Hospital Laboratory Technician

Class Specifications – H.15
Hospital Laboratory Technician IV – 8973
Hospital Laboratory Technician III – 8974
Hospital Laboratory Technician II – 8975
Hospital Laboratory Technician I – 8976

June, 1976

Series Concept

Hospital Laboratory Technicians perform or supervise the performance of a wide variety of technical procedures in a hospital laboratory or other facility directly involved in patient-care activities; and perform other related duties as required.

The technical determinations made or supervised are in one or more fields of hospital or laboratory procedure, and either directly or indirectly yield technical data aboutpatients. The fields include biochemistry, microbiology, hematology, hemodialysis, and may include specialized work in areas such as ophthalmology, dental prosthetics, and pathology. Installation, operation, and maintenance of laboratory equipment and instruments may be a secondary, but essential part of the duties. The primary usage of the technical data yielded is related to direct patient care; however, this data may be used for research purposes secondarily.

The Hospital Laboratory Technician series consists of four classes which are differentiated either by the type of supervision exercised, or for a nonsupervisory position, the complexity of technical determinations made. Generally, the more repetitive technical determinations are made in the entry level Hospital Laboratory Technician I and operational level Hospital Laboratory Technician II classes. The higher level classes are characterized by either a degree of supervision over a number of personnel or the performance of more complex, specialized or developmental work. The developmental work performed may consist of improving methodologies, procedures and equipment used, and may include publication of studies and reports, with patient care rather than basic research the primary objective.

The Hospital Laboratory Technician series is differentiated from the Clinical Laboratory Technologist series by the absence of licensure requirements. It is differentiated from the Staff Research Associate series primarily by the usage of the technical data yielded. For the Staff Research Associate series, technical data yielded is used primarily for research and teaching, secondarily for public service such as patient care; whereas the converse is the case for the Hospital Laboratory Technician series.

The examples cited in the class concepts are illustrative and do not preclude allocation to the series of positions requiring equivalent technical knowledge and skill, and that meet the basic patient care orientation intended in this series.

Class Concepts

Hospital Laboratory Technician IV

Under direction, incumbents may perform either a) supervisory duties, such as direction of the work of a large laboratory, or section involved in patient care activities or supporting services, or b) nonsupervisory duties, such as performance of non-repetitive specialized procedures and developmental work or methodologies used in patient care. Positions which are primarily supervisory usually involve laboratory management over (a) one Hospital Laboratory Technician III or (b) three Hospital Laboratory Technician II’s or comparable level positions.

Hospital Laboratory Technician IV positions differ from Hospital Laboratory Technician III positions in that they involve either (a) greater laboratory management over personnel in higher level classes, or (b) developmental work in addition to complex specialized procedures for non-supervisory positions.

Hospital Laboratory Technician IV positions differ from Staff Research Associate IV positions in their primary emphasis on patient care, rather than research or teaching. Developmental work performed at the Hospital Laboratory Technician IV level has application in improvement of methodologies Used in patient care.

Examples:

1. Under medical direction, supervises the technical procedures in a Clinical Laboratory section, including direction of six Hospital Laboratory Technicians; trains subordinates, schedules work, maintains records and makes reports; and performs developmental work on methodologies including publication such as an operations manual for new and existing techniques.
2. Within the Clinical Laboratories, performs the Updating and troubleshooting of existing methodologies; develops, researches, implements, and evaluates new procedures and equipment. Such positions may involve on-going production areas, such as developing, implementing and evaluating methodologies involved with the use of Automatic Clinical Analyzers, or they may be involved in such areas as toxicology and endocrinology.

Hospital Laboratory Technician III

Under general supervision incumbents may perform either (a) supervisory duties such as directing the work of a medium-sized laboratory, section, or other facility involved in patient care activities or directly supporting services; or (b) non-supervisory duties that require performance of non-repetitive complex specialized work involved with methodologies used in patient care. Supervisory positions typically carry responsibility for laboratory or section management and supervision of at least one Hospital Laboratory Technician II, or two Hospital Laboratory Technician I’s, or comparable level positions. Incumbents may also be required to perform such tasks as standardizing techniques and procedures, preparing standardized materials and reagents, and training subordinate staff members and checking the accuracy of their work.

Non-supervisory positions at the Hospital Laboratory Technician III level differ from those at the Hospital Laboratory Technician IV level in that they perform complex specialized tasks that are not developmental, and that while requiring great skill, utilize established procedures.

Examples:

1. Supervises the patient care activities performed in such areas as a Nuclear Medicine Clinic, Pulmonary Function Laboratory, or an Adult Catheterization Laboratory. The technical duties performed within each area usually include such procedures as collecting of blood samples and analyzing for oxygen content within the Adult Catheterization Laboratory; testing of patients for pulmonary disease and using blood gas analyzers within a Pulmonary Function section; or performing scans of organs within a Nuclear Medicine Clinic.
2. Within a Maxillofacial Prosthetics Clinic, performs non-supervisor functions involving non-repetitive complex tasks such as fabrication of various types of oral prostheses. This may include set-up of artificial teeth for unusual denture cases, fabrication on stone duplicate molds, investment and casting of metal molds from linotype material, and polishing and finishing cast molds for facial prostheses.
3. Within an Ophthalmology Clinic, performs non-supervisory functions involving non-repetitive specialized tasks such as fabrication of Scheral and Corneal Contact Lenses by making molded impressions of the eye, constructing, fitting and adjusting lens to the patient’s eye, and instructing the physician and patient on adjustment and removal techniques.

Hospital Laboratory Technician II

Under general supervision, incumbents perform a wide variety of repetitive technical procedures of the kind described under the Series Concept, at the operational level of skill; or perform a limited variety of repetitive but specialized laboratory procedures requiring a high level of skill, finesse, and judgment in one specialized field of work.

Examples of assignments allocated to this level of difficulty and responsibility are:

• Chemical technician in a hemodialysis unit, performing a wide variety of repetitive chemistry determinations on patient body fluids and dialysate, with a high degree of accuracy and volume of production.
• Clinical Laboratory technician (without license) in a hospital laboratory or facility performing a wide variety of repetitive, standardized tests; and in addition may perform tests on patients for pulmonary disease within the Pulmonary Function section by using blood gas analyzers; or may work in the Immunology section modifying standard kits for certain specialized immunological procedures.
• Blood bank technician (without license), performing repetitive, standardized procedures on blood, such as blood typing, Rh factor determination, crossmatching, and other techniques required in unusual cases.
• Hemodialysis technician (without license) in a hemodialysis unit, responsible for the operation and servicing of equipment and system, during and between dialysis runs, and for instruction of patients and family members.

Incumbents may work alone without technical supervision to provide shift, weekend and holiday coverage. Incumbents may have responsibility for demonstrating technical procedures and instructing others, including staff members, students, and/or patients, but supervisory responsibility is not required at this level.

Hospital Laboratory Technician I

Under supervision, incumbents perform repetitive, technical laboratory procedures that require special training and skill typically with theoretical background in one scientific field. The fields of work are those indicated in the Series Concept and further illustrated by the examples in the Class Concept for Hospital Laboratory Technician II. Incumbents usually perform duties of limited variety and work under close technical supervision, in their initial assignments. Incumbents may usually expect to advance to Hospital Laboratory Technician II after having demonstrated the ability to perform the full scope of duties, at acceptable levels of quality and quantity, normally required of the operational level in the field of work.

Minimum Qualifications

Educational and experience requirements vary according to the nature of the position, and whether it is supervisory or nonsupervisory. All classes require at least graduation from high school.

Hospital Laboratory Technician IV

Graduation from college with a major in an applicable natural science plus four years of experience in the kind of work to be performed; or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and knowledges and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.

Hospital Laboratory Technician III

Graduation from college with a major in an applicable natural science plus two years of experience in the kind of work to be performed; or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and knowledges and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.

Hospital Laboratory Technician II

Graduation from college with a major in an applicable natural science plus one year of experience in the kind of work to be performed; or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and knowledges and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.

Hospital Laboratory Technician I

Graduation from college with a major in an applicable natural science; or two years of college courses in the natural sciences plus two years of applicable experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and knowledges and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.