Lab Assistant

Job Summary

Requires excellent speaking and hearing abilities in order to communicate with staff and patients either in person or by telephone. Requires sitting, walking, bending/stooping, lifting and reaching in order to perform pre-analysis, analysis, and post analysis specimen testing activities. Requires excellent documentation and organizational skills and knowledge of good laboratory practices. Requires visual acuity for reading and interpreting CLIA waived lab tests, following technical procedures, and reporting test results. Must be able to operate a laboratory centrifuge and perform a variety of blood collection techniques. Requires regular contact with biohazardous specimens, therefore inherent risk of exposure to blood borne diseases (OSHA Risk Category I).

Responsibilities

• Performs analyses on specimens to aid in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of patients, following established quality control protocols.
• Maintains positive specimen identification throughout testing and reporting processes.
• Performs venipunctures and capillary draws on patients.
• Prepares specimens for shipment to reference lab.
• Performs patient and QC testing according to manufacturer written procedures; recognizes problems with specimens, test or instrument performance, and QC outcomes; proceeds to remedy or request assistance as appropriate. Informs Supervisor, and records remedial actions.
• Enters results for all in-house testing in the EHR.
• Creates requisitions/labels for all lab orders.
• Performs appropriate instrument startup, shutdown, and maintenance as required.
• Ensures lab supplies are well stocked and completes a lab supply order form for any supplies needing replenishment.
• Recognizes abnormal (Alert) values and follows established protocol for rechecking results and notifying physician.
• Maintains appropriate records (QC, specimen and test logs, instrument maintenance, troubleshooting/corrective actions, etc) as required for assigned tasks.
• Exhibits appropriate professional appearance and behavior in relating to clinic staff, patients and their families; consistently uses appropriate telephone manners; maintains confidentially both inside and outside the work setting.
• Actively participates in the medical home care team which is comprised of clinical and non-clinical staff working together towards a common goal: delivering quality care to our patients.
• Acknowledges the importance of a team approach when providing patient care.