Phlebotomist at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon

Phlebotomist

The purpose of this position is to provide adult and pediatric phlebotomy service to the outpatients and inpatients served by the OHSU Hospital and Clinics and Doernbecher Children's Hospital. This person works closely with the Phlebotomy team and others in the department, to ensure immediate, courteous, and comprehensive responses to requests for service, or concerns about specimens and related matters. This person maintains a professional and customer service-oriented focus at all times. The employee in this position promotes OHSU's mission statement by delivering high quality, cost effective, family-oriented service. All tasks and duties are performed with support and oversight by the Phlebotomy Management Team. This position helps to create a collaborative environment by integrating education, research, and clinical leadership.

Function/Duties of Position

Inpatient Specimen Collection and Processing

• Collects scheduled, routine, collect now, and timed draw specimens from inpatients using approved specimen collection methods. This includes following the policies and procedures as found in the Phlebotomy Procedure Manual on the MCN Policy site.
• Performs venipuncture using approved procedures on adult and pediatric patients on inpatient units.
• Assists coworkers as needed.
• Correctly identifies patients using two patient identifiers, scans barcoded inpatient ID Band, and labels tubes by the bedside.
• Greets patients and interacts in a professional, courteous manner.
• Collects on-demand and timed specimens from inpatients as directed.
• Collects scheduled draws at due time or earlier.
• Reviews Rover for Taken draws and triages urgent draws.
• Documents collections, cancellations, notes, and moved draws.
• Correctly executes downtime procedure for equipment and Epic failure.
• Ensures timely transportation to lab of all collected specimens.

Outpatient Specimen Collection and Processing

• Collects specimens from outpatients using approved specimen collection methods. This includes following the policies and procedures as found in the Phlebotomy Procedure Manual on the MCN Policy site.
• Assists coworkers as needed.
• Greets patients and interacts in a professional, courteous manner.
• Correctly identifies patients using two patient identifiers.
• Performs venipuncture using approved procedures on adult and pediatric patients.
• Labels tubes with patient present.
• Ensures timely transportation to lab of all collected specimens.

Clerical and Customer Service Functions

• Answers multi-line telephone, aids with clarifying orders, notifying clinics and providers of specimen problems, etc.
• Answers Vocera messages and calls, aids with clarifying orders, notifying clinics or inpatient floors of specimen problems, etc.
• Communicates clearly and accurately with staff and patients
• Does whatever is reasonably necessary to meet the needs of the customers.
• Interacts with all other professional staff in a courteous and helpful manner.
• Demonstrates high level customer service to both internal and external customers by timely responsiveness to customer needs, including acting at all times to ensure client satisfaction through positive interaction, excellent telephone and face to face communication skills, timely handling of specimens and paperwork, and thorough problem-solving.

Other Duties as Assigned

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent and completion of phlebotomy training program including significant time spent in a clinical rotation or 3 months of recent (within the last 12 months) phlebotomy experience in a clinical laboratory. Certification as ASCP (PBT), NHA (CPT), RPT (AMT) or equivalent required, or must be completed in the first year of employment. OR
• One year of college level psychology, communications, or science course work plus 1 year of dedicated phlebotomy experience/training in a clinical laboratory. Certification as ASCP (PBT), NHA (CPT), RPT (AMT) or equivalent required, or must be completed in the first year of employment.

Job Related Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (Competencies):

• Strong customer service skills. Ability to interact with a variety of clients including doctors, nurses, laboratory staff and patients, and maintain a customer service focus at all times.
• Ability to initiate procedures and policies to improve work flow and work accuracy in Phlebotomy.
• Ability to follow written and verbal instructions accurately.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Skills in dealing with high volume fast paced environment, with sometimes difficult public contact.
• Ability to work independently within established guidelines, to communicate and work effectively within a group.

Preferred Qualifications

• Phlebotomy skills and knowledge
• Experience with a Laboratory Information System and Hospital Information System.
• Phlebotomy skills including inpatient and/or ambulatory pediatric and/or adult patient populations

This position will serve the OHSU Lab Services Outpatient Clinics. Positions in the laboratory and environs may require working flexible schedules, including nights weekends and holidays; working at multiple laboratory or hospital sites; traveling between units and sites by stairs, elevator, tram, shuttle or other means; exposure to blood and body fluids, chemical hazards; working in a sometimes noisy and crowded environment; wearing gloves and other Personal Protective Equipment for long periods of time; experiencing occasional temperature control fluctuations in buildings.

Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.