Clinical Lab Assistant, Laboratory
Heywood Hospital
- Location
- Onsite (Gardner, MA)
- Compensation
- $22 - $28/hr
- Level
- Entry Level
Posted 2 weeks ago
About the role
Heywood Healthcare is a community healthcare system serving north central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. The Clinical Lab Assistant role involves processing laboratory specimens, performing waived testing, and maintaining accurate patient records to support diagnostic procedures.
Skills
Phlebotomy
Specimen processing
Laboratory testing
Patient identification
Quality control
Data entry
Microbiology
Specimen collection
Safety regulations
Laboratory equipment maintenance
Clinical documentation
Specimen transport
Centrifugation
Communication
Customer service
Benefits
- Competitive wages
- Earned time off
Full job details
Overview
You Matter Here! Heywood Healthcare values our employees! We offer competitive wages, great benefits and generous earned time off. Come work where you will matter!
Hours: Per Diem, Day and evenings shifts, including weekends
$22.09 - $28.33
Disclaimer:
We are committed to equitable and transparent compensation practices. The salary range for this position reflects our good-faith estimate of base pay at the time of posting. Final compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, skills, qualifications, and internal equity. We regularly review our compensation structures to ensure fairness and consistency across our organization.
Responsibilities
Essential Functions- Identifies patient correctly by looking at identification wristband, and by asking the patient to state their name, or having a healthcare professional identify the patient.
- Verifies all physician orders to determine that all tests are ordered correctly.
- Reviews all testing requirements prior to obtaining the sample to determine that the correct supplies that are necessary.
- Communicates to technical laboratory staff when timed, urgent, or stat specimens are delivered to facilitate an acceptable turn-around-time.
- Assists and performs packaging of specimens to be forwarded to other reference laboratories for eventual testing. Is able to follow criteria for centrifugation, specific separation,transport and storage of specimens. Records that specimens were sent out in the hospital wide computer system.
- Performs tasks in the Laboratory to assist the technical staff in specimen processing. These duties include taking/documentation of temperatures (room, refrigerator, freezer, incubator, waterbath), planting Microbiologic cultures to appropriate growth medium, discarding specimens, aliquoting specimens for later testing, making blood smears, perform GRAM stains and stain peripheral blood smears for later review by technical staff, log in, process, label and stain PAP smears, filling VITEK cards(only in presence of MLT or MT), and putting away reagents/supplies.
- May perform waived Laboratory testing per guidelines of CLIA (including quality control, specimen storage and transport, performance of procedure and reporting of results into the hospital wide computer system) only after thorough training, documentation of, and proof of competency and proficiency. This testing includes documentation of urine color and clarity, urine specific gravity testing, urine dipstick testing, urine pregnancy testing, fecal occult blood testing, gastric blood testing, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rates, andglucometer testing.
- Assists in the function of the Central Processing area to include but not limited to picking up samples at doctor’s offices, registration, processing samples for order entry, labeling samples, filling supply orders from outreach centers and researching sample problems.
- Educates patients and co-workers in correct specimen collection procedures; determine the quality and acceptability of specimens collected by patients and co-workers.
- Adheres to all required safety regulations as stated in policies and procedures. Removes or arranges for removal of safety hazards from environment immediately.
- Maintains a safe, organized, and clean work area/environment for co-workers, patients and visitors.
- Assists supervisors by performing required tasks to meet or exceed the department goals or objectives.
- Enters and edits ordering information in the computer system on patients and specimens to maintain accurate records of testing and patient billing.
- Communicates effectively, both written and verbally, with staff members and co-workers on all pertinent information in a professional manner.
- Responds in an appropriate and timely manner to the requests and needs of patients and customers.
- Acquires knowledge through educational in-services or seminars throughout the year. Possesses a comprehensive understanding in technology advances, disease processes and regulatory changes. Retains, applies and teaches others this knowledge.
- Evaluates specimens for acceptability for testing in the department, and takes appropriate action when specimens are not acceptable.
- Assures department supplies and reagents are utilized in a cost effective manner. Develops cost benefit analysis for testing protocols.
- Maintains a safe environment for patients by assuring that sharp objects, toxic substances and other objects potentially harmful to children are not accessible.
- Assures that the environment of care or services is free of objects which may contribute to the likelihood of patient falls, slips or trips. Makes readily available assistive devices for ambulation. Complies with policies and procedures relating to gait belts and similar devices.
- Is aware of the increased risk of falls, slips, and trips for elderly patients and visitors, and assures that the environment of care or services is free of objects and spills which may contribute to the likelihood of patient falls, slips, or trips.
Qualifications
Job Requirements: Minimum Education- Associate of Science in Biology, or completion of core courses in this area of study preferred
- Previous phlebotomy experience preferred. Six month to one year experience preferred