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| Should the CLS/MT Education Entry Level be the Masters Degree? |
Task List
CONSULTATION (Internal and External)
1. Consult or advise in all practice settings by correlating laboratory data and patient status.
- Physician offices
- Hospitals
- Government arena
- With other health care professionals
- Industry
- Public health
Develop clinical laboratory ordering pathways and reflex testing algorithms to expedite quality clinical care. Provides laboratory expertise to physicians in the proper development of physician driven clinical pathways.
Develop new rubrics/algorithms for tests based on reading of the scientific literature. (For example the chemistry supervisor should be the person who determined the availability of troponins and the refusal to honor requests for older/outmoded tests).
Be equal partners when rules, alerts, order sets, algorithms are developed.
Assist in development of triage protocols for appropriate departments such as the Emergency Room or Intensive Care Unit to produce the most appropriate information as rapidly as possible.
3. Serve as an enriched partner on healthcare team being available 24/7 to assist physicians and other clinicians and bringing testing knowledge to rounds along with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, etc., communicating the following:
- Meaning of test results
- Further testing recommendations
- Assess patient condition from a laboratory medicine perspective
- Participate in rounds and patient care conferences to provide the clinical
laboratory perspective.
- Proper blood product utilization
- Provide information for timing tests and consolidation of blood collection
4. Work collaboratively with healthcare team to improve TAT and the ability to diagnose, treat and discharge patients in a hospital setting by reducing the number of blood collections and tests ordered by providing rationale for appropriate testing based on knowledge and algorithm designs similar to a critical pathway design.
5. Serve as ombudsman/patient advocate – to explain the patient’s condition, medications, the laboratory tests that support the patient and the general community, and to support family decision-making
- Develop and provide a service to interpret laboratory results for patients and families
- Use standardized computerized information to provide information to patients and families
4. Provide explanations of data to physicians.
- Develop interpretive reporting on laboratory reports
- Provide direct one-to-one consultation
5. Work with Pharmacy and other providers (MDs, NPs, PAs, etc.) to
ensure Microbiology test results and drug therapies are optimal (Antimicrobial
Review Technical Specialist).
- Recommend changes to pharmacopia or to patterns of medication use. For example, altering the use of antimicrobials.
- Advise nurses and other health care providers of needed changes to medications.
8. Work with hospital and medical quality groups to review blood product usage, waste, utilization, etc. (Blood Utilization Technical Specialist).
9. Work with hospital and medical quality groups to review laboratory data of oncology patients (Oncology Technical Specialist) and to review other laboratory data as Technical Specialist in other areas.
10. Serve on all facility medical practice committees to include, but not be limited to Infection Control, Medical Practices, Quality Management, Transfusion Committees.
11. Serve as Infection Control Coordinator (Epidemiologist) in the laboratory and/or for the facility.
12. Present grand rounds concerning laboratory utilization.
13. Provide expert testimony in legal situations (Again, this is currently being done in some places but not all.)
14. Provides services in risk management
- Develop diagnostic and/or therapeutic laboratory protocols for patients by disease category.
- Review charts for compliance and make recommendations for action.
- Develop clinical laboratory algorithms/ rules for patient management
- Serve as Risk Manager
15. Develop and Coordinate Direct Access Testing for facilities in states that allow it.
QUALITY ASSURANCE
1. Provide for quality assurance – establish consistency and maintain quality of care with healthcare providers by reviewing records for effectiveness and compliance with clinical guidelines from test ordering and specimen collection to utilization of laboratory data.
2. Establish, implement and oversee a quality system for institutions.
3. Establish, implement and oversee processes for the laboratory quality plan.
4. Choose and utilize appropriate quality management tools to assess processes
to maximize quality, effectiveness, and efficiency.
- Lead efforts to improve workflow
- Lead efforts to meet clinical needs
6. Communicate effectively with officials from the various governmental and regulatory agencies.
- Establish, implement and supervise a quality assurance program for point of care testing
- Serve as laboratory or corporate compliance officer
LABORATORY MANAGEMENT
1. Balance/examine the clinical and administrative needs of the laboratory and medical staff to determine how or if testing makes sense at that facility
2. Develop, in consultation with appropriate colleagues, culturally competent test menus, reference ranges, and patient information.
3. Compare, select, and implement new instruments and testing
4. Prepare and manage the departmental budget.
5. Forecast trends and technological growth in clinical laboratory practice with a high level of accuracy.
6. Control scheduling for a specific laboratory (ex., hematology). This would include shift hours (ex., 8:30-5:00 instead of 7:00-3:30) and test menu available on each shift.
7. Develop plans for efficient space utilization. Lead laboratory facility redesign or facility design projects.
8. Serve as clinic (i.e., physician office) practice coordinator (i.e., oversee entire clinic operations including all personnel and departments, OSHA, safety, quality assurance, etc.)
9. Establish and implement a plan to maintain assessment of employee competency.
10. Use statistical tools to evaluate laboratory methods and productivity, patient outcome measures and other investigative procedures as needed.
11. Manage the information systems through appropriate delegation of authority.
- Serve on Information Management System teams for clinical information
- Clinical Information System project leadership.
12. Design and perform productivity analysis.
- Operational and clinical benchmarking programs
- Specific productivity guidelines evaluating FTEs per lab section
13. Analyze workflow in the clinical laboratory and plan improvements as necessary.
PROFESSIONAL ADVOCACY
1. Communicate effectively with officials from the various governmental and regulatory agencies.
2. Proactively work with Hospital Administration/HR to promote the laboratory professions.
- Leadership in publicity regarding clinical laboratory science
- Salary surveys and appropriate interpretations
- Government Affairs & Regulatory Compliance
- Collaboration with internal and external stakeholders
3. Conduct relevant evidence-based research to advance the practice field and/or patient outcomes.
4. Serve on non-technical hospital, clinic committees such as new employee orientation, customer satisfaction teams.
5. Proactively participate in institution-wide policy making committees and task forces.
Product Review, Safety, Space Utililization, Compliance, etc.
6. Serve on bioterrorist and safety committees.
EDUCATION
1. Serve as laboratory liaison (i.e., provide information on service charges, key performance metrics, education updates, and be the day-to-day unit contact for problem resolution).
2. Work with nursing units, physicians to properly select and use all POCT technologies, co-develop educational/competency computer-based training materials.
3. Use advanced Information Technology skills to develop education and training, client/customer service, technical, financial, etc. monitors.
4. Teach and train medical, nursing, pharmacy, and other student health professionals who interact with the laboratory the role and impact of the clinical laboratory on patient outcomes.
5. Provide continuing education to physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other health professionals on all topics related to the clinical laboratory.
6. Serve as a culturally competent education/communication specialist/advocate – for all patients with diseases that must be monitored by laboratory tests.
- Patient education
- Prevention
- Health maintenance
7. Establish and implement a training and competency program for the education
of students of clinical laboratory science/medical technology as well as for
employee continuing education.
Develop and manage clinical rotations as a site for all students requiring
clinical laboratory practicums.
8. Mentor student and new graduate colleagues in professional
socialization, including the history, value of Clinical Laboratory
Science/Medical Technology, and critical contribution to patient outcomes.
ALTERNATIVE ROLES/SETTINGS
1. Principal investigator for grants, clinical contracts (trials)
2. Public health specialist
3. Town/city water epidemiologist
4. College/university faculty/administration
5. Regulatory Affairs Profession (vendor role that brings new products through
FDA process and to market)
6. Patient advocate
7. State/federal regulatory agent
8. Consumer educator
9. Leaders in design/development of future core curricula for all healthcare
professionals
10. Facility administration
11. Vendor Representative
12. Insurance Company Representative
ADVANCED PRACTICE ROLES
1. Analyze and sign out without pathologist oversight all laboratory tests
requiring interpretation (i.e. bone marrow aspirates, IEPs, etc.)
Define a list of tests for which an interpretation is approved for payment
Work with payers on test list for which interpretation is necessary and approved
for payment, but does not require MD
2. Perform and interpret molecular diagnostic testing at the clinical,
research, biotechnology and forensic levels
Work on team with genetic counselor, physician on all genetic testing
With advanced education, serve as genetic counselor
3. Replace nurses as the intake/collection/etc. personnel in all blood
donor centers.
4. Serve as Automation Engineers (i.e., keep robotic, advanced automation
functional; requires advanced computer and engineering skills).
Serve as biomedical engineer for all equipment instrumentation in the facility
Serve as Information Technology engineer for all hardware and software in the
laboratory
ADVANCED TECHNICAL PRACTICE (not as immediate, but might move into these
roles consistently—in some places now)
1. Perform bone marrow aspirates and biopsies
- Work with payers to modify/define reimbursement rules to include services/procedures performed by non-physicians.
- Code procedures/services performed
2. Perform cerebrospinal fluid aspirations and other non-routine specimen collections (joint, etc.)
- Work with payers to modify/define reimbursement rules to include services/procedures performed by non-physicians
- Code procedures/services performed
3. Collect routine specimens for microbiological investigation (from throat
swabs to cornea scrapings)
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Copyright © 2008 National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences. All rights reserved. Comments or suggestions to the site editor. |
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