Hospital Lab Technician 1 (Hiring Immediately)

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Provide services to both inpatient and outpatient clients as assigned. Collects specimens according to protocol, prepares specimens for the laboratory, maintains accurate records of drawn specimens using established procedures for UCSF inpatient medical center floors. May be assigned to perform phlebotomy at all UCSF Health sites (Parnassus, Mt. Zion, joint UCSF health partnerships, Satellite Clinics, or at other off-site clinic sites, et al). Responsible for labeling and distributing appropriate containers to collect other specimens, giving instructions for complex tests, assisting in bone marrow collections, clerical duties, specimen processing duties, computer entry, and specimen preparation for transport to main lab. May be assigned to assist in Clinical Laboratory Processing section as needed.

%

of time

Essential Function (Yes/No)

Key Responsibilities

(To be completed by Supervisor)

50 Yes

Task A: Phlebotomy/Specimen Collections

Phlebotomy requires the use of evacuated tubes and/or syringe and needle for obtaining blood specimens by venipuncture, the ability to obtain blood specimens by skin puncture (especially on infants), and the ability to make smears or peripheral blood on microscope slides when indicated.

Standards:

1. Washes hands or uses alcohol-based hand sanitizer prior to contact with patients.
2. Properly identifies patient by following established department or medical center protocol, to assure proper match of patient with test request on electronic screen or on the paper laboratory requisition.
3. Thoroughly checks requisition-based information and is knowledgeable about volume requirements, container type, and proper specimen labeling.
4. Uses the Clinical Laboratory Online Lab Manual as a resource whenever additional information is required.
5. Consistently utilizes established blood draw technique including site identification and preparation. Skillfully uses appropriate equipment and employs post-venipuncture care.
6. Uses skill to find the correct veins in patients and utilizes the proper needle to obtain blood by venipuncture. Knows when to perform skin puncture and applies the correct device in the designated area of the foot or hand. Is familiar with the minimum amounts required for testing. Communicates with the ordering physician /nurse if unable to obtain the exact amount to establish test priority with the quantity obtained.
7. Administers glucose drink for tolerance tests, Determines collection time(s) and properly collects and labels timed sequential blood draws for glucose tolerance. Other requests for timed blood draws are promptly attended to (e.g., d-xylose tests).
8. All specimens for the Blood Bank must be dated and legibly signed by the person who obtained the specimen.
9. Collects appropriate specimens for blood culture including AFB, fungal, or viral analysis. Carefully selects sites, cleans area, and ensures precautions are taken when transferring blood to culture containers, as this requires changing needles.
10. Adheres to Hospital Infection Control policy in regard to proper health and safety requirements such as wearing gloves and safety goggles, hand washing, and isolation procedures when required.
11. Ensures proper specimen transport by proper racking and/or bagging specimens, proper clocking and routing of STAT specimens.
12. Stocks all blood draw supplies in assigned work area and maintains a clean work area.
13. Takes responsibility for writing phlebotomy code and VPO on the outpatient requisition. Initialing and filing the patient draw record in the designated filing area.

5 Yes Task B: Patient Greeting/ Reception

Patients should be greeted in a friendly, cheerful manner. The phlebotomist will:

1. Acknowledge the Patient with a greeting
2. Introduce themself
3. Explain the expected Duration of the test to be performed
4. Explain test or procedure (blood draw, urine collection, etc.)
5. Thank the patient – if outpatient, thank them for choosing UCSF and allowing us to provide service to you today – if in-patient, also say thank you and for both patients, ask if there is anything else you can do for them

5 Yes Task C: Processing Orders in the Hospital and Laboratory APEX/ Beaker system.

Patient orders must be validated before collecting specimens.

For In-Patients, orders should be displayed in the APEX/Beaker at the bedside on the mobile phlebotomy workstation

(WOW). The phlebotomist should check with the nurse before drawing blood to ensure orders are correct and verify if the Lab to collect versus Nurse to collect. Collection labels are generated from the APEX/Beaker after properly identifying the patient and scanning the Wristband. For orders not displayed on the patient’s list devices, the nurse should provide an APeX requisition and APeX labels for the specimen collection. Specimens should be transported to the Clinical Laboratory following established protocols.

For OutPatients, orders data should be validated in the hospital APeX and released to generate labels for specimen collection, following established protocols. Outpatients may not always have an electronic order for testing. If the patient presents a paper requisition to the laboratory, follow established protocol for entering the order into the computer system.

Standards:

1. For In-Patients, use the mobile workstation’s Printer or if paper requisition/ labels after checking with nurse.
2. For In-Patients, process the work in the following order:
3. STATs
4. Timed orders
5. Routine orders
6. For outpatient collection areas, place specimens in routine blood racks within 30 minutes. Processes STATs, urine, and body fluids within 20 minutes.
7. Processes work in the following order:
8. STAT’s
9. Process Immediately
10. Body Fluids
11. Routine racks
12. Urine
13. Research/Specimen in lab
14. Routes back to a supervisor any problem that takes more than 1 – 2 minutes to resolve, or sets it aside until the remaining work is processed. Resolves all problems within 2 hours. Clears up all problems by the end of the work shift.
15. Minimizes the number of computer errors by carefully checking the computer entry on CRT screen before verifying input.

5 Yes

Task D: STAT or Routine Processing

STAT specimens should be processed first and sent to the Clinical Laboratory for processing.

In Out-Patient and Processing areas, specimens are sorted for delivery to the appropriate department: Blood Bank, Chemistry, Hematology, etc.. STAT specimens may be grouped together in a single container. As needed, receive specimens in the Laboratory Information System.

Label specimens with the appropriate computer-generated labels. Be aware of the risk of incorrectly labeling a sample when specimens collected at multiple times or from several sites are submitted together; prepare pour-off vials for aliquoting.

Provide clear written instructions to the analytical sections and Specimen Processing when specimens must be shared (e.g., between Chemistry and Hematology).

Standards:

1. Labels and prepares STATs for 20 minute messenger runs.
2. Labels specimens and aliquots correctly.
3. Maintains reasonable speed on a steady basis in order to complete labeling of a rack within 10 minutes of completion of computer order entry (accession).
4. Detects and corrects discrepancies between request forms and computer-generated labels or in making appropriately labeled pour-off tubes.

5 Yes

Task E: Aliquoting of Urine Collections

When assigned to work in the Processing areas of the Clinical Laboratory or one of the Out-Patient Laboratories where urine specimens are processed, Urine labels must be verified against the requisition to detect entry errors and corrections made when needed. Check specimen when a preservative is required and/or urine aliquots treating the specimen as directed by the computer labels.

Aliquot urines into the proper tubes or containers and enclose 24-hour urines in plastic bags. When there are two or more specimens for one 24-hour collection, ensure that they are labeled correctly. Initial requisition in appropriate Aliquot box upon completion of task.

Standards:

1. Aliquots and labels specimens correctly.
2. Assures transfers or orders are made on requisitions of shared Hematology and Chemistry specimens to alleviate confusion by Specimen Handling section.
3. Processes all routine urines received within 45 minutes, all STATs within 20-minute messenger runs. If a specimen has not been received within 2 hours, communicates to the ordering