Lab technician

Run daily IQC and analyzer start-up, receive or reject samples, process and report, log critical values and deliver reports.

Lab technician

Who this is for

You are a Lab technician (technologist). You keep the analyzers in control and move samples through the lab. Your role can:

• register orders and mark samples collected,
• receive, process and report,
• reject a sample, or cancel an order,
• flag critical values,
• mark verified reports Delivered.

You cannot verify a report. That is the pathologist's sign-off.

What you see

Bottom tab bar: Home, Tasks, Scan, Diagnostics and More.

More sheet: Notifications; Clinical → Diagnostics; Work → My Team Dashboard, Corrective Actions, My History, Overall Histories; Biomedical & facility → Equipment, Work orders; then My account, User manual and Help center. You have no Manage group and no Patients.

Your day

1. Before the first patient run, open Tasks and complete Analyzer Start-up & Daily Maintenance, then Daily Internal QC (Westgard), for each analyzer.
2. Do the Reagent & Lab Fridge Log (twice a day if it is assigned twice).
3. Open Diagnostics → In progress. Receive each new sample, or reject it.
4. Process and report. STAT and Urgent orders sit at the top of the list.
5. Phone and log any critical value straight away.
6. Mark verified reports Delivered as they are handed over (the Ready chip lists them).
7. If an analyzer fails, raise a work order (More → Work orders → + New). See Equipment breakdown.

Step by step

Run daily IQC (Westgard)

1. Tasks → tap Start on Daily Internal QC (Westgard).
2. Fill in Analyzer / section, Control lot number, Level 1 result and Level 2 result.
3. Answer Pass, Fail or N/A for:
   • Within ±2 SD (no 1-2s warning)
   • No Westgard rejection rule violated (1-3s, 2-2s, R-4s, 4-1s, 10x)
   • Levey-Jennings chart updated
4. If you answer Fail, describe what happened and add a photo. Write what you did in Corrective action taken (if out of control). Do not release patient results until the run is back in control.
5. Under Technologist, type your full name and sign in the box.
6. Tap Submit inspection.

The pass mark is 100%. Every Fail becomes a deviation that your manager reviews. The next day's task is created automatically when you submit.

Analyzer start-up

1. Tasks → Analyzer Start-up & Daily Maintenance → Start.
2. Fill in the Analyzer field.
3. Answer: Start-up / prime completed, Reagents loaded and in date, Calibration valid, Probes and wash station cleaned, Waste container emptied, Room temperature (°C) and No error flags on the instrument.
4. Sign under Technologist and tap Submit inspection.

Tip: Copy answers from last time fills in yesterday's answers. Check every one before you submit.

Receive a sample

1. Scan the tube label from Scan, or search the accession number in Diagnostics.
2. Check the sample against the requisition. If your lab uses it, tap Add checklist → Sample Receiving & Rejection Check → Add to order, then run it.
3. Tap Mark as received in lab.

Reject a sample

1. On the order, tap Reject / cancel.
2. Choose Reject sample (recollect).
3. In Reason, pick one from the list: Haemolysed, Clotted, Insufficient volume, Wrong container / tube, Unlabelled or mislabelled, Delayed transport or Leaked / broken container. You can also type your own.
4. Tap Close order and confirm.

The order closes as Rejected and its open checklists close too. For the recollection, register a new order (+ New order) and print a new label.

Process and report

1. Tap Mark as processing when the sample goes on the analyzer.
2. Tap Mark as reported when the results are entered.

The order now waits for a pathologist. The page says waiting for a pathologist / lab manager.

Log a critical value

1. Repeat or re-check the result, then phone the referring doctor and ask for a read-back.
2. On the order, open Flag critical value (from Processing onwards).
3. Fill in Notified to (name, role) and, if the call was earlier, Time notified.
4. Tap Save critical value call.

Pathologists, the lab manager, administrators, the quality manager and the medical director are alerted. See Critical value workflow.

Deliver a report

1. Diagnostics → Ready lists verified orders.
2. Open the order, hand over the report and tap Mark as delivered.

What you can't do

Try it

Sign in as tech@diagnostics.test (Technician Tara) or lab-technician@hospital.test, password password. Tara's Tasks list already has daily IQC, analyzer start-up and a front-desk check. In Diagnostics, open Sara Iyer (at Processing) and tap Mark as reported. See also Lab test order workflow.