Career Center

Job Summary:
Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is seeking to hire a Senior Path Technician, who will report to the Team Leader of HemePath Laboratories, and whom will have key responsibilities for supporting patient bone marrow collection and preliminarily processing. Additional responsibilities include scheduling collections, accessioning samples using the LIS, packaging, and sending the samples to the MetroCenter lab location after that laboratory opens for business. The senior path tech for bone marrow processing will also be responsible for training additional path techs on the procedures for the bone marrow bench including collection and initial processing and accessioning. Additional responsibilities include assuring excellent customer service and timely completion of pathology support functions to support patient care.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manages operational processes to store, retrieve, track and process bone marrow specimens.
• Functions in a lead role to oversee daily operations, order supplies used for the procedures, provide training and mentor other staff.
• Performs pathology support duties according to established department procedures in a timely manner.
• Actively leads or participates in compliance, quality management and quality improvement activities.
• Supports Hematopathology (HemePath) laboratory and demonstrates critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, resolving daily workflow and issues pertaining to the schedule, collection, and preliminary processing.
• The responsibilities listed are a general overview of the position and additional duties may be assigned.

Position Shift:

• VUMC, Bone Marrow Processing Lab hours: Monday-Friday, 7am-6pm CST and on-call weekends
• Position shift hours: 7:30am-4:00pm , 5 days per week.

Unit Summary

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has been rated the #1 Hospital in Nashville and the state of Tennessee by the US News & World Report. VUMC's Diagnostic Laboratories are undergoing an exciting time of change, including a planned expansion to a new state-of-the-art 110,000 sq ft laboratory. This, along with an established Professional Advancement Ladder (PAL), provides additional opportunities for growth within our system. VUMC is an academic medicine environment, providing team members frequent interaction with clinical teams and exposure to complex and novel infectious cases.

TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES:
CUSTOMER SERVICE - (INTERMEDIATE):- Keeps management informed on all aspects of one or more projects. Takes personal responsibility to ensure external and internal customer satisfaction is met despite pressures and/or significant obstacles. Discusses options with customer for alternative ways to meet expectations cost-effectively and efficiently. Commands respect and confidence from customers, and identifies, influences, and creates business opportunities. Negotiates with customers for changes in service levels, understanding the business rationale for those changes. Deals with unexpected customer demands smoothly and without conflict.
DATA ACCESS AND REPORTING (ADVANCED):- Demonstrates the uppermost levels of expertise in locating, organizing, interpreting, and reporting data in challenging and complex situations. Expert at finding and visually documenting groups of facts not previously known. Delivers complex reports via data mining and data warehousing. Often takes a lead role in highly pressurized situations when there is a need to achieve results. Consistently delivers information in a creative and imaginative manner while setting a standard for others.
PATIENT ASSESSMENT - (INTERMEDIATE):- Demonstrates proficiency in patient assessments in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering results without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving instruction, providing leadership, and raising the level of performance of others while on the job.
MENTORING & COACHING - (INTERMEDIATE):- Demonstrates good training and mentoring practices on a regular basis. Acts as a mentor to a person in need of support and direction. Makes a concerted effort to seek problem definition so it is clearly understood, clarifying and refining goals, as needed. Knows how to make personal gains apparent, supporting pride in accomplishment. Cites specific examples of conduct and responds to lack of progress in constructive ways. Encourages two way dialogue, soliciting opinions of people being trained and mentored. Explores alternative solutions and approaches which make a person or team more likely to accomplish their goals.
MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY & DOCUMENTATION - (NOVICE):- Possesses sufficient fundamental proficiency to successfully demonstrate medical terminology and documentation in practical applications of moderate difficulty.
QUALITY ASSURANCE - (INTERMEDIATE):- Maintains an open mind and appreciation of the big picture rather than rushing to traditional or historical conclusions or approaches. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully demonstrating quality management techniques with a group without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving instruction, providing leadership, and raising the level of performance of others. Has made and facilitated improvements to business processes within the scope of project assignments. Consistently delivers superior products and services.

CORE ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Organizational Impact: Independently performs non-routine tasks that significantly impact team and other related teams.
• Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Gathers and analyzes data to solve problems that arise with little or no precedent.
• Breadth of Knowledge: Applies advanced job knowledge and has developed a breadth of skills in other areas.
• Team Interaction: Serves as a lead for the team by providing expertise and guidance to team members.

CORE CAPABILITIES:

SUPPORTING COLLEAGUES (S4):

• - Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance and gain knowledge in new areas.
• - Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.
• - Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences.

DELIVERING EXCELLENT SERVICES (S4):

• - Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.
• - Solves Complex Problems Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.
• - Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness.

ENSURING HIGH QUALITY (S4):

• - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.
• - Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them.
• - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring.

MANAGING RESOURCES EFFECTIVELY (S4):

• - Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.
• - Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area.
• - Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities.

FOSTERING INNOVATION (S4):

• - Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.
• - Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges
• - Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Position Requirements

Required:

• Associate's Degree (or equivalent experience) in a relevant science major. (Required)
• 1 year relevant experience (Required)

Preferred:

• Prior bone marrow collection experience
• Specimen processing and accessioning

Physical Requirements/Strengths needed & Physical Demands:

• • Light Work category requiring exertion up to 20 lbs. of force occasionally and uses negligible amounts of force to move objects.

Movement

• • Occasional: Walking: Moving about on foot.
  • Occasional: Lifting over 35 lbs: Raising and lowering objects from one level to another, includes upward pulling over 35 lbs, with help of coworkers or assistive device
  • Occasional: Carrying under 35 lbs: Transporting an object holding in hands, arms, or shoulders, with help of coworkers or assistive device.
  • Occasional: Push/Pull: Exerting force to move objects away from or toward.
  • Occasional: Balancing: Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling when walking, standing, crouching, or maneuvering self, patient, and equipment simultaneously while working in large and small spaces
  • Occasional: Climbing: Ascending or descending stairs/ramps using feet and legs and/or hands and arms.
  • Occasional: Kneeling: Bending legs at knees to come to rest on knee or knees.
  • Occasional: Crouching/Squatting: Bending body downward and forward by bending legs and spine. Reaching above shoulders: Extending arms in any direction above shoulders.
  • Occasional: Reaching above shoulders: Extending arms in any direction above shoulders.
  • Frequent: Sitting: Remaining in seated position
  • Frequent: Standing: Remaining on one's feet without moving.
  • Frequent: Lifting under 35 lbs: Raising and lowering objects under 35 lbs from one level to another
  • Frequent: Bending/Stooping: Trunk bending downward and forward by bending spine at waist requiring full use of lower extremities and back muscles
  • Frequent: Reaching below shoulders: Extending arms in any direction below shoulders.
  • Frequent: Handling: Seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or otherwise working with hand or hands.
  • Frequent: Fingering: Picking, pinching, gripping, working primarily with fingers requiring fine manipulation.
  • Frequent: Bimanual Dexterity: Requiring the use of both hands.

Sensory

• • Continuous: Communication: Expressing or exchanging written/verbal/electronic information.
  • Continuous: Auditory: Perceiving the variances of sounds, tones, and pitches and able to focus on single source of auditory information
  • Continuous: Vision: Clarity of near vision at 20 inches or less and far vision at 20 feet or more with depth perception, peripheral vision, color vision.
  • Continuous: Smell: Ability to detect and identify odors.

Environmental Conditions

• • Frequent: Chemicals and Gasses: Medications, cleaning chemicals, oxygen, other medical gases used in work area.
  • Frequent: Pathogens: Risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens and other contagious illnesses.

Vanderbilt Health recognizes that diversity is essential for excellence and innovation. We are committed to an inclusive environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and to the principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action. EOE/AA/Women/Minority/Vets/Disabled.