Job Description
Join a dedicated healthcare team in the heart of the Midwest region, where your role as a Laboratory Assistant I will be vital in supporting life-saving diagnostics. This position involves performing specific pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical laboratory tasks with precision and care. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Prioritize and process incoming specimens following strict safety guidelines. Review pending logs during and at the end of shifts to ensure accuracy and completeness. Verify physician orders and specimen integrity, generate and attach labels correctly. Distribute specimens promptly, communicate STAT orders, and meet or exceed turnaround times. Resolve processing conflicts, coordinate re-collections when necessary, and manage workload priorities. Perform microbiology setups during second or third shifts as assigned. Answer specimen processing inquiries and relay messages to technologists. Conduct quality control procedures and report any irregularities to supervisors. Collect chain of custody drug screens and follow glucose tolerance testing protocols. Review specimen types, volumes, storage, and accession accordingly. Maintain inventory of reference laboratory supplies and coordinate reordering. Manage specimen batches for pickup and maintain cleanliness and organization of work areas and equipment. Collect specimens using venipuncture, capillary puncture, or arterial collections with minimal patient trauma, adhering to protocols and safety practices. Ensure blood culture contamination rates remain below 3% and document specimen comments as needed. Provide patient instructions for urine collection and dietary restrictions with sensitivity and respect. Education High school diploma or GED is required. Experience At least one y