Medical Laboratory Assistant Job Description Example

Medical Laboratory Assistant Job Description Example

What Medical Laboratory Assistants Do?

A medical laboratory assistant is someone who helps in diagnosing the health condition of patients by conducting tests on their specimen(s) in the laboratory.

They work together with medical laboratory and x-ray technologists.

The job description of a medical laboratory assistant entails carrying out tests on patients by collecting their specimens, such as urine, stool, and blood in the right quantities.

They perform tests on the specimens under special conditions in the laboratory.

They ensure that specimens are properly sorted out in line with patient’s identity to avoid mix up of test results, which could lead to wrong diagnosis and treatment, a situation that can pose a serious threat to patients’ health.

As an assistant, the individual working in this position may be required to perform administrative duties by arranging and sorting out patient files, filing and labeling results, and issuing them to patients.

His/her role also involves carrying out documentation of daily activities of the lab for record keeping and evaluation.

In order to excel in their duties, the assistant must be conversant with laboratory techniques and procedures to be able to effectively conduct tests on different patients at the same time without erring in the results.

Medical laboratory assistants should possess strong knowledge of various sicknesses and illnesses as this will be helpful for them to be able to effectively perform diagnosis.

Medical Laboratory Assistant Job Description Example

A newly hired hand to work as assistant in a medical laboratory will be provided with a job description to guide his/her duties, tasks, and responsibilities on the job.

Here is an example of the kind of job description usually handed to medical laboratory assistants to work with.

• Understand coded laboratory messages and interpret results to patients
• Provide instruments to patients for them to deposit their specimens in
• Take blood samples from patients with the use of syringe; avoid complication or injuring to patients
• Ensure confidentiality with patients’ test results without disclosing the contents to third parties
• Keep the laboratory environment clean to maintain good hygiene in the clinic
• Practice safety measures by carefully handling delicate chemicals used during laboratory procedures to avoid explosions that could result to injury and possible fire outbreaks
• Keep laboratory equipment in good working condition by applying quality control measures, such as sterilization and greasing to avoid damage
• Carry out routine inspection of laboratory stock to check for unavailable materials; inform clinic management to place order for new supplies. This is done to avoid a halt of activities in the lab due to unavailable materials
• Enter patients’ information into the computer for record keeping
• Resume work at the appropriate time and commence testing of patients’ specimens to ensure that the results are ready on time for collection
• Participate in training courses to learn new laboratory testing techniques for faster and more effective results
• Follow due process and maintain orderliness in the clinic by testing patients’ specimens in order of which patient came first

Preparing a resume for the post of medical laboratory assistant:

If you are seeking a job in a medical laboratory as an assistant, you will be required to provide a resume which will enable the employer to properly assess your ability to deliver on the job to their expectation.

To prepare your resume, you will find the information in the sample job description above useful in making the professional experience section and other parts of the resume for the post.

Requirements – Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities – for the Post of Medical Laboratory Assistant

To be effective on the job, the following are important skills, knowledge, and abilities assistants working in medical laboratories are usually expected to possess:

• Multitasking: The job requires you to be active and be able to carry out more than one task simultaneously, without losing focus
• Teamwork: A medical laboratory assistant works with other medical experts in diagnosing patients’ health condition. Therefore, due to the interrelationship that exists with other professionals, it is important for assistants to be able to work cordially with others without unnecessary agitations and complaints
• Time consciousness: The treatment of patients most times depends on the results of tests carried out on them. Therefore, it is important that the assistant must work at fast pace so that patients’ results are ready as quickly as possible to enable the commencement of treatment on them.
• Human relations: You need to be able to relate with clients who come to the clinic for tests and treatment in a cordial manner.