ABOUT MARIN GENERAL HOSPITAL:

Come and be a part of our healing team at the award-winning Marin General Hospital! Ranked in the top 3% of general hospitals in the country, we have made great strides since returning to our roots as an independent hospital. As Marin County’s only acute hospital and a vital resource for a wide range of essential health care services, it is our mission—and our passion—to excel in every medical specialty. We attract the finest physicians and employees who appreciate having the best of both worlds: the resources and medical sophistication of an academic medical center combined with the personalized, caring touch of an independent hospital. We have an exceptionally collaborative team that adheres to the highest service excellence standards to ensure that we deliver world-class, personalized care to patients. Our Joint-Commission accredited hospital has won numerous awards and certifications in delivering best-in-class health care in the San Francisco Bay Area.

JOB SUMMARY:

Under close supervision at the trainee level (Lab Assistant I) and general supervision at the working levels (Laboratory Assistant II and III), procures blood specimens, (inpatient and outpatient), processes specimens, performs and processes EKG's, and assists licensed laboratory staff or physician/nursing staff by performing a variety of technical and support duties including outpatient registration of patients or drop-off specimens. . Laboratory Assistant I’s are expected to progress to the Laboratory Assistant II level after no less than six months and no more than one year of satisfactory on-the-job experience. Laboratory Assistant II is distinguished from the Lab Assistant III level in that incumbents of the latter are CPT II certified by the State of California to perform arterial blood gas drawing. Laboratory Assistant III’s are also always competent to perform duties in either the dispatch or specimen processing sections of the Lab, or both, as well as all the duties as a Lab Assistant II.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION

High School diploma or equivalent preferred

EXPERIENCE

Laboratory Assistant I: No experience is required

Laboratory Assistant II: Six months to one year of experience in the classification of Lab Assistant I in MGH Service, or a minimum of one year of experience as a Lab Assistant or in a similar capacity, preferably in an acute care environment, including experience in venous and capillary blood sampling is required. Arterial puncture and EKG experience preferred.

Laboratory Assistant III: A minimum of two years experience as a Lab Assistant II in an acute care environment, including experience performing arterial punctures.

PREREQUISITE SKILLS:

Ability to work in teams in which all members are mutually accountable

Ability to work collaboratively with team members, hospital staff, patients, and physicians

Capable of organizing multiple tasks, using time management skills and attention to detail

Proficient in blood specimen procurement, venous and capillary

Knowledge of microbiological techniques and terminology preferred

Knowledge of cardiac arrhythmias and cardiac drugs preferred

Knowledge of blood/body fluid precautions

Basic computer knowledge with ability to do data entry and retrieval

Demonstrated verbal and written communication skills

Ability to read, speak, write, understand, and follow English and written instructions

Responsible for learning and maintaining current knowledge of hospital polices and department policies and procedures. Responsible for performing job within the parameters of these policies and procedures: the following examples are not inclusive of all policies:

• Follow all appropriate Blood and Body Fluid Precautions
• Follow turnaround time policies
• Use Lean –Six Sigma work flow methods
• Use “First Touch” in interactions with patients

LICENSE/REGISTRATION/CERTIFICATION:

Possession of a valid active phlebotomy certification by CDHS or CA CLS license or CA RT license required

Possession of the “CPT II” (arterial blood gases) phlebotomy certification required (Lab Assistant III level only)

Possession of BLS (Heartsaver) certification within 90 days of hire, and required to maintain certification as required by hospital policy

Positions located in the ED require completion of MAB training within 180 days of hire

PRIMARY CUSTOMER SERVED (Age Specific Criteria):

(X) Infants Birth to 1 year

(X) Toddlers 1 to 3 years

(X) Preschool Children 3 to 6 years

(X) School Age Children 6 to 12 years

(X) Adolescents 12 to 18 years

(X) Early Adults 18 to 45 years

(X) Middle Adults 45 to 61 years

(X) Late Adults 61 to 80 years

(X) Late, Late Adults 80 years and up

Employee in this position must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skill necessary to provide care and/or service based on the physical, psych/social, educational, safety, and related criteria appropriate to the age of the patients served in his/her service group.

PATIENT PRIVACY (HIPAA Compliance):

Employees in this position have access to protected health information. The protected health information a person in this position can access includes demographics, date of service, insurance/billing, medical record summary information, and all other information that may be contained in patient records. This position requires patient health information to perform the functions outlined as part of this position description.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

ESSENTIAL (not modifiable)

Procures venous, arterial and capillary blood samples

Processes specimens appropriately for needs of each section; operates laboratory equipment as appropriate in the processing of specimens

Answers telephones, provides information as appropriate to callers; takes messages and routes calls as appropriate. Uses Vocera or beepers to dispatch and communicate with co-workers

Maintains accurate records and completes forms and documents

Performs electrocardiograms

Assists Clinical Lab Scientists with various tasks as assigned within the scope of practice, including loading equipment with specimens, initiating a run, and maintenance

May perform assigned supply tasks including receiving, logging, unpacking, and storage of supplies and reagents

Maintains a clean, orderly, and safe work area; seals sharps containers per department policy, removes boxes or obstructions and hazards from floors and corridors, cleans counters, equipment, glassware, refrigerators, freezers, etc.

Performs computer-related duties, including receiving single and batch specimens and researching and retrieving data in the system for status of pending work

(Lab Assistant III level only) Performs arterial blood gases

Monitors for lab reports working in collaboration with the nursing staff and physicians to ensure reports are reviewed

May perform patient registration for outpatients or drop-off patient specimens

SECONDARY (modifiable)

Other duties as assigned

MarinHealth remains committed to the health and safety of our employees, patients, and the entire community. As such, MarinHealth requires employees to receive all required immunizations, including, MMR, flu (seasonal availability), and COVID-19 vaccine + booster, as a condition of employment and annually thereafter, as required. Any exemptions from these requirements may be granted for limited and specific situations.