Medical Laboratory Assistant - Histopathology

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; United States; Remote; USD 30,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Medical Laboratory Assistant (Band 3) to join the Cellular Pathology Histology Laboratory. The role supports workflow, maintains equipment, handles digital scanners and IMS databases, processes specimens and slides, and assists pathologists and BMS staff to ensure patient care standards.

Applicants will participate in routine lab tasks, quality control, waste disposal, archive retrieval and ensure correct patient identification,

Qualifications

• Experience in histology or cellular pathology is desirable.
• Ability to prepare staining solutions and reagents.
• Awareness of health and safety in a laboratory setting.

Responsibilities

• Operate and maintain laboratory equipment, including digital scanners.
• Prepare staining solutions and reagents.
• Perform basic quality control procedures.
• Dispose of hazardous and non-hazardous waste safely.

Skills

Histology

Laboratory assistance

Quality control

Specimen handling

Tools

Digital scanners

IMS databases

Job description

Medical Laboratory Assistant (Band 3) posts has arisen within Cellular Pathology for a substantive WTE to work in the Histology Laboratory to support the workflow activities. Within Histology, the successful candidate will place key role in the operation and maintenance of key histology equipment and will also be responsible for the operation and maintenance and troubleshooting of digital scanning instruments and IMS databases. The successful candidate will also undertake other routine tasks, such as maintaining reagent levels and preparing simple solutions, archiving and retrieval of microscopic slides, tissue blocks and relevant paperwork, ensure the safe disposal of various groups of laboratory waste, receive specimens into the department ensuring correct patient identification and to assist pathologists and BMS staff at cut up. The post is essential for the day to day running of the service and the successful candidate will work closely with all other staff within the directorate to deliver the highest quality standard of patient care.

• Operation and maintenance of laboratory equipment, including digital scanners
• Preparation of staining solutions and reagents
• Basic quality control procedures
• Safe disposal of a range of hazardous and non-hazardous laboratory waste
• Monitoring and receipt of consumables and reagents
• Retrieval and filing of sample blocks and slides
• Filing microscope slides, tissue blocks and relevant paperwork
• Retrieval of material from the archives
• Receive specimens into the department ensuring correct patient identification
• Store specimens safely and appropriately prior to and after processing
• To keep working areas in a clean and tidy fashion
• To complete the appropriate quality documentation as necessary
• To embed processed material
• To assist pathologists and BMS staff at cut-up

The successful candidates will be responsible for participating in routine activities associated with a Cellular Pathology Medical Laboratory Assistant role, including:

• Operation and maintenance of laboratory equipment, including digital scanners
• Preparation of staining solutions and reagents
• Basic quality control procedures
• Safe disposal of a range of hazardous and non-hazardous laboratory waste
• Monitoring and receipt of consumables and reagents
• Retrieval and filing of sample blocks and slides
• Filing microscope slides, tissue blocks and relevant paperwork
• Retrieval of material from the archives
• Receive specimens into the department ensuring correct patient identification
• Store specimens safely and appropriately prior to and after processing
• To keep working areas in a clean and tidy fashion
• To complete the appropriate quality documentation as necessary
• To embed processed material
• To assist pathologists and BMS staff at cut-up

The post holder will be required to carry out all duties relevant to a Medical Laboratory Assistant 3, including participation in all aspects of the Histology MLA3 rota. This post is essential for the day to day running of the service and will work closely with all other staff within the directorate to deliver the highest quality standard of patient care. To provide a support role to the qualified staff of the department which provides a diagnostic service to the Trust and other Pathology users, working within the Health and Safety policy of the Trust,

1. Maintain reagent levels and preparing simple solutions.
2. Filing microscope slides, tissue blocks and relevant paperwork.
3. Retrieval of material from the archives.
4. Taking receipt of solvent deliveries. Ensuring that the paperwork is completed fully and correctly.
5. Ensure the department is appropriately stocked with solvent.
6. To take delivery of cardice and other consumables as requested.
7. To safely store and monitor levels of consumables.
8. Move stocks to and from the consumable storage area as requested.
9. Ensure the safe disposal of various groups of laboratory waste (paper, chemical, human tissues, glass etc)
10. Receive specimens into the department ensuring correct patient identification.
11. Store specimens safely and appropriately prior to and after processing.
12. To keep working areas clean and tidy.
13. To complete the appropriate quality documentation as necessary.
14. To operate and maintain the department's digital scanning and automated staining platforms.
15. To assist pathologists and BMS staff at cut-up.
16. To clean glassware for use by laboratory staff
17. Daily maintenance of equipment such as tissue processors, embedding centres, coverslipper and slide stainer in accordance with departmental protocols.
18. Adherence to the organisation's health and safety policy, ensuring personal safety and to avoid putting others at risk.
19. To participate in the department's appraisal scheme.
20. Use the departmental computer system as required.
21. Participate in meetings as required.
22. Ensure patient confidentiality at all times.
23. To process enquiries appropriately.
24. To clean glassware for use by laboratory staff
25. Daily maintenance of other laboratory equipment.

• The post holder shall as necessary provide cover for and undertake duties of absent colleagues.
• The post holder shall follow all the policies and procedures of the organisation. The Trust is committed to promoting a healthy work-life balance and achieve fair, equitable and consistent practice. We welcome flexible working requests and will consider a variety of flexible working arrangements from day one of your employment. Not all roles are suitable for every flexible working opportunity all of the time. Flexible working options may include reduced hours, compressed hours, fixed shifts, time back in lieu and home working.

The Trust is committed to promoting equality and diversity; we value the contribution of individual talent, skills, knowledge and experience and aim for a workforce demography representative of the local community. We encourage applicants from the following groups that are currently under-represented in our workforce black, Asian and minority ethnic, lesbian, gay, bisexual and Transgender (LGBTQ+), disabled, male and age 16-24.

Trust policy requires that the cost of submitting & processing the successful applicant/s DBS application be recovered via salary deduction following start in post. The amount of £25.70 (standard disclosure) or £46.70 (enhanced disclosure) will be deducted from salary, in manageable monthly instalments for up to 3 months following commencement of employment. Bank posts require upfront payment.

From April 2017, Skilled visa applicants and their adult dependant(s) will be required to provide a criminal record certificate from each country they have lived in consecutively for 12 months or more in the past ten years. Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

This organisation has a zero-tolerance approach to the abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All staff must ensure they adhere to the organisations safeguarding children and adults' policy and comply with the Local Safeguarding Children and Adult Board procedures. Staff should be mindful of their responsibility to safeguard children and adults in any activity performed on behalf of the organisation in line with the requirements of statutory guidance and legislation. All employees (and volunteers)are expected maintain their safeguarding knowledge and skills by completing mandatory safeguarding training which includes understanding and recognising the signs of abuse and neglect and taking appropriate action. As an organisation, we have adopted the Merseyside Domestic abuse workplace scheme which supports our staff who are experiencing Domestic Abuse /any forms of sexual violence.

If you have any personal requirements that will enable you to participate in our recruitment process please contact a member of the Recruitment Services by phone on 0151 706 4666 at the earliest opportunity to ensure that measures can be put in place to enable your application for this post.

Our statement on modern slavery We have zero tolerance of slavery and human trafficking and are committed to maintaining and improving systems, processes and policies to avoid complicity in human rights violation and to prevent slavery and human trafficking in our supply chain. The Trust policies, procedures, governance and legal arrangements are robust, ensuring that proper checks and due diligence are applied in employment procedures to ensure compliance with this legislation. We also conform to the NHS employment check standards within our workforce recruitment and selection practices. This strategic approach incorporates analysis of the Trust's supply chains and its partners to assess risk exposure and management on modern slavery.

Note: new entrants to the NHS will commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.

Note: Under current Home Office Immigration Rules we are currently unable to offer right to work visa sponsorship for Band 2 and 3 roles with a salary of less than £25,000 pa as they do not meet the UK Visas & Immigration criteria.

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital & Royal Liverpool University Hospital. We are part of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, formed on 1 Nov 2024 from the coming together of LUHFT and Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust. The Group was born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our patients. UHLG is one of the largest employers in the region, with over 16,800 colleagues dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond. For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services for more than two million people in the North West. Aintree University Hospital is the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility. Broadgreen Hospital is home to elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation. Liverpool Women's Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK's largest single site maternity hospital each year. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single bedrooms and focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.