Clinical Laboratory Specimen Processor

Job Description

Job Description

Clinical Laboratory Specimen Processor

Role Type: Full-Time, Regular Employee (Permanent placement on company payroll, not contract/temp)

Shift: Day Job (Standard daytime hours, includes monitoring courier/delivery schedules)

Work Arrangement: On-site

Location: Harrisburg, PA 17101

New Hire Starting Salary Range: $19.00 – $23.00 per hour (After hire, pay increases can be earned, see below).

About the Opportunity

This is a permanent, full-time career opportunity for a detail-oriented laboratory professional within a central Lab Accession division. If selected, you will be hired directly as a regular employee of the organization we represent, placing you on their payroll and making you eligible for full corporate benefits from day one. This is not a temporary, contract, or "temp-to-hire" assignment. Operating in a fast-paced, high-volume clinical environment, this role is foundational to patient care, ensuring medical samples are handled with precision from the moment they arrive.

Purpose

The Clinical Laboratory Specimen Processor manages the initial lifecycle of clinical laboratory samples, ensuring accurate reception, sorting, identification, processing, and distribution to various technical testing sections. Operating within the critical intake zone, this professional verifies that blood, tissue, urine, and other biohazardous patient samples perfectly match electronic medical orders and physical requisitions. By managing data entry within the Laboratory Information System (LIS), resolving ordering discrepancies, and preparing aliquots, this role acts as the essential safeguard for sample integrity before clinical analysis.

Responsibilities

• Specimen Intake & Prioritization: Receive, sort, and prioritize incoming laboratory specimens from clinics, couriers, and pneumatic tube networks according to strict clinical stability timelines and facility intake policies.
• Identity Verification & Accessioning: Cross-reference patient specimens (blood, urine, and other bodily fluids) against physical paperwork and digital electronic orders, verifying matching data before logging information into the Laboratory Information System.
• Sample Processing & Aliquoting: Operate laboratory equipment to separate samples via centrifugation. Label appropriate aliquot tubes and execute precise chemical or physical transfers based on specific testing profiles, storing samples at required strict temperatures.
• Error Investigation & Documentation: Identify and troubleshoot ordering mistakes, labeling mismatches, or unacceptable sample conditions. Complete formal laboratory quality forms, coordinate with clinical supervisors, and process appropriate billing credits or clarifications.
• Inbound Communications Support: Answer telephone inquiries from physicians, nursing staff, and medical personnel regarding proper sample collection protocols, active test statuses, and normal reference ranges.
• Biohazard Safety Compliance: Adhere to all regulatory standards and institutional health policies regarding the safe handling of biohazardous patient samples, clinical chemicals, and medical sharps to prevent contamination or accidental exposure.
• Logistics & Outbound Prep: Carefully package, secure, and document specialized specimens destined for transport to external or reference testing laboratories.
• Workplace Sanitization: Clean and disinfect processing benches, biological safety hoods, and laboratory equipment during and at the end of each operational shift to maintain a sterile, compliant workspace.
• Peer Orientation: Assist with the onboarding, facility orientation, and basic procedural training of new laboratory specimen processors entering the department.

Minimum Essential Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED equivalent.
• Medical Context: MINIMUM six (6) months of experience working inside a clinical laboratory, physician's office, or similar healthcare environment. Knowledge of baseline Medical Terminology or experience navigating a Laboratory Information System (LIS)
• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Proven ability to interact courteously and effectively with a diverse range of clinical professionals and teammates, both in person and over the phone.
• Technical Rigor: Extreme attention to detail, strong data entry accuracy, and the capability to maintain a high level of enthusiasm and initiative in a fast-paced, structured technical setting.

Performance-Based Earning Potential

This position features an established salary track designed to reward intake speed, processing accuracy, and laboratory compliance. Through sustained productivity metrics, mastery of complex clinical processing workflows, and positive annual operational reviews over time, employees have the structural opportunity to progress up to $28.60 per hour within the standard corporate pay scale.

Premier Benefits

• Exceptional Retirement Package: Secure your future with retirement savings accounts featuring strong employer matching contributions.
• Comprehensive Healthcare: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision packages with access to premier provider networks.
• Generous Paid Time Off: Enjoy up to 5.5 weeks of accrued PTO per year, alongside 7 paid holidays, with corporate flexibility to purchase or sell time off to fit your personal lifestyle.
• Tuition Assistance: Maximize your professional trajectory in the healthcare field with up to $6,000 per academic year in tuition reimbursement, alongside exclusive tuition discounts at over 30 partner colleges and universities.