GENERAL SUMMARY/OVERVIEW STATEMENT:
In the Department of Pathology, the Pathology Technician I works independently under general supervision of the Clinical Supervisor. Performs a wide variety of tasks including eviscerations, autopsy suite and morgue operations, and general support responsibilities. Demonstrates basic proficiency, efficiency, and technical skill in autopsy service. Under the direction of the clinical supervisor, performs other technical and administrative tasks. The Department of Pathology performs approximately 300 autopsies annually.
PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
I. Autopsy: Functions independently under general supervision of pathologist physician and Clinical Supervisor.
a. Evisceration
1. Ascertains proper legal authorization for human post mortem examination as directed by pathologist. Contacts Admitting Office each morning and, in the case of an autopsy, retrieves permit and chart from Admitting for the Resident on duty.
2. Confers with resident pathologist to identify special risks involved in particular case or special techniques that will be necessary.
3. Initiates autopsy work flow by setting up equipment and preparing patient’s body for autopsy according to protocol.
4. Ensures that patient’s identification bands and tags match that of the properly completed autopsy consent paperwork.
5. Using approved protocol, performs evisceration, obtains all necessary tissues or fluids for cultures, obtains routine sections, and measures presence of body fluids.
6. As permitted by Autopsy Consent, and upon direction of pathologist, performs special procedures including but not limited to leg vein removal, enucleation of eyes, inner ear bone dissection, and spinal cord removal.
7. As permitted by Autopsy Consent, Human Research Committee, IRB and upon direction of pathologist, obtains tissues for research.
8. Restores body after autopsy for removal by funeral home.
9. Orients and trains new residents and medical students to the autopsy suite. Instructs in the use of personal protective equipment and evisceration technique. Maintains training checklist for new residents each year.
10. Assists in orienting and general supervision of volunteers and interns assigned to the autopsy service.
11. Accepts call at least one weekend per month and several evenings per week, or as needed depending on staffing levels. Performs all tasks and duties required according to protocol.
b. Operations
1. Oversees daily maintenance of Autopsy Suite and Morgue. Ensures a clean, safe, and functional work environment.
2. Prepares autopsy suite for conferences including all equipment, materials, specimens, and facility preparation. Restore facilities to safe, functional state following decontamination schedule. Also coordinates with Neuropathology Secretary and Neuropathology Fellow regarding cases that need to be presented at the bi-weekly conferences.
3. Responsible for adult and perinatal remains accountability. All remains are to be identified daily and cross referenced with the Morgue Log Book. Any discrepancies are to be documented in the Morgue Discrepancy Binder. All Disposition of Remains forms for Perinatal decedents are to be filed in the Perinatal Disposition Binder and all Remains are to be documented in the Perinatal Accountability Binder.
4. Assist Funeral Directors, Medical Examiner, and New England Organ Bank with decedent identification, removals, viewings, and organ harvests.
5. Assist Chaplaincy, Social Work, and Nursing by preparing patients for viewings per request of family/next of kin.
6. Serves as advisor to staff on technical autopsy protocol for highly infectious cases or cases involving incurable diseases such as Hepatitis C and transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease). Maintains and updates Infectious Disease Binder and updates protocols as needed.
7. Independently manages autopsy and neuropath specimen dispositions, checking computer logs for case sign-out status. In consultation with the Director of Autopsy Service, the Director of Neuropathology, and/or the appropriate Pathologist Physician, discards specimens in accordance with State and Joint Commission guidelines. Specimens are organized, maintained, and tracked for archival, teaching, research use, or disposal. Maintains Autopsy Wet Tissue Binder, Neuropath Disposition Binder, Saved Tissue Binder, and Neuropath Research Tissue Accountability Binder, as well as computer databases for QA/QC purposes on all autopsy and neuropath tissue.
8. Execution, documentation, contact with investigators, and maintenance of IRB Protocol Binder for IRB approved research tissue.
9. Trains resident staff on radiograph machine in Morgue.
10. Monitors functionality of autopsy suite equipment. Initiates corrective action and brings to attention of Clinical Supervisor. Assists in maintaining the Lab Inspection Records Binder.
11. Identifies operational problems and initiates resolution. Brings complex issues to the attention of resident or appropriate senior personnel or Clinical Supervisor.
12. Maintain Patient Belongings Accountability Log Book. Any patient valuables left in the Morgue are cataloged with the Clinical Supervisor and documented in the Patient Belongings Accountability Log Book.
II. General Support Responsibilities:
1. Prepares surgical benches, work stations, general lab surfaces, tools, and containers for each day’s specimen workload. Organizes instruments and dissecting supplies for each station appropriate to its service.
2. Inventories and maintains adequate supplies in an organized fashion for the various laboratories. Such supplies consisting of but not limited to clean dissecting instruments, specimen containers, personal protective equipment, pathology workstation supplies, chemical reagents, and all other supplies and consumables needed for the individual laboratories. This will be a daily task due to unpredictable patterns of use as well as limited storage space for stocking consumable supplies.
3. Properly prepares infectious biohazardous waste for transport in a manner that meets the requirements of BWH Environmental Safety and Health Policy.
4. Organizes and files pathology specimens in an established, organized specimen storage system. Assists Pathology Residents and Senior Staff in specimen retrieval to permit additional diagnostic testing.
5. Transports routine and special specimens within the hospital, maintaining diagnostic viability and specimen integrity for each case.
6. Monitor Satellite Accumulation Areas (SAA) within the various anatomic pathology laboratories. Transport chemical wastes in compliance with MWRA and hospital regulations. Transfer waste formalin from workstations to SAA. Updates and maintains Powered Air Purifying Respirator Usage Log when appropriate.
7. Maintains temperature and functional verification charts. Initiates corrective action and brings to attention of Clinical Supervisor.
8. Assists staff as appropriate with routine and special projects.
9. Maintains established department policies, procedures and objectives, including the areas of quality assurance, safety, environmental and infection control.
10. Follows all Joint Commission Patient Safety Goals and related BWH Laboratory and Hospital Policies.
11. Performs all other duties and responsibilities as directed.
Variable Day Shift.Weekends, evenings, and on call as needed.
No comments:
Post a Comment