Job Description

A Laboratory Assistant position requires a positive attitude, providing a high level of customer satisfaction, focus on patient care, and positive communication with customers, hospital staff and co-workers.

Essential Functions:

• Promotes the mission, vision, and values of the organization. Exhibits and adheres to Williamson Health's Standards of Performance in all areas of job duties and responsibilities.
• Participates in hospital initiatives and in departmental goals set by the Laboratory Director and staff.
• Interacts professionally with laboratory management, laboratory personnel, physicians, hospital personnel, patients and customers to provide optimal patient care.
• Works well with other laboratory employees to maintain an environment of teamwork.
• Exercises all laboratory safety precautions and adheres OSHA and TOSHA safety regulations
• Positively identifies patients, labels specimens and enters results using two unique identifiers. Maintains working knowledge of laboratory policies and procedures.
• Maintains current knowledge and adheres to hospital policies and state, federal and other regulatory requirements
• Responds appropriately to tests with a priority of STAT, call results or timed specimens
• Responsible for training new employees and students as assigned.
• Assists technical and non-technical staff in appropriate area of operation.
• Receive specimens in the main lab, process, and distribute to appropriate department.
• Research, order, and process specimens for reference testing.
• Prepare and package specimens to be sent out for testing, including routines, stats, newborn screens, chain of custody drug screens, etc.
• Enter results into Meditech when completed from reference labs.
• Inventory supplies, maintain supply room organization, receive and put away supplies.
• Set-up specimens in Microbiology.
• Reviews pending and outstanding reports and resolves outstanding specimens
• Other duties as needed/assigned.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Formal Education / Training:
• High school graduate or equivalent, typing and computer experience preferred, phlebotomy experience preferred.

Workplace Experience:
• Laboratory experience preferred
• Meditech experience preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
• Knowledge of medical laboratory science
• Strong organizational skills and interpersonal skills
• Ability to determine appropriate course of action in more complex situations
• Ability to work independently, be attentive to detail and maintain a positive attitude
• Ability to manage multiple and simultaneous responsibilities and to prioritize scheduling of work
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of all medical, financial and legal information
• Ability to complete work assignments accurately and in a timely manner
• Ability to handle difficult situations involving patients, physicians, or others in a professional manner
• Strong computer skills

Physical and Environment Requirements:
• Exposure to blood and body fluids, infectious and contagious diseases, chemicals.
• Ability to communicate in English verbally and in writing.
• Ability to perform multi-functional tasks.
• Ability to read computer screen, distinguish color, hear phone and conduct interpersonal communications
• Ability to learn, reason and perform mathematical calculations related to job.
• Ability to use critical thinking skills.
• Requires light to moderate work with 40 pounds maximum weight to lift and carry.
• Manual dexterity and mobility in both hands; exposed to repetitive motion.
• Frequent reaching, bending, stooping, kneeling, and crouching.
• Requires prolonged standing and walking
• Flexibility to shift schedule, work extra hours or overtime as needed by staffing deficits or high patient volumes

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

1 Works well with Management:
• Communicates potential issues in a timely manner
• Follows through on work assignments
• Communicates opportunities for improvement in a positive way
• Uses critical thinking skills and makes good use of time.
2 Participates in departmental meetings and process improvement teams (laboratory or hospital, if applicable).
• In-services reviewed and signed before due date
3 Motivated – takes initiative for work that needs to be done
• Helps coordinator with tasks as needed
• Helps co-workers as needed
• Follows through with incomplete report
• Seeks out new tasks when work in area is done/caught up
• Willingly seeks out/accepts new responsibilities
4 Positively identifies patients and specimens
• 0 ID errors = EE
• 1 ID error = MS
• > 1 ID errors = BS
5 Enters complete and accurate information in the computer system when ordering or resulting, including Williamson Health, Vanderbilt, Quest, and Labcorp.
• Produces work with very few errors.
• 0-0.75% = EE
• 0.76-1.99% = MS
• >2% = BS
• (order entry, result entry, phlebotomy)
6 Microbiology
• Routinely sets up cultures
• Follows procedures for specimen culture set ups.
7 Manages supply inventory and ordering accurately.
Stores temperature sensitive supplies in a timely manner.
8 Processes and packages specimens for transport according to proper procedures.
9 Follows Hospital and Laboratory Policies on the use of Electronic Devices:
• Cell phones kept on vibrate
• Phones/Electronic/Headphones devices used during break/meal times only
• Does not use personal phones in patient care areas
• Uses the hospital internet for work purposes only
10 Adheres to Williamson Health Lab Attendance policy
• Tardies/Absences kept to a minimum
• Rarely misses time punches in API
• Submits requests for PTO within policy guidelines
• Does not take extended lunches
• Takes appropriate breaks as dictated by workload
11 Turn Around Time within acceptable time criteria for ER patients. Average time from Collected to Resulted:
• <20 minutes EE
• 20 – 30 minutes MS
• >30 minutes BS
12 Provides effective communication
• Communicates problems/issues/concerns to lead tech
• Communicates problems/issues/concerns at shift change to co-worker
• Communicates testing delays to appropriate personnel
• Reads e-mail and communication logs during each work day.
• Documents and signs communication log daily.