Lab Support Services Specialist- General Lab

About the role

Under the supervision of the Laboratory Manager or designee, performs technical and non-technical duties within the Laboratory service areas on the hospital campus.

Core Responsibilities

• Specimen Receipt and Processing
  • Check all specimens arriving in the lab for sufficient quality and quantity
  • Cancel unacceptable specimens after notifying RN and documenting in the LIS
  • Centrifuge, decant or split specimens as needed; combine orders as needed; take to testing areas in a timely fashion
  • Pull samples as needed for lab pending lists
  • Measure and aliquot 24 hr urine samples and enter required information in the LIS
  • Via tracking and pending logs, prepare specimens for transport to reference labs
  • Check accuracy of outpatient orders and resolve discrepancies, correcting orders as needed
  • Check physician, drop off specimen and Home Health orders for accuracy in HIS/LIS
  • Resolve any insurance/billing problems noted with PAS or Outreach staff
  • Processing microbiology specimens (plating/preparation and preparing gram stains)
• Phlebotomy
  • Prepare and maintain phlebotomy tray with all supplies required to perform duties
  • Perform phlebotomy in accordance with Wellstar's patient identification, confidentiality, safety and infection control guidelines with appropriate care given to PPE, sharps disposal and hand washing
  • Collect quality blood specimens both venous and capillary for processing, minimum venipunctures 10/hour
  • Critically review each collection list to minimize the number of times a patient is collected by searching for and canceling duplicate orders and combining orders that can be collected together within lab guidelines or after RN approval
  • Question orders that seem repetitive or unusual
  • Identify patient using two patient identifiers before drawing blood and inform nursing of any missing or incorrect arm bands
  • Comply with Blood Culture and Blood Bank specimen collection procedures and specimen handling requirements
  • Confirm the patient has been left in a secure position, tourniquet removed and puncture wound has clotted before leaving patient
  • Deliver specimens to the Laboratory within specified timeframe
  • Resolve unreceived specimen pending log in LIS; pull acceptable samples if possible
• Customer Service Support
  • Comply with AIDET standards at all times
  • Communicate effectively and courteously with all outpatients, visitors and hospital personnel as they arrive in the lab or when on patient care areas
  • Maintain patient privacy and confidentiality at all times
  • Receive incoming calls; resolve or route as appropriate
  • Resolve patient/patient care provider complaints; understand when to refer to supervisor
  • Provide patient test results to patient care providers via printed reports, fax or verbal communication
  • Maintain organized files for physician orders, reference lab reports, other lab reports, as needed
  • Make follow-up calls to patients, patient care providers concerning problem specimens, recollects
  • Perform call back function for critical and notification values
• Technical / HIS / LIS
  • HIS/LIS order entry; able to work in multiple computer systems as needed to perform job functions
  • Use critical thinking skills and lab knowledge to resolve patient orders and irretrievable samples
  • Report and troubleshoot HIS/LIS, printer, fax malfunctions
  • Organize specimen intake in various downtime scenarios and recovery from same
  • Assist with inventory control; maintain organization of laboratory storage areas
  • Restock consumables in the phlebotomy, clerical areas, store room and laboratory
  • Perform QA checks on refrigerators, freezers as required
• Teaching / In-Service / Email
  • Assist in orientation and training of new employees as assigned
  • Check emails daily in Sunquest
  • Complete all assigned training and competency testing within specified time periods
  • Participate in staff meetings and read posted meeting minutes

Qualifications

• Education: High School Diploma or GED required
• Certifications (required upon hire): BLS - Basic Life Support (or ARC-BLS or BLS-I)
• Certifications (preferred): Phlebotomy Certification by a national organization
• Experience (preferred): Experience in either phlebotomy and/or specimen processing in an outpatient or hospital laboratory environment

Skills

• Strong written and verbal communication
• Customer service
• Multi-tasking and organizational skills
• Professionalism
• Detail and team-oriented
• Data entry, typing 40 wpm
• Working computer knowledge

Schedule

Evening shift