Diagnostic Associate I

Position Title:

Diagnostic Associate I

Job Group:

Professional & Scientific

Required Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience in a veterinary diagnostic service or industrial biological laboratory.
Experience and/or demonstrated working knowledge of laboratory assays and techniques.
Experience or demonstrated knowledge of quality assurance/quality controls.
Experience working with animal tissues.
Experience with gross trimming.

Job Description:

Summary

The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University is engaged daily in missions of service, instruction, and research. Case work processed by this laboratory includes approximately 100,000 cases per year submitted by veterinarians and animal owners from Iowa and surrounding states, as well as research samples from both the University and the private sector.

The primary responsibility of this position includes preparing tissues for histopathologic evaluation from animals submitted to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for disease diagnosis and research purposes. Preparation of tissue samples for diagnostic evaluation includes: gross trimming, processing, embedding, sectioning and staining. The technician must be skilled in performing and understanding embedding, microtomy and special staining. Other duties include and are not limited to: cleaning, monitoring and maintaining the laboratory and the equipment within, troubleshooting, keeping records, handling formalin-fixed tissues, using histology cutting tools, modifying special staining procedures, coverslipping, assisting with digital imaging, entering data, helping to train new students under the supervision of the laboratory manager or a Diagnostic Associate II, and other elementary laboratory tasks related to conducting diagnostic and research laboratory activities. This position will consistently be working with formalin, will be handling formalin-fixed animal tissues, and will provide a supporting role in preparation of tissues for histopathologic examination by diagnosticians.

To perform these essential job functions well, the successful candidate must be able to maintain consistency of output during repetitive tasks both independently and with co-workers. The successful candidate also must be able to maintain focus, have acute attention to detail, communicate effectively, work effectively within a team, be engaged, and have familiarity with basic laboratory techniques.

Example of Duties

• Assesses tissue samples macroscopically, identifying and collecting representative samples from areas of interest.

• Gross trims diagnostic and research animal tissue from all organs and body cavities including bones, eyes, and complex biopsies.

• Processes, embeds, sections, and performs routine stains for diagnostic and research submissions.

• Works with specialized, integrated, and automated instrumentation including slide/block printers, tissue processors, microtomes, automated stainers, and scanners.

• Receives, organizes, distributes, stores, and disposes of fixed tissues used in laboratory processing.

• Receives and processes a wide spectrum of samples including tissues, paraffin blocks, and slides of all specimen types and determines suitability of the samples for testing.

• Performs a variety of diagnostics tests within a specific specialty area.

• Washes, prepares, and fills specimen containers with 10% neutral buffered formalin.

• Fills and changes reagents and helps maintain laboratory equipment.

• Stocks/rotates supplies and assists in monitoring inventory.

• Enters data and assists with record keeping.

• Files and labels slides, specimen containers, and cassettes.

• Deciphers and prepares labels on specimen containers, cassettes, and slides.

• Performs standard tests to determine equipment accuracy.

• Assists in training student employees.

• Works with others and communicates effectively (oral and written) in a group, team-oriented working environment.

• Exercises problem solving, organizational, and documenting skills.

Level Guidelines
• Individual contributor position with developing professional and/or technical skills working under immediate to general supervision
• Grasps professional-level knowledge and concepts of field while working in a progressive learning mode
• Works on problems and issues of somewhat limited scope
• Follows standard practices and procedures in analyzing situations or data for which answers are available or can be obtained
• R