Laboratory Assistant

Job Title: Laboratory Assistant

Job Type: PRN

Performs venipuncture and specimen collection/processing; completes chain-of-custody collections and breath alcohol testing as required; supports order entry and clerical workflows; answers laboratory phones and provides customer service; assists with inventory of phlebotomy supplies. Reports to the Director or Manager of Department.

Your experience matters 

 Canyon Vista Medical Center is part of Lifepoint Health, a diversified healthcare delivery network with facilities coast to coast. We are driven by a profound commitment to prioritize your well-being so you can provide exceptional care to others. As a Laboratory Assistant joining our team, you’re embracing a vital mission dedicated to making communities healthier ®. Join us on this meaningful journey where your skills, compassion and dedication will make a remarkable difference in the lives of those we serve.

More about our team 

Canyon Vista Medical Center is located in the beautiful high desert of southeastern Arizona, committed to serve residents in Sierra Vista, Ft. Huachuca, Cochise County – a population of more than 131,000 people, and our surrounding communities. We’re comfortably nestled in the San Pedro River Valley, 75 miles southeast of Tucson. Canyon Vista Medical Center was founded in 1963 as Western Baptist Osteopathic Hospital on what was then the eastern edge of Sierra Vista. Growth and advancing technology dictated building our new 177,000 square foot hospital at 5700 E Hwy 90 completed in 2015.

How you’ll contribute 

A Laboratory Assistant who excels in this role:

• Review providers’ orders, quick-register patients when needed, and enter appropriate laboratory tests per requisition.
• Verify patient identity using two patient identifiers prior to all collections.
• Obtain blood specimens via venipuncture, finger stick, or heel stick; collect urine, throat, and nasal specimens per policy.
• Label specimens with at least two identifiers plus date/time and collector initials; ensure specimen integrity and proper handling/transport.
• Perform chain-of-custody urine drug screen collections and breath alcohol testing per policy.
• Coordinate therapeutic drug-monitoring collections with nursing to align dose and draw time.
• Resolve unusual/unclear test orders by contacting the ordering provider, pathologist, nursing station, or reference lab; escalate unresolved issues to the supervisor.
• Process specimens and distribute to appropriate internal lab sections or ship to reference laboratories according to policy.
• Maintain par levels and assist with weekly departmental inventory of supplies.
• Participate in performance improvement and required education; perform other duties as assigned

Why join us

We believe that investing in our employees is the first step to providing excellent patient care. In addition to your base compensation, this position also offers: 

• Financial & Career Growth: Higher education and certification tuition assistance, loan assistance and 401(k) retirement package and company match.
• Employee Well-being: Mental, physical, and financial wellness programs (free gym memberships, virtual care appointments, mental health services and discount programs).
• Professional Development: Ongoing learning and career advancement opportunities.

What we’re looking for
Applicants should have 

• High School diploma preferred.
• Phlebotomy Certification preferred.
• Critical thinking, decisive judgment, ability to work with minimal supervision in a stressful environment; rapid learning and navigation of multiple software systems; effective English communication (read/write/speak); ability to complete the Skills Competency Checklist within 90 days of hire.

More about 

Canyon Vista Medical Center is a 100 bed hospital that has been offering exceptional care to the Sierra Vista, Ft. Huachuca, Cochise community since 1963. Licensed by Medicare, the State of Arizona, and accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Canyon Vista Medical Center sets the standard for excellence in health care in southeastern Arizona.

• Canyon Vista Medical Center (CVMC) has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for the Advanced Primary Stroke Center Certification. 
• Canyon Vista Medical Center (CVMC) is proud to announce that its Advanced Wound Care Center has been recognized with five national awards from Healogics®, the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care services. Benchmarked against 650 clinics nationwide, the center received the Center of Distinction, Robert A. Warriner III, M.D. Clinical Excellence Award, President’s Circle Award, and the 2024 Center of the Year Award—Healogics’ highest honor.
• Canyon Vista Medical Center (CVMC) received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group. This national distinction celebrates CVMC’s achievements in protecting hospital patients from preventable harm and errors.

EEOC Statement

“Canyon Vista Medical Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Canyon Vista Medical Center is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity for all applicants and employees and complies with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination and harassment in employment.”