Position: Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS/MT/CLS) or Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT/CLT)
Reports To: Laboratory Manager
Position Location/Department: Laboratory
Job Summary:
Sheridan Community Hospital is a Critical Access Hospital dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality healthcare to our close-knit rural community. Our team values personalized care, teamwork, and a commitment to excellence. We are seeking a caring, dependable Medical Laboratory Scientist (MT/CLS/MLS) or Laboratory Technician (MLT/CLT) to join our patient-centered team. This is a crucial component of the practice. A generalist Medical Laboratory Scientist (MT/CLS/MLS) or Laboratory Technician (MLT/CLT) performs a wide range of medical laboratory tests used to diagnose, treat and prevent disease. Assumes responsibility for accuracy of testing, and uses technical knowledge and a theoretical understanding of instruments and test methodologies to validate procedures and ensure conformity to federal and/or state regulatory standards. Understands and applies the correct control measures and protocols in cases of abnormal results, escalating discrepancies as appropriate. Communicates critical results, delayed testing, and instrument/LIS downtimes with clinical and medical staff when necessary. Guides, trains and may provide mentoring to other clinical and technical staff as appropriate.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
The essential functions listed below are general examples and not a description of comprehensive duties. Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department needs without changing nature or scope of this position or level of responsibility. May be asked to perform other duties as assigned.
- Receives written and/or electronic laboratory orders and routinely performs phlebotomy for the collection of blood samples.
- Determines suitability of specimen for analysis, following established procedures and policies.
- Accurately performs clinical laboratory tests of varying complexity in accordance with laboratory procedures to examine specimens for the purpose of providing information to clinicians for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of disease.
- Proficiency in laboratory tests for specialties which may include chemistry, hematology, coagulation, urinalysis, and blood bank.
- Records and reports test results. Reviews results for accuracy and precision and maintains testing turn-around-time standards for all categories of testing. When testing is delayed, communicates approximate turn-around-time to appropriate personnel.
- Assures accurate results by utilizing controls and published standards to interpret and correlate laboratory data to patient established/suspected diagnoses and performing confirmatory tests as appropriate.
- Communicates with providers, nursing staff, and clients, clearly responds to inquiries, and document interactions including specimen and test requirements and outcome of results. Communicates critical results to the person(s) responsible for the care of the patient. Escalating issues as appropriate.
- Adheres to all safety/health and state/federal regulatory requirements.
- Performs maintenance and function checks when required, calibrates as necessary, and runs quality control samples when scheduled or as needed on analytical equipment and evaluates results to ensure proper test performance and assure accurate and reliable test results and reporting.
- Strives to resolve problems related to clinical issues, equipment or testing by initiating research utilizing available reference material. Performs basic and advanced troubleshooting of equipment and processes with minimal assistance, documents action and notifies appropriate personnel, for example, supervisors, of problems all of the time.
- Ensures that sufficient reagents and supplies necessary for test performance are available. Notifies supervisory staff when minimum inventory level is encountered.
- Recognizes when changes in the workflow are needed by adjusting work to incorporate STAT tests or fluctuations in work volume
- Required to identify and participate in process improvement projects.
- Accepts and/or volunteers for method evaluations and new procedure development or other special projects and completes them within an agreed upon time frame.
- Participates in laboratory procedure implementation and may serve as an educator and trainer for current and new staff throughout the organization.
- Participate in quality improvement projects. Attend training and meetings as required
- Maintains awareness of current quality and safety measures on the unit and follows guidelines or reporting measures to ensure safety of patients, visitors, and staff.
- Other duties as assigned
- Knowledge and skills in quality improvement and research methodologies.
