.

Personnel Leadership

· Provides leadership, role modeling, mentoring and direction to staff with a focus on employee morale and retention.

· Addresses continuing education needs of the department. Maintains appropriate documentation on staff as required. Maintains all required records for department and ensures that licenses are in compliance with the appropriate regulatory body.

· Coordinates the department's performance improvement indicators/studies and provides training to staff. Ensures that criteria-based performance evaluations standards have been developed for each position in the department. Revises performance standards as necessary.

Financial Management

· Develops resources, budget, and revenue to meet or exceed the budget’s for the laboratory department.

· Coordinates capitol equipment purchases with the CFO/COO. Demonstrates good planning in the replacement needs of aging equipment.

· Actively seeks ways to control costs without compromising patient safety, quality of care, or services delivered.

Effective Communication and Problem Solving

· Attends appropriate meetings and keeps staff informed on new policies/issues important to staff.

· Confers with other department directors or managers when necessary to resolve procedural difficulties, clarifying department responsibilities, objectives, and resolving identified problems of the laboratory department.

· Demonstrates knowledge of the event reporting system and reports trends in events to staff in order to improve processes and performance.

· Participates in appropriate committees, task forces and projects. Completes tasks or projects as assigned by CNO/CCO.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Minimum Education

Required: Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Medical Laboratory Science or related field.

Preferred: NA

Minimum Work Experience

Required: At least 4 years clinical laboratory managerial experience. Excellent customer service skills, communication and computer skills.

Preferred: NA

Required Licenses: LS(ASCP)cm.

FUNCTIONAL DEMANDS

Working Conditions

Hospital setting. Frequent stressful situations, irregular hours, exposure to infectious and caustic agents, small

workspaces. Irregular meals/breaks. Must be on-site at the SJH campus or other facilities to fulfill the responsibilities

of this role.

Physical Requirements

Majority of time walking and standing, physically active. Must be able to lift 25 pounds. Intermittent stretching, bending, reaching, pushing, and pulling. Intermittent sitting and computer work.

Direct Reports: Laboratory staff

Reports to: Chief Nursing Officer/ Chief Clinical Officer

Internal & External Contacts: All hospital departments, patients, physicians, family and or friends of patients, community agencies, sales people,

visitors.

LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES

Building Effective Teams

• Allocates resources necessary to reach goals

• Creates strong morale and spirit in his/her team; creates a feeling of belonging

• Defines success in terms of the whole team

Strategic Thinking

• Anticipates future consequences and trends accurately

• Develops strategic plans with a solid analysis of potential risks and rewards

Industry Acumen

• Knows how the healthcare industry works; understands financial models for successfully running a hospital

• Pays attention to current and possible future policies, practices, trends, developments in healthcare and how these

could affect the organization

Planning

• Accurately scopes out length and difficulty of tasks and projects and sets goals and goals

• Breaks down work into the process steps and develops schedules and task/people assignments

• Anticipates and adjusts for problems and roadblocks

Managerial Courage

• Takes unpopular stands if necessary

• Encourages direct and tough debate, but isn't afraid to end it and move on

• Says what needs to be said without holding back

Communicating a Vision

· Sets focus and contributes to organizational vision

· Communicates a compelling and inspired vision or sense of core purpose sharable by everyone; talks about

possibilities beyond today