Laboratory Assistant III

Job description

Position Summary
Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children
Providing compassionate care to the children, teenagers and young adults of Central Florida for more than 30 years, Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children is located on the downtown Orlando campus and includes 156 licensed beds for specialized care for children as well as the Bert Martin’s Champions for Children Emergency Department & Trauma Center, offering trauma care for children as the pediatric site of the Orlando Health ORMC Level One Trauma Center. State-of-the-art pediatric services are provided by a comprehensive staff that includes pediatric subspecialty physicians and a nursing team that is “Magnet” recognized for nursing excellence and high-quality patient care. The hospital also has earned national recognition for 12 consecutive years as a “Best Children’s Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report and was included, together with Orlando Health ORMC, in the IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals® list for 2021.
Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children Laboratory is seeking a Laboratory Assistant III. The Laboratory Assistant performs specimen receiving and processing duties, registers patients, enters orders in the computer system, centrifuge specimens, labels and aliquot samples, delivers to test site, stores samples, slides, blocks, etc.
Shift: First/ FT
Responsibilities
Essential Functions
• Provides specialized support in the areas of patient registration, demonstrates a thorough knowledge of third party reimbursement requirements and regulations, maintaining customer support and supplies.
• Demonstrates knowledge of specimen collection and handling requirements. Research skills for investigating customer requests/issues.
• Ensures follow up on patient care issues. Communicates with immediate supervisor any patient care issues.
• Performs all departmental functions and has a thorough knowledge of hospital and laboratory information systems, specimen processing, billing, reference testing and scheduling.
• Maintains positive customer service relationships at all times and proactively responds to customer service issues.
• Trains staff as required.
• Directs staff to ensure both corporate and departmental expectations are met in the specimen workflow.
• Ability to work flexible hours to meet the needs of the department.
• Ability to coordinate, organize or perform tasks required to ensure patient care and safety.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to work cooperatively with all team members and respond to customer phone calls.
• Acts as liaison between the laboratory, physicians, nursing personnel, other ancillary departments, clients and vendors outside the laboratory.
• Orders and stocks necessary supplies.
• Processes pathology specimens as appropriate.
• Schedules courier pickups as needed.
• Communicates issues and department status to immediate supervisor.
• Maintains reasonably regular, punctual attendance consistent with Orlando Health policies, the ADA, FMLA and other federal, state and local standards.
• Maintains compliance with all Orlando Health policies and procedures.

Other Related Functions
• Responsible for maintaining an active role in the laboratory Quality Improvement Program.
• Maximizes productivity, customer satisfaction and profitability.
• Documents specimen quality issues.
• Follows the established policies.
• Adheres to infection control and safety practices and keeps a clean and organized work area.
• Maintains confidentiality of patient record, hospital and departmental matters at all times.
• Performs filing of reports and requisitions.
• May perform phlebotomy as necessary (must have approved competency on file)
• May perform IV starts as necessary (must have approved training and competencies on file)
• Assists with report distribution.

Qualifications
Education/Training
High School Diploma or GED equivalency
Licensure/Certification
Phlebotomy
Experience
Two (3) years of laboratory experience or patient care experience. Current student seeking higher educational degree or certification in a science field, such as nursing, medical technology, pre-med, or related clinical field may be substituted for up to two years of the required experience.