Lab Director

Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Clarksville (TN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanderbilt Health in Tennessee seeks a Director of Laboratory to oversee administrative, fiscal, and technical activities, ensuring compliance with CAP, CLIA, AABB, and Joint Commission standards. The role leads the lab's quality control, quality assurance, and point-of-care testing programs to support high-quality patient care.

The position includes hiring, staff development, payroll, budgeting, and scheduling, with collaboration across departments to maintain safety and regulatory compliance

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as clinical laboratory science.
• Three years of relevant work experience in a laboratory setting.
• ASCP certification or equivalent is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee administrative, fiscal, and technical activities to ensure efficient operation of the clinical laboratory.
• Maintain quality control, quality assurance, and point-of-care testing programs in the lab.
• Hire, discipline, staff development, performance evaluation, and payroll of laboratory personnel.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements (CAP, AABB, JCAHO, CLIA, etc.).
• Plan, organize, and direct lab operations to meet productivity goals and quality standards.
• Collaborate with other departments to support patient care delivery and hospital goals.

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Discover Vanderbilt Health: With eight hospitals and over 180 clinics, we are the region's largest comprehensive academic health system. Vanderbilt Health has a long tradition of providing world-class care to the people of the Mid-South, living out our mission of moving medicine forward through preeminent programs in patient care, education and research. Here you'll find a spirit of collaboration and a supportive community where your expertise is valued, your knowledge expanded and your uniqueness celebrated. We are committed to fostering an environment where talented, compassionate people are united in bringing the most advanced care to our neighbors throughout the region.

Job Summary

The Director, Laboratory oversees a wide variety of administrative, fiscal, and technical activities to ensure the efficient operation of the clinical laboratory and compliance with corporate policies. The Director, Lab is responsible for the quality control program, quality assurance, and the point of care testing programs within the clinical laboratory. The Director, Lab plans, organizes, directs, controls, and evaluates the work of the clinical laboratory and coordinating it with other areas of the hospital and is responsible for all personnel including hiring, discipline, staff development, evaluation, payroll. The Director, Lab acts as technical supervisor for clinical laboratory functions off site and owned by the hospital and assures the laboratory meets all regulatory requirements. (CAP, AABB, JCAHO, CLIA etc).

Key Responsibilities

• Completes employee evaluations in a timely manner and assesses staff competencies on an ongoing basis.
• Demonstrates proficiency at hospital wide and/or department specific computer software and technology.
• Demonstrates fiscal accountability for department resources and the ability to achieve outcomes within allocated resources.
• Communicates and supports the hospital's mission, vision, and values as well as departmental goals to all staff.
• Defines performance objectives and metrics for the department.
• Demonstrates population appropriate skill sets for all relevant patient populations.
• Collaborates with other departments to problem solve ongoing issues that impact department/organization goals and/or patient care delivery.
• Incorporates quality improvement data and/or patient satisfaction data into departmental goals.
• Ensures accurate and timely reporting of department payroll.
• Effectively plans the goals, objectives, and work flow of the clinical laboratory to achieve optimal performance.
• Assures the laboratory is compliant with all regulatory agency (CAP, AABB, Joint Commision, CLIA etc) requirements.
• Successfully meets department productivity goals by scheduling staff according to workload.
• Effectively keeps abreast of changes in laboratory medicine and keeps SRMC laboratory current with these changes.
• Evaluates the capitol equipment needs of the laboratory and makes responsible recommendations for procurement.
• Assures the laboratory meets corporate compliance policies.
• Assures laboratory billing issues and errors are corrected in a timely manner.
• Effectively promotes, encourages, and provides continuing education opportunities for laboratory staff.
• Represents the department at appropriate meetings and/or committees and actively participates in the facilities' PI program.
• Works diligently to recruit and retain competent staff in the department and effectively manages staff disciplinary actions.
• Manages departmental inventory, ordering, storage, and utilization as appropriate

Technical Capabilities

Allied health is among the fastest growing occupations in healthcare today. This area can be defined as credentialed professionals who perform supportive, diagnostic, and therapeutic health care services to promote health and prevent disease in a variety of settings.

These areas are crucial to Vanderbilt Health’s reputation for excellence in these areas that has made us a major center for patient referrals from throughout the Mid-South.

Each year, people throughout Tennessee and the southeast choose Vanderbilt Health for their health care because of our leadership in medical science and our dedication to treating patients with dignity and compassion.

Core Accountabilities

• Organizational Impact: Directs activities to achieve operational plans with some near term effect on results of the department/area.* Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Identifies issues, gathers facts to resolve technical and operational problems. * Breadth of Knowledge: Applies in-depth knowledge and skills of a professional/technical area and basic management knowledge to manage the work of the team.* Team Interaction: Leads a complex department with a focus on implementation. Typically executes on a short to medium term strategies.

Core Capabilities

Supporting Colleagues: - Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e 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 communication style to suit different situations and audiences .Delivering Excellent Services : - 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 - 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: - 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: - 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.

Certifications

Medical Laboratory Scientist - American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP)

Work Experience

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level

3 years

Education

Bachelor's

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.