Clinical Lab Assistant - Phlebotomist - Rust Hospital, (1732)

Schedule

Sunday–Wednesday 0400–1430 with rotating holidays, on-call and other shifts as needed.

Location

Rust 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 required.

Essential Functions

• Perform duties professionally and courteously.
• Maintain supplies and inventory for departmental functions.
• Observe students and/or new staff as needed.
• Apply basic problem-solving to ensure exceptional customer and patient care.
• Handle hospital communication duties, including on-call responsibilities via cell phone during scheduled hours.
• Demonstrate effective telephone and verbal communication.
• Exercise professional judgment with clients, patients, and coworkers.
• Perform clerical functions such as documenting critical communications (e.g., call-ins) in the absence of a supervisor.
• Maintain confidentiality of personal and sensitive 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 not more than 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 as required by location.
• Eligible to work in a healthcare facility per the New Mexico Caregivers Criminal History Screening Act or other applicable law.

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 (Clinical, Anatomic, Research, Referral Testing): identifying patients, reconciling electronic orders, manual entry, insurance/payment processing.
• General Phlebotomy (ages 10+): 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: receipt, sorting, delivery/loading, decanting, retrieval for send-out testing, surgical sample triage, storage and disposal.
• Non-conformity investigation/Problem Resolution: documentation and resolution of issues (e.g., Problem Desk, TLC, NCE responses, client service).
• Lab Equipment Maintenance/Support: chemical and biohazard waste management for non-testing instrumentation (cryostats, stainline).
• Sample Testing (waived to moderate): instrument maintenance, biohazard disposal, QC, result review, technical problem resolution.
• Training and competency assessments for modalities and students; may include N95 fit testing.
• Department-specific skilled technical assistance:
  • 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, anaerobic/aerobic incubation requirements.
  • 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: clerical or support functions, organization of AP/HP cases and slide distribution, FFPE block and slide filing and retrieval, consult case management (ordering, material retrieval, billing, report upload), client material return, unit allocation and issue, inventory management (ordering, receiving, par-level monitoring, end-of-month reconciliations, blood supply, reagents, supplies, TriBuy training and competency).