The purpose of Minidoka Memorial Hospital is to provide and promote high-quality, compassionate, primary health care services and health education to residents of, and visitors to, the Mini-Cassia region. We provide excellent benefits and small town environment.
 

SUMMARY: Performs medical laboratory test procedures from waived to high complexity for use in diagnosis and treatment of disease by performing the following duties. All testing procedures can occur as frequently as several times each day to occasionally or rare, but must all meet the CLIA’88 criteria for specimen processing, test performance, quality, and reporting test results.

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned as needed and approved.

 

Collects patient blood samples by capillary puncture, arterial puncture or venipuncture. Collects select swabs and washings for culture and immunological testing. All specimens will be collected to obtain an optimal specimen for testing using approved safety supplies and techniques including latex gloves, safety needles, etc.

 

 

Conducts quantitative and qualitative chemical and immunological analyses of body fluids such as blood, urine, feces and spinal fluid.

 

Performs blood cell counts and procedures in hematology as well as coagulation studies.

 

Conducts blood tests for blood bank / transfusion purposes. Performs Therapeutic phlebotomies according to FDA good manufacturing practices.

 

Performs arterial blood gas analyses.

 

Performs complete processing of aerobic and anaerobic microbiological cultures, including gram stain interpretation.

 

Navigates efficiently and effectively through the Healthland Clinical Lab Information System to ensure all appropriate data is entered accurately and retrievable for the physician.

 

Navigates efficiently and effectively on the Internet to research supplies, place supply orders, submit proficiency testing data, retrieve proficiency testing results, seek and participate in pertinent educational material and other laboratory related websites.

 

Participates in all quality assurance activities as required by CLIA’88 which includes, but is not limited to, maintaining records of procedure and instrument performance, patient results, quality control, and proficiency testing programs for all analytes performed on patient samples. Follows defined protocol for investigating out-of-control runs and corrective action taken.

 

Reviews laboratory reports for testing performed in-house and by reference laboratories for extraordinary results and clerical errors before they are reported to the patient’s medical record.

 

Operates, calibrates, maintains, troubleshoots, and makes minor repairs on automated equipment and instruments in the laboratory including complete documentation of all activity and corrective action taken. Works closely with instrument manufacturers technical services to keep instrumentation functions optimal.

 

Identifies and documents problems that may adversely affect test performance or reporting of test results and either correct the problem or notify a technical supervisor.

 

Keeps current on all procedures performed by reviewing policy and procedure manuals at least annually. May participate in procedure manual updates as assigned.

 

Shares emergency call-back with coworkers during hours when the laboratory is normally closed, including weekends and holidays with a response time of less than 20 minutes. Rotates as staffing needs dictate through all weekday and weekend shifts as well as 7 days on and 7 days off in a pay period.

 

Aids the Technical Supervisor in supply inventory as required to maintain consistent laboratory operation and performs additional departmental tasks assigned to the best of their ability.

 

Maintains strict patient confidentiality at all times and complies with all HIPAA regulations.

 

Participates in hospital Continuous Quality Improvement program and additional hospital committees as selected, i.e., Safety Committee.

 

QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily and demonstrate competency in all areas annually. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

 

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a science related field is required and certification from a recognized laboratory accrediting agency, i.e., ASCP, HEW, NCA. An approved internship program or one year experience is required. Training must demonstrate skills necessary to perform all testing in accordance with standards set forth by CLIA’88 d493.1423 requirements for high complexity testing: Must be familiar with regulations of CLIA’88, OSHA, FDA, AABB and other Laboratory Regulatory agencies and strictly comply with pertinent policies set forth. Must be actively engaged in continuing education.

 

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and professional journals, technical procedures and journals, or hospital policies. Ability to write reports, review procedure manuals and make necessary corrections. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from physicians, patients, clients, families, hospital management and the general public.

 

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: Ability to apply advanced mathematical concepts such as exponents, and

bar graphs. Ability to apply advanced mathematical operations to such tasks as frequency distribution, determination of test reliability and validity, analysis of variance, correlation techniques, and sampling theory.

 

REASONING ABILITY: Ability to “multitask” efficiently while continuously updating work priorities. Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

 

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS: Medical Technologist certification with NCA (National Certifying Agency of Laboratory Technology), and/or ASCP (American Society of Clinical Pathologists), and/or HEW (Health, Education, and Welfare) is required.

 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here 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 job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear and use hands to finger, handle or feel. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, sit, and lift/move up to 10 pounds. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, taste or smell, and lift/move up to 25 pounds. The employee must occasionally lift/move <50 pounds.

 

Specific vision abilities required by this job include: close vision (clear vision at 20 inches or less to read agglutination and immunological reactions), color vision (ability to identify and distinguish colors to detect reagent/product degeneration), peripheral vision (ability to observe an area that can be seen up and down or to the left and right while eyes are fixed on a given point to determine instrument malfunction), depth perception (three-dimensional vision, ability to judge distances and spatial relationships to describe and pick bacterial colonies), ability to adjust focus (ability to adjust the eye to bring an object into sharp focus to read agglutination and immunological reactions).

 

WORK ENVIRONMENT: 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.

 

Personal protective equipment will be provided and routinely used while handling specimens and body fluid contaminated instruments. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to moving mechanical parts, fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, risk of electrical shock, chemical explosives, and mild vibrations in equipment. The employee is occasionally exposed to extreme heat (non-weather, heat blocks @100°C), extreme cold (non-weather, freezers containing frozen reagents), wet or humid conditions (non-weather; incubators, liquid handling). The employee will infrequently be exposed to outdoor weather conditions (removing biohazard materials to outside storage area). The noise levels are usually moderate and a keen sense of the “usual” level is required for early detection of instrument failure.