Non-technical POC Position
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Hi everyone,
Due to the shortage of applications for MT/CLS positions, I am thinking outside the box- at least for our facility in POC.
Do any of you have non-technical staff- Lab assistants- in POC? If so, what duties do they perform?
If not, and you were able to create this type of position, what duties would you have them perform?
Thanks for any insight you guys might have.
Leighea
Due to the shortage of applications for MT/CLS positions, I am thinking outside the box- at least for our facility in POC.
Do any of you have non-technical staff- Lab assistants- in POC? If so, what duties do they perform?
If not, and you were able to create this type of position, what duties would you have them perform?
Thanks for any insight you guys might have.
Leighea
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We actually have had a CLT, non-MLS Bachelors that meets the CLIA requirement, in our department for several months. We have utilized him in a lot of the ambulatory clinics for training for waived testing, running correlations, AMRs, helping with the nursing orientation training, inventory, general instrument troubleshooting, etc. It took time to find the right person, but it is hard to find the right MLS for POC as well.
Yes, but this is 'on the ambulatory side, clinical dept pays for the position' and not on the hospital/healthsystem clinical lab side of using only BS-degreed folks in POC positions.
My boss, Director of Professional Practices in Clinics Administration, hired a Certified Medical Assistant to work POCT. She did it because she could not fill the position based on lack of CLSs applying for the position. We have alot of CMAs in ambulatory and it's almost always a CMS who oversees 'local' oversight/compliance and training for employees performing POCT. We chose one of the 'best ones' to be hired into the 'MA Coordinator' slot. Possibly due to the position being in ambulatory where we have a slew of those positions, and it's not through the clinical lab hiring process, there was no barrier to my boss flipping/changing out positions. And it saved her a boatload of $ to hire a CMA.
We started using "Testing Techs", a position we created to help with the shortage. They are required to have a degree, but not MLT or CLS. They can do waived and non-waived testing - running samples or QC on devices. If the system auto-verifies the result, results post to the EMR. They cannot review/accept results that are held for any reason, cannot read slides (diffs, urine microscopy). They are used in chemistry, hematology, microbiology (mostly waived testing - ID Now, etc,), and I think paperwork for blood bank. They also help with keeping up with inventory and other tasks that do not require a CLS. Quite a few are looking to use this as a start for getting into a MLT or CLS program, usually an on-line program and doing their clinicals in the lab.
Training and oversight is key, and we have found little difference between them and new grads for having critical thinking skills.
They have been helpful for the most part.
Terry L Rose, MT(ASCP)
OR Lab/POCT Coordinator
USA Health University Hospital
Mobile, AL 36617
251.471.7240