Associate Practitioner Clinical Biochemistry

The Methodist Church in Britain; Royal Borough of Greenwich; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

The NHS East and South East London Pathology Partnership, operated for Barts Health NHS Trust, is seeking an Associate Practitioner to carry out routine pathology and general laboratory tasks. The role includes supervising medical laboratory assistants and supporting workers while following established SOPs.

You will work across pre-analytical and analytical duties, with supervision and training tailored to completing the IBMS Registration Portfolio within 24 months if required.

Qualifications

• GCSE English and Maths or equivalent
• GCSE science subjects or equivalent
• IBMS Certificate of Competence via the Registration Portfolio within 24 months if required

Responsibilities

• Undertake routine pathology work and general laboratory assistance
• Carry out duties delegated by the Senior BMS
• Perform pre-analytical and analytical work to support lab operations
• Supervise medical laboratory assistants and support workers
• Follow SOPs and good laboratory practice
• Work within department boundaries set by Leads
• Complete in-house training and achieve satisfactory performance
• Provide professional service to visitors and callers
• Support the department in delivering high-quality service
• Cover and support other ESEL sites as needed

Skills

Literate and numerate

Keyboard skills

Clear communication

Interpersonal skills

Planning workload

Attention to detail

Manual dexterity

Education

GCSE English and Maths

GCSE science subjects

Tools

IBMS portfolio knowledge

Job description

This Associate Practitioner post sits in the Biochemistry Department of the NHS East and South East London Pathology Partnership, run for Barts Health NHS Trust. The role centres on routine pathology work and general laboratory assistance, covering both pre-analytical and analytical tasks, with supervision of medical laboratory assistants and support workers. The work runs on an Agenda for Change shift system and may take in other partnership hospitals when demand requires. Where the IBMS registration portfolio is required, it must be completed within 24 months.

What the job involves

• Undertake routine pathology work and general laboratory assistance
• Carry out roles and duties delegated by the Senior BMS
• Undertake pre-analytical and analytical work to enhance laboratory operation
• Supervise a team of medical laboratory assistants and support workers
• Follow department policy and standard operating procedures for good laboratory practice
• Work within the professional boundaries set by the Department Leads
• Complete in-house training and show satisfactory performance in the training scheme
• Provide a helpful, professional service to visitors and telephone callers
• Help the department deliver a high-quality service
• Cover and support other ESEL sites depending on service demand

What’s required

Qualifications

• GCSE English and Maths or equivalent
• GCSE standard in other science subjects or equivalent

Registration & licences

• IBMS Certificate of Competence via the Registration Portfolio, within 24 months, if the recruitment process requires it

Experience

• At least one year in a busy, acute medical blood sciences laboratory
• Preparing laboratory reagents for general use
• Monitoring laboratory apparatus and temperature-controlled storage units

Skills & knowledge

• Literate and numerate, with good keyboard and VDU skills
• Clear communication that patients and staff can understand
• Methodical, organised, accurate and attentive to detail under pressure
• Planning and prioritising own workload, meeting deadlines, coping with competing priorities and responding to change
• Manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination, following instructions and learning standard techniques
• Understanding of the assistant practitioner role, patient confidentiality, and equality and diversity

Other

• Willing to accept instructions and direction, with good interpersonal skills and commitment to team working
• No reservations about handling infected material in line with H&S policies
• Reliable, conscientious and motivated, with a pleasant, helpful, polite and even-tempered manner
• Flexible working as required and good attendance

Nice to have

• Experience operating named analysers and performing basic operator maintenance, such as Roche c8000 or Radiometer ABL90 Flex
• Experience with named IT systems such as WinPath Enterprise, Cobas IT Middleware or Q-Pulse
• BSc in a scientific related subject
• IBMS accredited BSc in Biomedical Science
• Knowledge of packaging and dispatching biologically hazardous samples
• Knowledge of quality assurance checks on samples and laboratory equipment
• Awareness of laboratory safety requirements
• Awareness of the quality management system