Histotechnologist - Temporary

OHSU Dermatology is located in the Center for Health & Healing on the South Waterfront in Portland, Oregon. The Department of Dermatology is dedicated to providing our patients the best and most innovative dermatologic care for the broad range of skin, hair, nail, and mucous membrane disorders.

To provide medical lab technician skills to the patients seen in the OHSU Dermatology Surgery Clinic and Dermatopathology Lab. This employee will share in the responsibility of laboratory maintenance and technical skills for clinics stated above, as well as maintaining standards in accordance with OHSU Safety and Infection Control Policies and Procedures as well as OSHA, CAP, and CLIA standards. Performs requirements for Staff Members as outlined in Compliance Roles and Responsibilities in OHSU Hospital and Clinics Policy and Procedure.

Staff member will carry out job responsibilities in an ethical, effective and professional manner and will understand and comply with the Code of Conduct, OHSU and departmental policies and procedures, applicable rules and regulations, etc. 

May require extended work hours to ensure all Mohs cases are completed for the day. May require working in multiple job site locations.

Technical duties in surgical dermatology include providing histology services for Mohs Micrographic Surgical patients and Dermatopathology Lab. This includes:

• cryostat and microtome setup and staining solution preparation
• preparation of frozen and formalin fixed paraffin embedded sections including orienting specimens, mounting, embedding, cutting, and staining of tissue specimens, processing with hematoxylin and eosin stains, and bone/cartilage preparation.
• Special staining including IHC of FFPE and frozen sections.
• assigns Mohs surgery number for each patient and tumor treated.
• maintains monitoring equipment including refrigeration logs, microscope, and equipment maintenance and cleaning of equipment as per OHSU Safety guidelines.
• orders supplies and equipment for laboratory and maintains adequate stock of necessary supplies.
• practices safe laboratory practices and precautions per laboratory manuals and safety and infection control guidelines.
• laboratory instrumentation/equipment set up and reagent preparation.
• gross description, dissection, and orientation of patient tissue, appropriate to facilitate optimal diagnostic quality of tissue slide production.
• transcribes grossing data into specimen case in LIS.
• in addition, utilizes custom techniques, as described by laboratory management, to provide a high-quality product meeting the diagnostic needs of the reading dermatopathologists.
• assures information fidelity throughout the entire laboratory process, correlating all paperwork with associated patient specimen(s).
• organizes, labels, and files slides, blocks, and paperwork.
• general cleaning of laboratory
• communicates any issues to manager and coworkers in a timely and appropriate manner.
• other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Preparation of tissue specimens for immunofluorescence per manual protocol including proper handling of biopsy specimens, specimen washing, appropriate orientation of specimens and sections.

• Control slide preparation according to protocol.
• Maintains proper documentation including DIF control sheet, positive DIF control log, incident reports when indicated, corrective action forms as needed, and all other documentation as per protocol in the manual.
• Communicates with and mails handling solutions to requesting referring physicians.
• Registration and Accessioning. Act as a registration point by gathering and/or verifying patient information including demographics, insurance coverage, and financial status. Confirm patient eligibility for health care coverage and clarify any managed care arrangements. Use Lab Information System as a pivot point for distribution of demographic, referral, clinical, and pathology-resulting data to multiple sources, including OHSU Medical Group and referring physicians. Transcribe from dictation or written word into a variety of hospital and departmental applications, varifies correct ICD10 and CPT codes for billing.

Maintains proper documentation in laboratory including proper logs of all incoming and outgoing specimens including mailing slides back to referring physicians and outside laboratories.

• Responsible for quality assurance projects as per Manager and laboratory director
• Maintains records and adheres to OSHA/CLIA/Joint Commission guidelines
• Organises, labels, and files slides, blocks, and paperwork.

Works within the Laboratory Information System to track laboratory materials and data related to individual cases.

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical or Biological science and one year of experience in a histology laboratory and HT/HTL (ASCP) certification within 90 days of hire;
• OR 2 years of experience performing embedding, microtomy and histologic staining; preparing reagents, and stains, and performing other related tasks, and HT/HTL (ASCP) certification within 90 days;
• OR Completion of a certified histotechnology training program and one year of training and experience in a clinical histology laboratory and HT/HTL (ASCP) certification within 90 days.
• Two years of experience performing embedding, microtomy (frozen and or FFPE tissues) and histologic staining; preparing reagents, and stains; performing standardized laboratory tests and examinations; and assisting occasionally in more complex testing.
• Experience in preparing and using reagents, test media, and stains; performing standardized laboratory tests and examinations.
• Proficiency with cutting tissue in cryostat. Proficiency in processing tissue for immunofluorescence studies.
  • A high degree of accuracy and quality of laboratory work is required.

• Compliance with Code of Conduct, Respect in the workplace, and Applicable policies, procedures, and agreements related to the position, department, or OHSU as a whole

• Must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without accommodation

All are welcome

Oregon Health & Science University values a diverse and culturally competent workforce. We are proud of our commitment to being an equal opportunity, affirmative action organization that does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of any protected class status, including disability status and protected veteran status. Individuals with diverse backgrounds and those who promote diversity and a culture of inclusion are encouraged to apply. To request reasonable accommodation contact the Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Department at 503-494-5148 or aaeo@ohsu.edu.