Senior Histologic Technologist

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in a physical or natural science from an accredited institution as approved and accepted by the University of South Alabama, five years of experience as a histologic technologist and certification as a Histotechnologist (HTL) with the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. Preferred Qualifications Qualification of Immunohistochemistry (QIHC) with the American Society of Clinical Pathologists is preferred. Job Description Summary The University of South Alabama’s Biobank Core Facility is seeking to hire a Senior Histologic Technologist. Interested candidates should apply to be considered. Essential Functions These are the job duties required of the position. Essential Functions

• Responsible for managing the Histology Laboratory, which is part of the USA Health Biobank Core Facility.
• Reports to the Director of the Biobank Core and in close collaboration with the Biobank’s manager.
• Directs and / or performs the technical work related to histology including but not limited to preparing slides from surgical pathology / autopsy and other tissue specimens such as those from animal models performing histological and immunohistochemical staining.
• Embeds specimens in paraffin or OCT, cuts, mounts and optimizes the immunohistochemistry stain procedures.
• Interacts with Principal Investigators (PIs), pathologists and clinician collaborators.
• Makes recommendations for new approaches and answers questions related to the assigned work.
• Ensures the quality of the work performed within the laboratory.
• Meets with the Biobank Core Director and Manager on a regular basis to discuss functioning, progress and any special needs to maximize productivity.
• Receives and reviews request forms from Principal investigators (PIs) and clarifies the requested service with them if necessary.
• Processes biospecimens (human. animal tissue or cells) for paraffin or OCT embedding or customized processing.
• Prepares tissue, either fresh from the different operating rooms, frozen from the Frozen section rooms and freezing in the -80 freezer and / or the liquid nitrogen tanks.
• Prepares serial sections, levels, and step sections from paraffin or OCT blocks.
• Examines slides and / or blocks to ensure preparation meets laboratory requirements / standards.
• Judges the quality of stained slides by microscopic examination with the aid of a pathologist.
• Ability to assemble tissue composition slides from paraffin or OCT blocks for routine or special slide mounting which may be needed for procedures such as multiomics, laser capture microdissection analysis.
• Ability to assemble / prepare tissue microarrays.
• Performs routine and special histologic stains, immunohistochemical (IHC), and immunofluorescence stains.
• Prepares tissues for specific analysis, such as electron microscopy and DNA / RNA extraction.
• Assists in the gross examination of surgical specimens (left over tissue), recognizing the gross appearance of normal and diseased tissue.
• Assists / collects specimens from hospitals, clinics and the Pathology Department.
• Operates and utilizes necessary programs on LIS and HIS, such as Cerner.
• Teaches medical students, Ph.D. students, residents, and postdocs about using various histological techniques.
• Reviews the literature regarding antibody use, previous methodologies and applicable protocols to provide supportive information for the investigator’s (PI) project.
• Assists PIs in technology development as for example establishing for direct fluorescence reading or biological samples, multi FL immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining and developing a multi FL immune panels for studying tumor immunology.
• Implements single molecule RNA FISH procedures.
• Operates and maintains all histology area laboratory equipment in a proper state or readiness and cleanliness.
• Performs and monitors inventory of supplies, equipment, and reagents and places orders for replacements as required.
• Performs with a minimum or errors.
• Works neatly and accurately regardless of the volume of work.
• Able to handle unexpected situations and exercises independent thought and actions.
• Maintains workflow by prioritizing the work.
• Maintains awareness of the need for cost containment.
• Utilizes supplies in a non-wasteful manner.
• Maintains good interpersonal relationships with co-workers, students, PIs, pathologists, and scientists from the USA College of Medicine and the USA Health System.
• Reviews, secures, and interacts with vendors of reagents and specialized instruments for the Histology Laboratory.
• Remains flexible in order to adapt to the various requests of the different Pls.
• Maintains the tissues in the -80 freezers and liquid nitrogen tanks, making sure that liquid nitrogen is replenished.
• Makes sure supplies are ordered promptly.
• Performs specimen de-identification and patient data entry into the LIMS, including maintaining specimen security and patient confidentiality.
• Assists in preparing materials for publication.
• Regular and prompt attendance.
• Ability to work schedule as defined and additional hours as required.
• Related duties as required.

Posting Information

Benefits

Paid Time Off (PTO) Health Insurance Short Term Disability Life Insurance Education Benefit Retirement Plan Memberships and Events Student Loan Forgiveness Paid Time Off (PTO) Employees earn paid time off (PTO) as they work. PTO can be used for vacation, holidays, sick days and personal days. Each year, employees can choose to cash out up to 80 hours of available PTO the following calendar year. Health Insurance New employees health, dental, and pharmacy benefits are effective the first day of the month following hire date. Short Term Disability This free benefit provides income support for those who are out of work for a medical reason such as illness, accident, or maternity. After a fifteen day waiting period, it provides 60 percent wage replacement. Life Insurance USA Health provides a free term life insurance policy for our employees based on annual salary. Policies for spouse and dependents are also included. Additional coverage can be purchased for employee, spouse and dependents. Education Benefit University of South Alabama offers a credit on tuition each semester for employees, spouse, and dependents after just six months of employment. Retirement Plan USA Health offers a 5% matching retirement account and other non-matching account choices. Included with this benefit is a free individual session with a financial planner. Memberships and Events Employees can join USA’s state-of-the-art recreation center for a nominal fee. USA football season tickets are available at a discount, and employees can attend all other USA sporting events for free. Student Loan Forgiveness As an employee of a government or not-for-profit organization, you may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program through the U.S. Department of Education.