Medical Laboratory Technician Grade 1 - Anatomical Pathology

Essential

Qualifications & Experience:

• Certificate or Associate Diploma of Applied Science (Medical Laboratory), a Certificate, Diploma or Advanced Diploma in Laboratory Technology or Laboratory Operations or equivalent in Anatomical Pathology.
• Experience in anatomical pathology techniques, including (but not limited to) embedding, microtomy, special stains, cytology prep, cut up assisting.
• Knowledge and application of ISO15189 standards, NPACC guidelines, quality management, quality control and RCPA quality assurance programs.
• Compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs) and document all laboratory processes, results, and activities in accordance with accreditation requirements.
• Participate in internal audits and inspections to maintain laboratory certification.
• Act as a role model in laboratory best practices, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated continuing professional development (CPD) and ongoing commitment to keeping up to date with advances in anatomical pathology.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with staff, clinicians, and researchers
• Excellent organisational and time management abilities, able to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines under pressure.
• Commitment to maintaining confidentiality and ensuring professional, patient-centred care.
• Proactive approach to meeting high standards of quality, efficiency, and safety.

Desirable

• Prior experience with clinical trials and research, demonstrating the ability to contribute to evidence-based practices.

Ensuring Anatomical Pathology services meet the clinical needs of Peter Mac patients

• Maintain service performance targets to ensure compliance with Peter Mac, NPAAC, and NATA requirements.
• Ensure adherence to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) requirements.
• Ensure that all services provided are continuously and completely compliant with relevant regulatory, credentialing, and quality requirements.
• Maintain efficient and streamlined diagnostic workflows.
• Work in collaboration with pathologists and haematologists to deliver high-quality, specialised diagnostic services.
• Ensure all services meet key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Maintain equipment, consumables, and reagent supplies to ensure that the laboratory is fully equipped for continuous service delivery.
• Ensure strict adherence to patient confidentiality standards in all aspects of laboratory operations and patient care.

Laboratory staff are suitable trained and supervised

• Participate in departmental training and mentoring programs, ensuring all laboratory staff are formally assessed as competent in their roles, with relevant training records completed and maintained.
• Actively participate and ensure that annual competencies are completed on time, in compliance with departmental guidelines.
• Ensure that staff training is appropriate, complete, and compliant with departmental requirements, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Motivate staff to meet the service demands of the laboratory, ensuring high-quality results and outcomes.

Supports a workplace culture that encourages change, learning, innovation, and a team-based approach

• Foster and support a workplace culture that encourages change, learning, and innovation while promoting a team-based approach to achieving departmental goals.
• Encourage collaboration, open communication, and problem-solving across all teams to create a supportive and dynamic work environment.
• Assist in the troubleshooting of issues as they arise, ensuring that problems are addressed promptly and do not impact the quality of results.
• Work collaboratively with staff and stakeholders to identify root causes of issues and implement solutions that enhance reproducibility and reliability of results.
• Maintain a record of CPD activities and develop and expand their professional knowledge and expertise

Maintains safe working practises and a safe working environment

• Adhere to protocols and safety procedures designed to minimise accidents and injuries, ensuring a safe working environment for all staff.
• Report hazards or incidents promptly.
• Ensure laboratory operations comply with all relevant occupational health and safety (OHS) legislative and regulatory requirements, including risk assessments and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Assist in regular reviews and audits of laboratory processes to ensure continuous compliance with safety standards and identify areas for improvement.
• Implement preventative safety measures to reduce risks related to laboratory equipment, chemicals, biological materials, and general laboratory practices.

Manages continuous improvement and quality program

• Actively participate in quality assurance programs to maintain high standards of performance and reliability.
• Assist in monitoring quality systems as outlined in NPACC and ISO standards.
• Contribute to investigations into incidents and procedural breakdowns, documenting and reporting findings via the quality management system.
• Ensure all documentation meets NPACC and NATA standards, maintaining consistency and compliance.
• Contributed to continuous improvement processes by identifying workflow efficiencies and implementing operational enhancements.