Laboratory Assistant - PRN

WOOSTER COMMUNITY HOSPITAL JOB DESCRIPTION

Laboratory Assistant I

MAIN FUNCTION:

Under the direct supervision of the Laboratory Manager, Medical Laboratory Assistants prepare, and in some cases process samples within the laboratory. The Medical Laboratory Assistant will also utilize pre-analytical systems to enable Technologists to process the tests requested on the sample.

Care will be provided to patients of the following age categories: neonate, infant, pediatric, adolescent, adult and geriatric.

RESPONSIBLE TO: Director, Laboratory; Manager, Laboratory

MUST HAVE REQUIREMENTS:

• High School Diploma or GED
• General laboratory experience
• No written disciplinary action within the last 12 months

PREFERRED ATTRIBUTES:

• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite
• Experience in a laboratory.

NOTE:

• Employee in this position may be exposed to blood, body fluids and/or airborne pathogens and is required to wear personal protective equipment.
• Employees in this position must be able to push, pull, lift, carry, turn, crouch, and bend as necessary to complete laboratory tasks.

POSITION EXPECTATIONS: All expectations detailed below are considered ADA (American Disabilities Act) essential.

Teamwork

• Embraces teamwork by adhering to standards of good laboratory practice.
• Accepts and responds to change productively, while maintaining a positive attitude.
• Demonstrates appropriate workplace behavior and competence in job duties.
• Demonstrates basic conflict resolution skills.
• Completes all assignments and competence requirements on time.

Communication

• Maintains awareness of verbal / nonverbal communication in interactions with staff, other departments, physicians, patients and families.
• Addresses patient and family of patient (if present) in an appropriate manner for patient's age and level of understanding. Explains procedure and uses appropriate communication to reassure patient.
• Maintains patient confidentiality and professionalism in all communication interactions: written, verbal, electronic and digital
• Collaborates and communicates effectively with all members of the health care team
• Follows appropriate chain of command and receives guidance and instructions from leadership.
• Reports critical information to the Technician or Technologist for communication with physician or caregiver as indicated by policy and within acceptable timeframes.
• Participates in lab meetings / team collaboration.

Customer Service

• Displays a positive attitude. Treats others with honesty and respect. Speaks positively in all customer interactions internal and external.
• Assesses customer satisfaction when interacting with patients and other non-patient customers and uses appropriate chain of command for unresolved issues or problems.
• Utilizes AIDET (Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Expectations, Thank you) strategies to:
  • Optimize the patient’s experience by reducing the patient and family’s anxiety.
  • Develop positive relationships with other departments to foster patient satisfaction.
• Use face to face resolutions (crucial conversations) to intervene with patients or staff in situations where customer needs have not been met to determine a positive, mutually agreeable outcome.

Operations

An MLA works in various areas of the laboratory, registering patients, collecting samples, and assessing the acceptability of samples for testing. Processes samples for testing including centrifugation, aliquoting, storage, and shipping. Provides support for clinical testing including preparation of slides, loading instruments, and result reporting. Performs waived and point-of-care testing.

• Consistently accommodates the needs of the department and effectively utilizes time management and organizational skills. Works in assigned area on the shift being worked.
• Follows all hospital and laboratory policies and procedures.
• Consistently uses appropriate personal protective equipment and follows safety policies.
• Specimen Collection

• Review, clarify, and verify orders.
• Properly identify patient.
• Perform specimen collection and properly label samples in the presence of the patient.
• Completes patient registration as necessary.
• Specimen Preparation and Processing Acceptability
• Prioritization
• Centrifugation and aliquoting
• Specimen storage
• Specimen transport and special handling
• Routes specimens to appropriate testing area.
• Support for Clinical Testing
• Specimen preparation
• Labeling and staining
• Microbiology setup and plating
• Reagents, standards, and controls
  • Preparation
  • Storage
  • Integrity
  • Documentation
• Analytical instrumentation
  • Loading reagents and samples
  • Test initiation
  • Technical and analytical error recognition and reporting
  • Results retrieval
  • Inventory Management
  • Performs and documents routine instrument function checks and maintenance according to schedule.
• Waived Testing
• Performance and operation
  • Waived testing (glucose, pregnancy, urine dipstick)
  • Point of Care testing (glucose, coagulation)
  • Result evaluation and reporting
• Laboratory Operations

• Safety and infection control
  • Patient, personal, equipment
  • Laboratory/Hospital (fire, chemical, electrical, biological, radiation)
• Waste disposal
  • Biological
  • Hazardous
• Laboratory equipment
  • Centrifuges, balances
  • Refrigerators, freezers
• Professionalism and ethics
  • Patient confidentiality
  • Customer support and service
    • Laboratory Information System
      • Documents patient testing and reporting of results appropriately in the LIS and manual logs
• Other duties as assigned by the management team.

Staff Development / Personal Growth

In conjunction with the Department Manager, Clinical Specialist and / or Educator:

• Demonstrate professional growth by participating in PI projects
• Accepts feedback as opportunity for growth
• Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of new policies and procedures, practices, changes in practice, and initiatives. Obtains this knowledge via staff meeting attendance, reading of communication, required hospital education, discussion with departmental leadership and peers.

Performance Improvement

• Participates in data collection as applicable to assigned duties.

• Develop and maintain an ongoing understanding of current practice for the types of patients for whom care is provided.

5/05 Revised Dates: 10/11; 12/2023

Approved by Human Resources: