Pathologist's Assistant

Pathologist's Assistant

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is seeking a Pathologist's Assistant within the Biospecimen Repository and Histopathology Service at the Rutgers Cancer Institute. The Pathologist's Assistant acts as the lead pathologist assistant in support of the research goals and objectives of the Biospecimen Repository and Histopathology Service Shared Resource, as specified by the NIH-National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) awarded to the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. The Pathologist Assistant is responsible for the macroscopic examination and dissection of surgical pathology specimens, performance of intraoperative frozen section consultation, and coordination of tumor banking activities in the operating room and gross room, under the supervision of a board certified Pathologist. This role assists pathologists in the diagnosis of human disease. In addition, this role provides technical, administrative, and educational assistance to members of the lab and other departments and coordinates coverage responsibilities and daily staffing with the RWJBH gross room leadership to ensure appropriate coverage and efficient workflow. The Pathologist's Assistant is committed to continuous quality improvement, excellent patient care, and outstanding cancer research.

Essential duties and responsibilities include the following: Acts as lead person responsible for grossing surgical human tissue specimens as needed to meet the research goals and objectives the Biospecimen Repository and Histopathology Service Shared Resource at the Rutgers Cancer Institute. Responsible for actively consulting with Pathologist and is aware of the delicate balance between research needs and diagnostic potential of every specimen, and as such, exercises judicious care in selecting tissue for the tissue bank while also ensuring that there is an appropriate amount of tissue for patient diagnosis. Performs macroscopic examination, dissection of all types of tissue specimens, and dictation of routine and complex surgical pathology specimens including oncologic resections, organ biopsies, and small specimens autonomously. Selects and submits representative tissue sections for histological processing in accordance with departmental protocols and CAP standards to facilitate the patient's diagnosis in the most efficient manner possible. Dictates accurate specimen description and selects appropriate sections for submission, in order to facilitate the patient's diagnosis in the most efficient manner possible. Organizes and manages the integrity of data entered into the tissue retrieval database. Obtains and anonymizes pathology reports for all tissue retrieval tissue specimens. Keeps appropriate records relating to such procedures. Complies with all HIPAA regulations and Institutional Review Board regulations for the protection of human subjects. Coordinates retrieval of all tissue specimens for the Rutgers Cancer Institute tissue bank, guides tissue technicians in pick-up, data recording and labeling procedures. Performs frozen sectioning of tissue specimens for immediate diagnosis in a timely manner following CAP guidelines. Provide intraoperative frozen section coverage and assist with specimen triage duties as needed to meet departmental clinical needs. Familiar with aseptic technique for collection of sterile specimens. Meets with principle investigators and study coordinators to develop and implement a plan for facilitating retrieval of tissue specimens for specific research protocols. Maintains current knowledge of all active research protocols requiring the retrieval of human tissue specimens. Extracts pertinent information from research protocols and applies this information in the daily grossing of surgical human tissue specimens. Takes active steps to obtain additional necessary information, when needed.