Laboratory Technical Supervisor

SUMMARY

The Laboratory Technical Supervisor assists with Technical workflows in the laboratory. This position serves as the CLIA Technical Supervisor for all laboratory specialties, general supervisor for Immunohematology/Blood Bank and technical consultant for point of care testing (POCT). Responds to inquiries from Medical Technologists. Assists with troubleshooting, and trains laboratory staff in compliance with SOPs. Performs a variety of routine and complex diagnostic tests on various specimen types for clinical use, maintaining compliance with all regulatory agency requirements. This person acts as the liaison between the managers, nursing units, staff, patients, and clinicians to ensure that the laboratory department work in cohesion with the other hospital departments and units. Accurate clinical diagnosis is important as it affects the physician’s ability to formulate, initiate, and monitor effective medical treatment. The quality of treatment and care rendered to hospital patients is of paramount importance. The duties performed by hospital staff in this position will demonstrate what is best for the patient as well as promote development of an awareness and cooperation reflecting the interrelationship of departments in caring, comforting, and healing the sick and injured.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Works as a generalist in all sections of the clinical laboratory.

• Completes the schedule and covers during shortages or in the absence of appropriate personnel.

• Works with the stakeholders to ensure that the Point of Care testing meets quality and regulatory demands.

• Completes quality assurance and performance improvement of clinical staff for Lab and Point of Care.

• Initiates layout and set up the laboratory primarily dealing with high-complexity testing.

• Maintains team cohesion, mentors, and delegates the responsibilities of the lab staff, helping to ensure schedules are maintained.

• Participation in the quality management system, management of adverse outcomes and non-conformity, participation in the onsite survey, appropriate management of the results of the on-site survey and performance in proficiency testing.

• Engages in continuous process and service improvement.

• Manages maintenance, validation, calibration, technical troubleshooting, and decision making.

• Ensures QC and maintenance of all laboratory equipment.

• Monitors CAP Proficiency testing schedule rotation and compliance.

• Evaluates new process improvements and make appropriate recommendations based on thorough evaluation of technical, quality and efficiency.

• Provides effective and efficient information technology support and technical direction of the laboratory.

• Ensures that policies and procedures are current for monitoring staff to assess competency, and whenever necessary, provide remedial training or continuing education to improve skills.

• Holds the staff accountable to technical responsibilities.

• Effectively enforces the plan of correction to deficiencies identified.

• Monitors daily, weekly, and monthly technical assays, reports any findings to the Administrative Director, Laboratory.

• Covers bench assignments as needed and maintain proficiency/competency in technical operations.

• Report all concerns of test quality and/or safety to the Administrative Director, Laboratory.

• Ensures that supplies are ordered in timely manner.

• Follows Laboratory Information System Validation process and Software Development methodology to build out and qualil’/validate.

• As application SME, work with infrastructure teams to implement and support systems such as necessary.

• Works as a team with the Administrative Director, Laboratory and other staffs to deploy, as well as authorizing IT validation and System Administration Procedures.

• Work with infrastructure teams to assure proper backups of Lab systems are setup.

• As incidents come in, work on troubleshooting and resolving issues for end users for Lab systems/applications.

• Contacting vendors as needed for troubleshooting and resolving technical issues.

• Creation of user accounts in applications as needed following administration procedures.

• Experience developing processes, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). and data storage requirements to ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines.

• Oversees necessary corrective action is completed and documented for identified issues.

• Completes all other duties as assigned and instructed by Administrative Director, Laboratory.

Organization Competencies:

a. Routine Test Performance:

Direct observations of routine test performance including patient preparation, specimen handling, processing, and testing.

b. Result Reporting:

Monitoring the recording and reporting of results.

c. Intermediate Test Results:

Review of intermediate test results or worksheets, quality control records, proficiency testing results and preventive maintenance records.

d. Instrument Maintenance:

Direct observation of perfonnance of instrument maintenance and function checks.

e. Assessment:

Assessment of test performance through testing previously analyzed specimen, internal blind samples, or external proficiency samples.

f. Problem Solving:

Assessment of problem-solving skills

g. Time Management:

Efficient use of work time to complete assignments within expected time frames: ability to accept or respond to change in a manner that promotes and supports departmental/hospital goals and objectives.

h. Quality Improvement:

Strives for efficient, effective, high-quality performance in self and the department; actively participates in problem solving activities related to departmental initiatives

i. Safety:

Follows safety and infection control policies and procedures to encourage a safe, secure environment of care appropriate to the needs of all those who utilize and are impacted by the department and Hospital; identifies indications of safety risks and evaluates and recommends results of corrective actions.

j. Teamwork:

Works in partnership with others; is flexible; responsive to the needs of the department by accepting additional assignments and/or assisting others to ensure the continuity of services.

k. Service Focus:

Values the importance of delivering high quality, innovative service to internal and external clients; understands the needs of the client; customer service focus.

I. Professional Growth:

Demonstrates the ability and willingness to maintain and improve job knowledge and skills; assumes personal responsibility for acquiring and learning materials; attends appropriate seminars, training, and competency

sessions to establish and maintain credentials as required forjob position.

Department Competencies:

Employee is also expected to meet following job specific and job-related competencies.

• Accurately identifies patient specimen before processing testing. Process and reports testing as per order.
• Follows department’s patient results “Read Back” policy when notifying results.
• Follows all infection control policies including hand washing.
• Completes testing accurately and within established time limits.
• Involves in initiating troubleshooting instrument problem.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Minimum Requirements:

• Master’s degree in a chemical, physical. biological, or clinical laboratory science or medical technology from an accredited institution with at least two years of laboratory training and’or experience in high complexity testing;

OR

• Bachelor’s degree in a chemical, physical, or biological science or medical technology from an accredited institution with at least four years of laboratory training and/or experience in high complexity testing

Preferred Qualifications:

• MLS or MT or MLT or equivalent certification from ASCP, or AMT.

Must undergo documented competency assessment for testing personnel using the 6 procedures denoted under the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services for all testing performed.

I. MENTAL DEMANDS - Broad. Involves some independent judgments to decide what to do to assemble facts,

determine variations from standard procedures. or plan other action to be taken to meet general objectives.

2. SERVICE RELATIONSHIPS - Important. Requires frequent contacts with many persons at different levels inside the hospital to carry out hospital policies and programs and obtain willing acceptance, consent. or action. The Technical Supervisor must demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served on his or her assigned unit. The individual must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient’s status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient’s requirements relative to his or her age-specific needs, and to provide the care needed by the relative to his or her age-specific needs, and to provide the care needed hy the relative to his or her age-specific needs, and to provide the care needed by the neonate, pediatric, adolescent, or geriatric patient group.

3. ACCOUNTABILITY - Requires general direction, while working from broad policies and on general objectives. Refers specific matters to superior only when interpretation of company policies and goals is necessary.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, and use hands. or fingers to handle or feel, reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl and talk or hear.

• The employee is occasionally required to sit.

• The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and/or move tip to 25 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision and depth perception.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job. the employee is frequently exposed to toxic or caustic chemicals and/or bio-hazardous material.

• Constant exposure to a high-risk environment, where unknown infectious agents are present.

• Employee is occasionally exposed to moving mechanical pans and risk of electrical shock.

• Noise level in the work area is usually moderate.