Medical Lab Technician

About the role

Performs clinical procedures and testing in accordance with approved policies and procedures and clinically accepted standards. Performs and reviews quality control and maintenance procedures while being cross-trained to function in any area of the clinical laboratory. May be necessary to work when administrative leave is granted if patient care would be compromised. Performs scheduled duty on weekends, holidays, and possible emergency callback when requested to facilitate patient care.

Responsibilities

• Performs clinical procedures and testing in chemistry, microbiology, hematology, immunology, urinalysis, serology, parasitology, and blood banking.
• Performs instrument start-up procedures, observes all safety procedures, identifies instrument malfunctions, and provides clinical instruction to other technologists and technicians.
• Performs laboratory instrument calibration, standardization, and preventative maintenance.
• Performs phlebotomy procedures on pediatric and adult patients.
• Keeps abreast of new developments by attending continuing education seminars.
• Prepares reports and other documents as directed by the Supervisory Medical Technologist.
• Provides assistance to section supervisors in assessing, preparing, and/or updating procedure manuals.
• Maintains confidentiality of reports and provides careful and respectful treatment to all patients and staff members.
• Uses safe work practices including maintaining a clean workplace, following safety and infection control policies, following universal blood/body fluid precautions, and reporting accidents/incidents promptly.
• Organizes and prioritizes work efficiently to maintain a high level of productivity without sacrificing quality.
• Assists the laboratory in maintaining CAP/JCAHO accreditation by compliance with standards and accurate performance of proficiency testing.
• Meets all competency requirements, including age-specific competencies as mandated by accreditation organizations.

Cross-trained duties by laboratory area

• Chemistry/Immunology/Serology
  • Separates serum and plasma from red cells and performs chemistry testing on specimens from simple qualitative tests through complex quantitative analyses using both manual and automated methods.
  • Performs quantitative analysis on urine and CSF specimens.
  • Verifies that results are reportable by analysis and interpretation of quality control.
  • Repeats testing on both specimens and quality control materials as necessary to assure accuracy of results.
  • Maintains equipment in working condition, performs preventative maintenance as scheduled and needed, and maintains records of preventative maintenance and corrective actions.
  • Assesses when samples must be recollected due to interferences such as hemolysis or lipemia.
• Microbiology/Parasitology
  • Cultures pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms to identify and perform susceptibility assays on clinically significant isolates for patient treatment.
  • Monitors all specimens submitted for proper collection, preservation, and identification.
  • Prepares, treats, and inoculates specimens onto appropriate media and maintains them under special conditions (e.g., CO2 enhancement, oxygen deprivation).
  • Examines culture and subculture growth for possible pathogens, discriminating between potential pathogens versus normal flora or contaminants.
  • Separates colonies needed for identification and susceptibility testing.
  • Identifies isolated colonies to the species level for bacteria and identifies the presence of fungal elements.
  • Performs susceptibility testing using precise dilutions of microorganisms with known concentrations of antimicrobials.
  • Performs gram stains, oxidase, indole testing, and other manual biochemical methods.
  • Maintains equipment in working condition, performs preventative maintenance, and maintains records of preventative maintenance and corrective actions.
  • Reports susceptibilities using NCCLS standards to aid the physician in appropriate therapy.
• Hematology
  • Performs venipuncture, capillary puncture, therapeutic phlebotomy, and bleeding times as appropriate.
  • Prepares, treats, dilutes, and identifies blood specimens for all requested hematological analyses (e.g., CBC, ESR, reticulocyte counts, coagulation, WBC differential, RBC counts and morphology).
  • Performs cellular analysis on body fluids (e.g., CSF, joint fluids).
  • Performs hematology testing and reports results in a timely manner.
  • Refers specimens and slides to appropriate personnel for further analysis by specialized staff.
  • Tests non-ideal specimens by pretreatments to remove interferences when encountered (e.g., lipemia).
  • Maintains equipment in working condition, performs preventative maintenance, and maintains records of preventative maintenance and corrective actions.
• Blood Bank
  • Performs all required blood bank procedures according to AABB standards including ABO, Rh typing, antibody screening, antibody identification, antibody titer, cross-matching, direct Coombs, and transfusion reaction investigation.
  • Coordinates with the American Red Cross for acquisition of needed products and maintains records of acquired blood products to ensure safety and tracing.
  • Selects correct types of blood products depending on component needed, adhering to protocol and severity of the situation.
  • Monitors all critically temperature-controlled refrigerators and freezers according to AABB and CAP standards.
  • Maintains equipment in working condition, performs preventative maintenance, and maintains records of preventative maintenance and corrective actions.
  • Reacts immediately and appropriately in all emergency transfusion requirements.
• Urinalysis
  • Performs automated or manual “dipstick” testing of urine and performs microscopic exams of urine sediment.
  • Maintains equipment in working condition, performs preventative maintenance, and maintains records of preventative maintenance and corrective actions.

Special duties

• Assists in teaching students or newly hired technicians in all areas of the laboratory as needed.
• Attains adequate skills to work without supervision on weekends, holidays, first, second, and third shifts when needed.
• Subject to on-call status and must be able to return to the laboratory within 30 minutes when called by a provider for laboratory work on patients at all hours of the day.
• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor (e.g., workload reports, changing shifts occasionally to accommodate workload requirements).

Qualifications

• Associate Degree in Medical Laboratory Technology.
• Certification of MLT (ASCP) or equivalent accrediting body, or applicant must obtain certification within 24 months of hire date.
• Students enrolled in an accredited MLT program doing their clinical rotation at the CIHA laboratory are eligible for hire prior to graduation; failure to graduate at the specified date would be grounds for termination.
• High school diploma or equivalent is required and records of training to perform moderate complexity testing as defined in the CLIA regulation 42CFR493.1423.
• Position requires 18 months to become technically proficient.

Job knowledge

• Knowledge of medical laboratory technology relative to chemistry, microbiology, hematology, blood bank, serology, immunology, parasitology, and urinalysis.
• Skill sufficient to organize and conduct a wide variety of complex specialized laboratory tests in the listed disciplines.
• Knowledge of computer panels, electronic malfunctions, instrument capabilities, and specific methodologies for tests in each laboratory discipline.
• Knowledge of preventive and corrective maintenance procedures for laboratory instrumentation.
• Knowledge and understanding of quality control procedures to determine conformance to protocol.
• Knowledge of Privacy Act regulations governing the confidential safeguarding and dissemination of medical information/records.
• Must possess a valid North Carolina driver’s license (NCDL).

Supervision

The incumbent is under the supervision of the Supervisory Medical Technologist for clinically associated duties and all other associated duties and responsibilities. The Supervisory Medical Technologist approves the incumbent’s schedule. The incumbent will be assigned to one of three shifts (dayshift, second shift, and night shift) dependent on the needs of the laboratory and will be required to work weekend shifts as needed, with time off through the week in equal proportions.