LABORATORY ASSISTANT

LM Labs
Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre
The Laboratory Assistant performs specimen collection, preparation and testing and performs related clerical functions.

WHAT WE DO

Provincial Laboratory Medicine Services (PLMS), part of Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), is at the forefront of diagnostic testing in BC, operating across 31 sites in the Lower Mainland and Central Coast. From hospitals to specialty labs within Vancouver Coastal Health, Provincial Health Services Authority, Fraser Health Authority, and Providence Health Care, our dedicated teams deliver fast, accurate results that drive critical patient care and medical innovation. Whether detecting diseases, guiding treatments, or supporting groundbreaking research, PLMS plays a vital role in advancing healthcare and saving lives across the province
The Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) plans, manages and evaluates specialized health services with the BC health authorities to provide equitable and cost-effective health care for people throughout the province. Our values reflect our commitment to excellence and include: Respect people – Be compassionate – Dare to innovate – Create equity – Be courageous.
Learn more about PHSA and our programs: jobs.phsa.ca/programs-and-services
PHSA is committed to anti-racism and equity in our hiring and employment practices. With learning and compassion, we are addressing existing inequities and barriers throughout our systems. PHSA is seeking to create a diverse workforce and to establish an inclusive and culturally safe environment. We invite applications and enquiries from all people, particularly those belonging to the historically, systemically, and/or persistently excluded groups identified under the B.C. Human Rights Code.
One of PHSA’s North Star priorities is to eradicate Indigenous-specific racism, which includes ongoing commitments to Indigenous recruitment and employee experience as well as dismantling barriers to health care employment at every level. We welcome Indigenous individuals to apply and/or contact the Sanya’k̓ula Team (Indigenous Recruitment & Employee Experience) for support at indigenous.employment@phsa.ca.
Indigenous-specific anti-racism initiatives are rooted in addressing the unique forms of discrimination, historical and ongoing injustices, and exclusion faced by Indigenous peoples. These initiatives align with an Indigenous rights-based approach, recognizing the inherent rights and title of BC First Nations and self-determination of all First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. PHSA is mandated to uphold legislative obligations and provincial commitments found in the foundational documents including the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan and Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study.

• Collects blood and other specimens and labels with relevant information according to Fraser Health policies. This includes sweat collections, breath collections, capillary gases, venous and capillary blood samples, and other specimens as required. Assists in the collections of fine needle aspirations by providing clerical support.
• Prepares specimens for analysis by centrifuging, aliquoting, and distributing specimens by priority including Microbiology, Pathology and Cytology specimens and assisting with gross exams. Stains, mounts, and labels slides.
• Performs clerical duties as required including computer data entry for patient information and tests. Communicates test results to designated parties and handles inquiries from other health team members.
• Cleans, operates and maintains equipment such as temperature checks on fridges, incubators, autoclaves and water bath. Informs appropriate staff of problems with equipment as per established procedure.
• Prepares reagents, media, and specimen collection material and distributes as required. Receives, stores and ships specimens and other materials. Prepares, handles, and transports specimens for preanalytical
• and post-analytical storage, including discarding specimens as per accepted protocols.
• Loads specimens for analysis on barcode enhanced automated and semi-automated equipment only.
• Performs laboratory tests such as urine dipsticks and glucose tests using urinalysis machines and glucose meters. Performs simple tests such as occult blood and pregnancy tests. Plates microbiology specimens.
• Maintains a clean and safe work area according to established policies and procedures including stocking adequate levels of supplies at workstations.
• Assists with clerical functions such as counting inventory and notifying appropriate staff of inventory levels as per procedure.
• Schedules and books appointments and enters and verifies patient registration information as required.
• Provides assistance as required by performing ECG testing by attaching electrodes to patients and operating equipment according to standard procedures.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.