Lead IHC Tech

Job Details

Lead IHC Techs perform routine histology and IHC while maintaining workflows and troubleshooting within all areas of the department. The position is responsible for embedding, cutting, processing, H&E staining, and cover slipping, maintaining the workflow of the cutting room, and assisting with workflow on IHC staining platforms. Duties in the IHC department include maintaining log books, cutting control tissue for IHC, and shadowing on antibody titration production. Participating in continuing education/in-service training sessions, sponsored by the department, and continuous growth by preparing for the QIHC certification exam is required. Responsibilities also include coordinating the workflow in both IHC and histology, ensuring all cases are distributed to the pathologists in a timely fashion while displaying only the highest quality in workmanship. The Lead functions not only as a work leader, but also provides operational support, trains staff, and conducts audits on work quality.

Key Job Elements:

• Maintains diagnostic viability of all specimens and ensures correct patient labeling. Cuts, prepares, and stains slides from histology specimens. Correctly prepares special stains and solutions. Routinely checks and verifies that surgical case numbers match blocks and slides; prints labels as appropriate.
• Maintains workflow and distribution for IHC cases.
• Operates and ensures proper functioning of selected histology instruments and equipment. May calibrate selected histology instruments to ensure accuracy of results. Performs minor troubleshooting and routing maintenance. Reports service issues to Technical Supervisor.
• Acts as a general resource on technical, procedural, and policy questions. Keeps team informed of new processes and general updates.
• Prepares and maintains working solutions for routine H&E staining on automatic stainers. Prepares and maintains working solutions of special stains, including maintaining acceptable working volumes.
• Handles, prepares, and uploads stainers; conducts dehydrating and coverslip slides utilizing manual or automatic systems.
• Prepares, cleans, sterilizes, maintains, and shuts down laboratory equipment & accessories, and instruments used in research experiments, daily and weekly as required.
• Follows the laboratory procedures for specimen handling and processing, test analyses, reporting and maintaining records of patient test results.
• Performs and documents proficiency testing (PT) samples are tested in the same manner as patient specimens.
• Adheres to the laboratory's quality control policies, documents all quality control activities, instrument and procedural calibrations and maintenance performed.
• Follows the laboratory's established policies and procedures whenever test systems are not within the laboratory's established acceptable level of performance.
• Demonstrates capability of identifying problems that may adversely affect test performance, or exporting of test results, resolving according to standard protocol or if necessary referring to the General Supervisor, technical Supervisor, or Laboratory Director.
• Documents all corrective action taken when a test system deviates from the laboratory's established performance specifications.
• Reports all concerns of test quality and/or patient safety to a Supervisor or Safety Officer.
• Provides operational support, training staff, and conducting audits on work quality.
• Researches, verifies, corrects, and communicates Internal and External discrepancy cases using complex reasoning ability, established protocols, and the appropriate documentation.
• Assists with the tracking, accumulation, and computation of performance metrics.
• Demonstrates the ability to accurately prioritize and triage specimens, handles and disposes of specimens and chemical waste based on the laboratory's procedural manual, and ensures compliance with regulatory agencies.
• Ensures compliance with all local, federal, CLIA, and CAP regulations.
• Performs Quality Control and Quality Assurance on all phases of work production as required. Maintains all necessary documentation and current logs.
• Reports all concerns of test quality and/or patient or employee safety to a Supervisor or Safety Officer.

Qualifications

Knowledge/Experience:

• A Bachelor's degree in biological, chemical, or chemical laboratory science, or a related field, is preferred.
• HT, HTL (ASCP), or QIHC certification is preferred.
• 3+ years of experience in Histology/IHC in a clinical laboratory setting.
• Demonstrated skills in technical data interpretation and the ability to troubleshoot.
• Demonstrated ability to take and follow direction and to know who the resources are for their direction.
• Understanding of the equipment used daily, including, but not limited to, microtome, H&E stainer/cover slipper, slide labeler.
• Adequate experience in routine histology to act as a resource for other team members.
• Ability to multitask and work in a fast-paced, high-volume, deadline-driven environment.
• Ability to thrive in a team and service-oriented environment, and must maintain a professional demeanor in interactions with physicians and lab personnel.
• All laboratory personnel will be required to maintain schedule flexibility, and when problems arise, may be required to work overtime.
• Manual dexterity to use common laboratory equipment and perform sterile techniques as required.

Lab Specific Qualifications:

• Visual acuity (including color discrimination) and analytical skills to distinguish fine detail.
• Ability to tolerate extensive periods seated and/or standing.
• Must possess the ability to perform repetitive motion.
• Ability to lift up to 30 pounds.
• May have exposure to extreme temperatures, high noise levels, fumes, and bio-hazardous material/chemicals, including formalin, in the lab environment.
• May be required to handle blood-borne pathogens and general laboratory reagents; handle live human specimens, tissues, and bodily fluids.

Environment:

Fulgent Therapeutics LLC is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The term "qualified individual with a disability" means an individual with a disability who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the position.

This job description reflects management's assignment of essential functions. Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Please note that Fulgent (and its affiliated companies, including Inform Diagnostics and CSI Laboratories) does not accept unsolicited information and/or resumes from search firms or agencies for our job postings. Search firms or agencies without an applicable contract and/or express approval to recruit for the role in question that choose to submit a resume or client information to our career page or to any employee of Fulgent will not be eligible for payment of any fee(s), and any associated shared data will become the property of Fulgent.