Lead Clinical Lab Scientist - Microbiology/Molecular

About the role

The incumbent serves as a Lead Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) within the Microbiology/Molecular section of the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service at Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center - performing key duties in the clinical laboratory. The incumbent performs higher-level duties consisting of significant scope - complexity (difficulty) and range of variety at least 25% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Develops, performs, evaluates, interprets, correlates, and validates the accuracy of laboratory procedures and results in line with current laboratory regulatory requirements.
• Conducts quality control and routine maintenance of instrumentation and troubleshooting.
• Correlates abnormal lab data with pathological states, determines the validity of test results, and the need for additional tests.
• Provides guidance and technical direction to accomplish the work of the specific laboratory section.
• Maintains and demonstrates knowledge of professional clinical laboratory science principles, practices, concepts, and theories that support sound - independent work.
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of laboratory quality control and quality assurance procedures and principles of performance improvement.
• Utilizes comprehensive knowledge of laboratory equipment and maintains, troubleshoots, and repairs instrumentation and demonstrates proper documentation of corrective action.
• Applies new scientific/technical developments to develop procedures for new tests and modify existing procedures and methods to resolve problems relative to complex and difficult situations.
• Communicates, consults, and interacts with other members of the healthcare team, external relations, customer service, and patient education.
• Evaluates the suitability of each specimen for analysis, requests a new specimen if determined to be unusable.
• Prepares specimen for analysis according to established procedures.
• Follows established procedure for handling of mislabeled, unlabeled, or unsuitable specimens.
• Ensures acceptable orders have been placed by a provider and accurately accessesions and receives specimens, maintaining correct patient identification throughout each phase of processing, analysis, and resulting.
• Conducts quality control procedures on instrumentation, equipment, reagents, and products and maintains proper records for quality control reports.
• Evaluates the validity of the data in relation to the test system and accepted assay procedures.
• Correlates quantitative data with patient data (e.g. - history - medications) as necessary to verify results.
• Reviews and investigates delta checks, flags, alerts, etc. and performs additional testing to clarify or confirm abnormal patient results.
• Recognizes abnormal results that require immediate attention by the physician and reports them directly and follows the proper laboratory and medical center policies.
• Generates laboratory results from the work area into the laboratory computer system and edits and verifies results recorded into the computer system.
• Maintains accountability for inventory and ordering of all supplies and reagents for all shifts and inventory of expendable supplies.
• Logs and stores reagents and supplies per standard operating procedures and maintains optimal inventory levels of reagents, supplies, and blood products to prevent workflow interruptions.
• Telephones critical or urgent test results to the clinician or provider with appropriate documentation.
• Completes all proficiency and competency testing to meet deadlines and with satisfactory performance.
• Involves in statistical data collection and/or documentation for records, reports, Quality Assurance monitors, and quality control.
• Maintains a detailed, accurate record in an organized fashion, tracks activities, and processes paperwork accurately and promptly.
• Able to organize and prioritize work during heavy workload situations to expedite patient results.
• Prioritizes work between non-specimen activity and patient care.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in medical laboratory science - medical technology - clinical laboratory science or in a related science (e.g. - laboratory sciences such as chemistry - biochemistry - biology - microbiology - immunology - etc.).
• Certification: Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT; Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT.
• Experience: 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) is required.
• Quality of Experience: Must be at a level comparable to CLS experience at the next lower grade level of the position being filled.
• Grade Determinations: Higher-level duties must consist of significant scope - administrative independence - complexity - and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

Qualifications

• Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship; English Language Proficiency; Education; Certification; Experience.