Medical Technologist in Bunkie, Louisiana at Bunkie General Hospital

JOB SUMMARY: Waived testing personnel are responsible for a variety of direct patient contact duties related to drawing blood via venipuncture or capillary stick which include proper patient identification, sample collection, and specimen labeling. Assisting with collection and sample processing of waived tests are included in daily duties. Reference lab specimens also must be prepared and processed daily including drug screen collections.

FUNCTIONS: Lab employees also assist the lab manager with various tasks such as inventory and ordering, and keeping temperature logs current. Laboratory personnel are responsible for collecting specimens at nursing homes and travel to these facilities may be necessary. Students for phlebotomy and MLT rotate through the lab. Laboratory personnel are responsible for their training.

Lab employees also acquire and maintain knowledge of related topics to include, but not limited to, infection control, disposal of biohazardous material, proper handling of requisition, interpersonal skills, communications, and dealing with difficult situations.

Nursing staff members who serve as waived-testing personnel are required to perform waived testing including urine pregnancy tests, urinalysis testing (dip only), rapid strep testing, influenza testing, rsv testing, glucose meter testing, and rapid drug screens. The nursing staff also, after proper patient identification, collects blood samples for testing in the laboratory occasionally. The collector of these samples is responsible for proper labelling of all samples submitted to the laboratory.

Waived-testing personnel are responsible for the collection and performance of waived tests including performing and documenting controls and patient results.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Mobility, reaching, bending, talking, typing, sitting, carrying, standing, grasping, fine hand coordination, ability to hear, ability to read and write, and the ability to remain calm under stress. Ability to reach with hands and arms, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. Specific vision abilities include close, distance, color, peripheral, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus. Must be able to occasionally life and/or move up to 30 pounds. Involvement in acute, critical and or life-threatening patient care areas and situations is required. May be required to assist in administering emergency life-sustaining procedures until such time as judgment and decision-making responsibilities may be assumed by a physician.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Hospital and nursing home facilities - exposure to infectious disease (OSHA Risk Category II. In some departments, this is a Risk Category I position). Must follow universal/standard precautions.

REPORTS TO: Laboratory Manager

SKILLS: Must be able to perform phlebotomy in addition to performing waived laboratory testing. Proficiency with computers is necessary as well as reading and writing legibly. Some lifting of reagent containers less than 30 pounds is required. Also may have to bend or stoop changing reagents on instruments or collecting patient samples.

COMPENSATION: Position is paid hourly.

EDUCATION AND LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS: MT/CLS and MLT/CLT state licenses are REQUIRED. CPR certification is required.