Histotechnologist

West Virginia University Health System - Morgantown, WV

Full-time

Morgantown, WV

Social Assistance

About the position

Perform and analyze clinical laboratory procedures and tests within scope of licensure associated with the preparation of specimens for the anatomical study of their microscopic structure in support of the hospital's mission of patient care.

Responsibilities

• Perform assigned laboratory procedures (e.g., but not limited to, specimen accessioning and processing, inventory, ordering, embedding, tissue cutting and staining, frozen section production, special stains for cellular structures, immunohistochemistry).
• Prepare tissue and produce microscopic slides using a wide variety of tissue techniques (i.e., fixation, embedding, sectioning and standard staining) to produce accurate reproducible results to meet the needs of patients as requested by the physicians.
• Operate basic and advanced laboratory equipment/instruments (e.g., cryostats, tissue processors, microtomes, knife sharpeners, slide stainers, embedding centers, distillation system, pH meters, special stain units, IHC instrumentation) consistent with manufacturers' instruction manuals, and with laboratory SOP. Perform quality assurance, quality control, and required equipment maintenance and troubleshooting procedures, calibration and quality control on instruments.
• Record all work, (e.g., blocks cut, special stains, slides, immunoperoxidase slides, frozen section slides, immunofluorescent slides, re-cut slides, autopsy and surgical slides, decals, conference, teaching and research).
• Maintain effective communication with laboratory sections, other hospital departments and public, as necessary to assure dissemination of information and the identification/resolution of problems.
• Participate in the educational endeavors of the institution to meet the current and future needs of the department. Participate as required, in the education of medical students, residents, PA students, School of Medicine students, MLS and Histotechnology students and technicians.
• Recognize errors, medical and technical problems and utilize expertise to perform minor and major troubleshooting and appropriate and timely problem resolution. Provide input for development of quality assurance and quality control procedures.
• Participate in planning and implementing change and maintaining and improving productivity through attendance and participation in tech meetings, projects, and discussions with supervisor.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Histotechnology or related field.
• Licensed in the State of WV as a Laboratory Technician within 90 days of employment if performing specimen grossing.

Nice-to-haves

• One (1) year of laboratory experience in histopathology.
• Histotechnologist Certification (HTL).
• Qualification in Immunohistochemistry (QIHC) Certification.