What are the responsibilities and job description for the Offsite Processor/Handler position at BioReference?
Position Summary: Processes and handles specimens according to established protocols to ensure accuracy, integrity, and compliance with safety standards. Responsible for proper labeling, documentation, and timely distribution of specimens while maintaining confidentiality and quality control.
Working Conditions
Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
Working Conditions
- Work requires contact with specimens, water (hand washing and cleaning), biohazardous body fluids, and hazardous chemicals.
- Work is varied in nature with sufficient noise and interruptions to cause distraction and stress.
- Work requires sitting, standing, and/or walking for periods of up to eight hours or more.
- Work requires close attention to detail, accuracy, and quality.
- OSHA risk factor: Category 1
Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Demonstrate strong interpersonal and communication skills while fostering a positive, professional work environment.
- Maintain composure and accuracy in a fast-paced, high-volume production environment.
- Adhere to all department, company, Safety, Quality, SOP, OSHA, HIPAA, and IATA regulations.
- Maintain confidentiality and proper patient identification at all times.
- Collect, receive, handle, process, and transport all specimen types, including problem, leaking, frozen, and irreplaceable specimens.
- Perform specimen preparation tasks such as centrifuging, aliquoting (manual and automated), sorting, racking, labeling, and packaging.
- Meet established productivity standards for specimen processing and aliquoting.
- Prepare specimens for referral or remote labs and ensure specimen integrity during packaging and transport.
- Handle urine, serum, SST, and other specimens according to procedure and location requirements.
- Accurately enter, track, and document specimen information in designated systems (e.g., SmartSheet, SPM).
- Complete and verify requisitions (electronic and manual), including test codes, specimen types, and patient demographics.
- Maintain logs, temperature charts, worksheets, pending reports, and required documentation.
- Maintain clean, organized, and disinfected workstations and processing areas.
- Perform end-of-shift checks to ensure no specimens are left behind.
- Follow PPE requirements and proper incident procedures for spills, breakage, or accidents.
- Identify equipment or system issues and escalate concerns through appropriate channels.
- Identify and escalate specimen, requisition, or workflow issues to Leads, Supervisors, or Management.
- Demonstrate sound judgment when resolving issues and seek guidance when needed.
- Communicate effectively with lab staff and provide assistance as required.
- Participate in training, meetings, cross-training, and process improvement initiatives.
- Assist with training new employees as assigned.
- Maintain flexibility in scheduling to support departmental workflow.
- Perform all other duties as assigned by Management, including driving or inter-building deliveries when required.
- Report to work on time and notify supervision promptly if unable to report for duty.
- Maintain professionalism, reliability, and accountability in all assigned responsibilities.