Lab Support Services Specialist- Phlebotomy

How would you like to work in a place where your contributions and ideas are valued? A place where you can serve with compassion, pursue excellence and honor every voice? At Wellstar, our mission is simple, yet powerful: to enhance the health and well-being of every person we serve. We are proud to have become a shining example of what's possible when the brightest professionals dedicate themselves to making a difference in the healthcare industry, and in people's lives.

Work Shift: Day (United States of America)

Overview

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

Responsibilities

Core Responsibilities and Essential Functions

• 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.
• Customer Service Support
  • Complies with AIDET standards always.
  • Communicate effectively and courteously with all outpatients, visitors and hospital personnel as they arrive in the lab or when on patient care areas, making a good, competent impression our priority.
  • Maintains patient privacy and confidentiality always.
  • 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.
• 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 the 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.
  • Collects 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.
  • Identifies patient using two patient identifiers before drawing blood and informs nursing of any missing or incorrect arm bands 100% of the time.
  • Complies with Blood Culture and Blood Bank specimen collection procedures and specimen handling requirements.
  • Confirms the patient has been left in a secure position, tourniquet removed and puncture wound has clotted before leaving patient 100% of the time.
  • Delivers specimens to the Laboratory with specified timeframe.
  • Resolves unreceived specimen pending log in LIS. Pull acceptable samples if possible.
• Teaching / In-Service / Email
  • Assists in orientation and training of new employees as assigned.
  • Check emails daily in Sunquest.
  • Completes all assigned training and competency testing within specified time periods.
  • Participates in 80% of staff meetings and reads 100% of posted meeting minutes.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Complies with all Wellstar Health System policies, standards of work, and code of conduct.

Requirements

• Minimum Education
  • High school diploma or GED Diploma from an accredited program.
• Minimum Experience
  • Experience in either phlebotomy and / or specimen processing in an outpatient or hospital laboratory environment preferred.
• Minimum Skills
  • Strong written and verbal communication, customer service, multi-tasking and organizational skills.
  • Professionalism, detail and team-oriented.
  • Data entry, typing 40 wpm and working computer knowledge.
• License(s) and Certification(s)
  • Basic Life Support (BLS) 2.00 required (Instructor, Provisional, or equivalent).
  • Phlebotomy Certification by a national organization preferred.

Benefits

Join us and discover the support to do more meaningful work—and enjoy a more rewarding life. Connect with the most integrated health system in Georgia, and start a future that gives you more.