Clinical Lab Assistant - Phlebotomist - Lovelace Women's Hospital, (1715)

Schedule

Monday–Wednesday 1400–0230 with holidays and other shifts as needed.

Location

Lovelace Women’s Hospital

About the role

The Clinical Lab Assistant Phlebotomist works independently with minimal supervision and performs one or more identified modalities. Compensation scales with the number of modalities performed; candidates without experience may enter a paid apprenticeship track. Regular in-person attendance during scheduled hours is essential.

Essential Functions

• Perform duties in a professional and courteous manner.
• Maintain supplies and inventory necessary for departmental functions.
• Observe students and/or new staff as needed.
• Exhibit basic problem-solving skills to ensure exceptional customer and patient care.
• Handle hospital communication responsibilities as assigned, including on-call duties during scheduled hours (cell phone required).
• Demonstrate effective telephone and verbal communication skills.
• Apply professional judgment when interacting with clients, patients, and coworkers.
• Perform clerical functions (e.g., documenting call-ins in the absence of a supervisor).
• Maintain confidentiality of personal and confidential information.
• Participate in on-call coverage to meet service levels and cover holidays, evenings, and weekends as required.
• Possess basic PC skills.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Preferred: PBT (ASCP) or equivalent certification; completion of a relevant Clinical Lab Assistant or comparable program.

Immunization Requirements

• Prove immunity to Hepatitis B, or be immunized, or sign a waiver refusing immunization.
• Provide documentation of a PPD test conducted within 90 days prior to hire, or complete a PPD test through TriCore.
• In departments/locations with direct patient contact: prove immunity or be eligible to receive rubella, rubeola, and varicella immunizations.

General Requirements

• Valid driver’s license and good driving record; must be insurable by lab insurance carrier.
• Eligible to work in a healthcare facility under the New Mexico Caregivers Criminal History Screening Act or other applicable law.

Minimum Experience

Candidates without training or experience may be considered for an apprenticeship and placed into CLA Level 1–4 based on the number of modalities completed. Assigned modalities are determined by department leadership.

Modalities

• Check-in and Order Entry/Reconciliation (per system: Clinical, Anatomic, Research, Referral Testing)
  • Identify patient in system.
  • Reconcile electronic orders.
  • Manual entry when necessary.
  • Insurance/payment handling when necessary.
• General Phlebotomy (ages 10 and above)
  • Vacutainer, butterfly, and syringe collections.
• Special Collections and/or External Shipping Certification
  • Arterial blood gas, pediatric and infant draws, sweat collection, breath collections, occupational health/drug screen collections, MRSA and COVID collections, therapeutic phlebotomies.
• Assisting Provider-Performed Procedures
  • FNA, bone marrow, EBUS, bronchial lavage.
• Specimen Processing
  • Specimen receipt, sorting, delivery/loading, decanting, retrieval for send-out testing, surgical sample triage, storage and disposal.
• Non-Conformity Investigation/Problem Resolution
  • Problem Desk/Portal, TLC, NCE responses, client service; proper documentation.
• Lab Equipment Maintenance/Support
  • Superuser duties for non-testing instrumentation (e.g., cryostats, stainline), chemical and biohazard waste management.
• Sample Testing (waived to moderate)
  • Instrument maintenance, biohazard disposal, QC.
  • Review results for defined parameters; identify and resolve technical specimen problems; report out results.
• Training and Competency
  • Consistent training and/or assisting in competency assessments for modalities and students; initial training documentation.
  • May include N95 FIT testing and department-specific skilled technical assistance.
• Additional Specialized Modalities
  • BB-Product prep: irradiating units, thawing cryo and plasma, splitting plasma and platelets.
  • Infectious Disease: planting patient specimens; tissue and bone processing (grinding, cutting), plate inoculation; knowledge of anaerobic vs. aerobic incubation.
  • Genetics and Cytometry: nucleic acid extraction, cell culture and harvesting, renal transplant kit oversight, patient testing scheduling and monitoring.
  • Histology and Cytology: cytology specimen processing, slide preparation and staining; histology specimen processing including bone marrow grossing and tissue-specific processing.
  • TRI Honest Broker: department-specific clerical or support functions; organization of AP/HP cases and slide distribution; FFPE block and slide filing; material retrieval.
  • Consult Case Management: ordering, material retrieval, billing, Client on the Fly, report upload.
  • Client Material Return: unit allocation and issue (cryo, plasma, platelet, bone, tissue).
  • Skilled Inventory Management: ordering, receiving, monitoring par levels, end-of-month reconciliations; blood supply, reagents, supplies; TriBuy training and competency.