Team Lea - Pathology Support Services

at  Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center: Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of diverse individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health recognizes that diversity is essential for excellence and innovation. We are committed to an inclusive environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your diversity of culture, thinking, learning, and leading is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

JOB SUMMARY:

Manages operational processes to store, retrieve, track and process surgical specimens, archived materials and related information independently. Responsible for assuring excellent customer service and timely completion of pathology support functions to support patient care.
.
The VUMC Pathology Support Department is in need of a Team Lead to join the team at our new MetroCenter Laboratory location!

DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Our new 110,000-square-foot diagnostic core laboratory supports the needs of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s inpatient hospitals, outpatient clinics, regional hospitals, and extramural practice customers. Located five miles north of the 21st Avenue Nashville campus, the laboratory has expanded capacity to bring more testing to Vanderbilt, deploy innovative technology, improve patient care, and enhance team collaboration. The laboratory offers an expanded test menu supporting routine and specialized testing and aims to become the preferred reference laboratory provider in the southeast region.

TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES:

• Quality Assurance (Intermediate): Maintains an open mind and appreciation of the “big picture” rather than rushing to traditional or historical conclusions or approaches. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully demonstrating quality management techniques with a group without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others. Has made and facilitated improvements to business processes within the scope of project assignments. Consistently delivers superior products and services.
• Data Access and Reporting (Advanced): Demonstrates the uppermost levels of expertise in locating, organizing, interpreting and reporting data in challenging and complex situations. Expert at finding and visually documenting groups of facts not previously known. Delivers complex reports via data mining and data warehousing. Often takes a lead role in highly pressurized situations when there is a need to achieve results. Consistently delivers information in a creative and imaginative manner while setting a standard for others.
• Medical Terminology & Documentation (Novice): Possesses sufficient fundamental proficiency to successfully demonstrate medical terminology and documentation in practical applications of moderate difficulty.
• Patient Assessment (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of patient assessments in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering results without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.
• Mentoring & Coaching (Intermediate): Demonstrates good training and mentoring practices on a regular basis. Acts as a mentor to a person in need of support and direction. Makes a concerted effort to seek problem definition so it is clearly understood, clarifying and refining goals, as needed. Knows how to make personal gains apparent, supporting pride in accomplishment. Cites specific examples of conduct and responds to lack of progress in constructive ways. Encourages two way dialogue, soliciting opinions of people being trained and mentored. Explores alternative solutions and approaches which make a person or team more likely to accomplish their goals.
• Customer Service (Intermediate): Keeps management informed on all aspects of one or more projects. Takes personal responsibility to ensure external and internal customer satisfaction is met despite pressures and/or significant obstacles. Discusses options with customer for alternative ways to meet expectations cost-effectively and efficiently. Commands respect and confidence from customers, and identifies, influences and creates business opportunities. Negotiates with customers for changes in service levels, understanding the business rationale for those changes. Deals with unexpected customer demands smoothly and without conflict.
  Allied health is among the fastest growing occupations in healthcare today. This area can be defined as credentialed professionals who perform supportive, diagnostic, and therapeutic health care services to promote health and prevent disease in a variety of settings.
  These areas are crucial to Vanderbilt Health’s reputation for excellence in these areas that has made us a major center for patient referrals from throughout the Mid-South.
  Each year, people throughout Tennessee and the southeast choose Vanderbilt Health for their health care because of our leadership in medical science and our dedication to treating patients with dignity and compassion.

CORE ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Organizational Impact: Independently performs non-routine tasks that significantly impact team and other related teams.* Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Gathers and analyzes data to solve problems that arise with little or no precendent.* Breadth of Knowledge: Applies advanced job knowledge and has developed a breadth of skills in other areas. * Team Interaction: Serves as a lead for the team by providing expertise and guidance to team members.
  Core Capabilities :
  Supporting Colleagues: - Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas. - Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships. - Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one’s own communication style to suit different situations and audiences. Delivering Excellent Services : - Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them. - Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions. - Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees’ effectiveness. Ensuring High Quality : - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly. - Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring. Managing Resources Effectively : - Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure. - Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area. - Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities. Fostering Innovation: - Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches. - Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges. - Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Relevant Work Experience

EXPERIENCE LEVEL :

3 years

EDUCATION:

High School Diploma or GED
Vanderbilt Health recognizes that diversity is essential for excellence and innovation. We are committed to an inclusive environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and to the principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action. EOE/AA/Women/Minority/Vets/Disabled

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manages operational processes to store, retrieve, track and process surgical pathology specimens, archive materials and related information.
• Functions in a lead role to oversee daily operations, provide training and mentor other staff.
• Performs pathology support duties according to established department procedures in a timely manner.
• Actively leads or participates in compliance, quality management and quality improvement activities.
• Supports SurgPath or specialty laboratory and demonstrates critical thinking and problem-solving abilities in in resolving daily workflow and problems.
• The responsibilities listed are a general overview of the position and additional duties may be assigned.