What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Laboratory Quality Assurance and Education position at University of Illinois Hospital?
Position Summary
The Director of Laboratory Quality Assurance and Education, under the direction of the Senior Director Hospital Pathology/Laboratory Services insures the Clinical Laboratory that serves the patients of the UI Health and the community meets the regulatory standards issued by CLIA, The Joint Commission, CAP, FDA, OSHA, AABB, and other regulatory bodies through a robust quality program to include safe and quality results in the pre-analytical, analytical, and post analytical phases of testing. The laboratories included in the Pathology Department are: Chemistry, Hematology, Microbiology, Anatomical Pathology, Tissue Typing, Specimen Processing, Molecular Pathology, Biochemical Genetics, Clinical Genomics, Point-of-Care Testing, Phlebotomy, and Reference Laboratories. Works collaboratively with Pathology/Laboratory leadership, including faculty, and key stakeholders to encourage an innovative and patient centric quality program.
Duties & Responsibilities
- Ensures regulatory compliance and accreditation readiness by maintaining up-to-date knowledge of requirements and coordinating activities to fulfill requirements.
- Maintains and continually improves the Laboratory Quality Management Program (QMP), managing and coordinating related activities and completing tasks to ensure effective support of Laboratory operations.
- Organizes, plans, and operationalizes the Quality Indicator Metric Reporting Committee, at least quarterly.
- Prepares the institutional Department Reports as appropriate for submission
- Participates in the investigation and fact-finding related to RCAs (root-cause-analysis)
- Collaborates with Clinical Laboratory Directors, and operational laboratory leadership in developing a Culture of Safety and Just Culture
- Functions as the Laboratory Internal Audit Coordinator, planning and coordinating internal audits to ensure ongoing excellence in quality and service.
- Assists in investigations into internal and external deviations, develops corrective action plan and coordinates development of any resultant Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) changes and staff training
- Coordinates the monitoring, reporting and assessment of performance-related information through information collected by Laboratory Quality Supervisors/managers/technologists.
- Coordinates the quality review activities of the Operations Management team to ensure continual improvement of quality and service.
- Facilitates the design and validation of efficient workflow processes, conducts quality-related meetings, and develops documents (process maps/tables, procedures, and forms).
- Assists Educational Coordinator in promoting a culture of quality by providing education to others on the science of laboratory testing, human health, and preventive health strategies.
- Encourages professional credentialing and continued yearly education by providing educational sessions/seminars.
- Supports the resident/fellows’ programs in training quality and regulatory requirements.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
- Perform other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned.
