The Lab Technician is responsible for providing safe, accurate, efficient, and compassionate laboratory services to pediatric patients. The Lab Technician must follow provider orders, clinic protocols, insurance requirements, infection-control procedures, and all applicable laboratory guidelines.
Because this position involves working with infants, children, and adolescents, the Lab Technician must be patient, professional, organized, and comfortable working with pediatric patients and their parents/guardians.
Essential Job Duties
Patient Care & Specimen Collection
- Properly identify the patient using required patient identifiers before performing any test or procedure.
- Perform pediatric blood draws and specimen collections as ordered by the provider.
- Collect, label, process, and prepare specimens correctly.
- Ensure specimens are labeled immediately and accurately.
- Assist with urine, stool, swab, and other specimen collection as ordered.
- Follow proper procedures for difficult pediatric blood draws.
- Maintain a calm and child-friendly approach when working with patients.
- Immediately report any patient reaction, incident, or concern to the appropriate clinical staff or provider.
In-House Laboratory Testing
- Perform authorized in-house testing according to clinic and manufacturer procedures.
- Testing may include:
- CBC
- Strep
- Flu
- COVID-19
- Urinalysis
- Lead testing
- Other approved point-of-care testing
- Document all results accurately.
- Notify the appropriate provider/staff when results are available.
- Never release or interpret laboratory results outside the employee's authorized scope.
Send-Out Laboratory Work
- Prepare specimens and laboratory requisitions for outside laboratories.
- Verify that the correct test, diagnosis information, patient demographics, and insurance information are included when required.
- Ensure specimens are properly packaged, stored, and prepared for pickup.
- Follow insurance-specific send-out requirements.
- If a patient has other bloodwork being sent out, the CBC should also be sent out and should not be performed in-house.
- Exception: An in-house CBC may be performed when the patient has a fever or the provider specifically needs the CBC results that day.
Vaccines & Immunizations
- Review provider orders and vaccine records carefully before administering vaccines.
- Verify the correct patient, vaccine, dose, route, site, and expiration date.
- Follow clinic vaccine inventory and documentation procedures.
- Document administered vaccines accurately in the patient's chart and applicable immunization systems.
- Follow clinic procedures when vaccines must be deferred because of insurance or eligibility issues.
- Obtain and document parent/guardian refusal when applicable.
- Immediately report any vaccine error, temperature concern, inventory discrepancy, or adverse reaction.
Laboratory Logs & Quality Control
- Complete all required daily laboratory logs accurately.
- Maintain COVID, Flu, Strep, and other testing logs as assigned.
- Record lot numbers, expiration dates, box numbers, controls, quantities, and test losses when required.
- Perform and document quality-control testing according to clinic and manufacturer requirements.
- Maintain accurate beginning, used, lost, and ending test counts.
- Report discrepancies immediately to the Lab Supervisor or management.
- Assist with weekly and monthly laboratory audits.
- Maintain laboratory records in an organized manner and have them available for inspection.
Inventory
- Monitor laboratory supplies and notify the appropriate staff before supplies run low.
- Check expiration dates routinely.
- Rotate supplies so items with the earliest expiration dates are used first.
- Do not use expired testing supplies, vaccines, or laboratory materials.
- Maintain appropriate storage conditions for all supplies and specimens.
- Assist with vaccine and laboratory inventory counts as assigned.
Documentation
- Document all testing, specimen collection, vaccines, refusals, send-outs, and other laboratory services accurately.
- Ensure documentation matches the provider's order and patient chart.
- Document laboratory received times when required.
- Never alter, falsify, backdate, or improperly complete patient documentation.
- Immediately report documentation errors so they can be corrected appropriately.
Safety & Infection Control
- Follow OSHA, CLIA/COLA, clinic, and infection-control requirements applicable to assigned duties.
- Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
- Follow proper hand-hygiene procedures.
- Clean and disinfect laboratory surfaces and equipment as required.
- Properly dispose of needles, sharps, blood-contaminated materials, and biohazard waste.
- Never recap or improperly dispose of used needles.
- Immediately report needle sticks, blood exposure, spills, injuries, or other safety incidents.
- Maintain a clean, organized, and safe laboratory area at all times.
Patient Privacy & Professional Conduct
- Maintain patient confidentiality and follow HIPAA requirements.
- Never discuss patient information where unauthorized individuals can hear it.
- Treat patients, parents, coworkers, and providers professionally and respectfully.
- Maintain appropriate boundaries with patients and families.
- Follow all Raymondville Pediatrics policies and procedures.
- Communicate respectfully with providers, supervisors, management, and coworkers.
- Assist other departments when appropriately trained and directed by management.
Required Skills
- Ability to work with infants, children, and adolescents.
- Ability to perform or learn pediatric specimen collection.
- Strong attention to detail.
- Ability to follow written and verbal instructions.
- Ability to accurately maintain laboratory records and logs.
- Basic computer and electronic medical record skills.
- Good communication and organizational skills.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced pediatric clinic.
- Ability to maintain professionalism during stressful situations.
Attendance & Reliability
The Lab Technician is expected to report to work on time and remain available for the entire scheduled shift unless otherwise approved by management. Reliable attendance is essential because laboratory staffing directly affects patient care and clinic operations.
Other Duties
This job description is not intended to list every responsibility of the position. Employees may be assigned additional duties by the Lab Supervisor, providers, or management based on clinic needs, provided the employee is appropriately trained and authorized to perform those duties.
Pay: From $10.00 per hour
Work Location: In person
