Job summary
"The Oxford Genetics Laboratories has a vacancy for a full time Healthcare Science Assistant to join the laboratory team. We have laboratories at both the Churchill and JR hospitals and staff may be expected to work at either. Please note that we are unable to offer skilled worker visa sponsorship for this role. This role would suit someone with zero or limited laboratory experience looking to start a career in Healthcare Science or someone looking for a change in career path. Previous laboratory experience is desirable but not essential, as full training will be provided and all work will be undertaken according to defined written protocols. The successful candidates will be able to demonstrate manual dexterity, good organisational skills, accuracy, consistency, and attention to detail in their work. Your main responsibilities will include receiving samples into the laboratory, entering information into the database and carrying out practical processes in the lab, e.g. cell culture and DNA extraction, to prepare the sample for use by other technical and scientific teams. Additional duties will include general housekeeping, administration tasks, maintaining equipment and arranging to send samples to other laboratories. The typical pattern of full-time work is Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm, though some flexible working options may be available." Many thanks, Kate
Main duties of the job
Healthcare Science Assistants provide technical and administrative support for the department. They take personal responsibility for their own work, which is routine and protocol driven, on a daily basis subject to the supervision of higher graded technologists or clinical scientists. They participate in defined regular duties, including monitoring of work areas for health and safety and cleanliness and general laboratory housekeeping tasks. They may undertake occasional other duties due to specific requests.They process a wide range of pathological specimens referred for a broad range of inherited conditions according to standard operating procedures, and are competent in the use of patient databases.They are expected to communicate technical and confidential information to colleagues within their department in electronic, written and verbal forms.
Healthcare Science Assistants participate in the teaching and training load of the department through demonstration of own performance of appropriate standard operating procedures to new members of staff or less experienced employees within the limits of their experience. They also attend appropriate training seminars, and actively participate in regular section and departmental meetings.Healthcare Science Assistants act under the supervision of clinical scientists or higher graded technologists, but take personal responsibility to organise their own work on a daily basis, much of which is ongoing, routine and protocol-driven.
About us
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. Find out more here www.ouh.nhs.uk
The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.
Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call thisDelivering Compassionate Excellenceand its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence. These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via theOUH YouTube channel.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical Service1. Assist in the delivery of the technical service of a section/subsection or designated area of work to nationally accepted standards (UKAS or equivalent) with appropriate supervision to include the following: a. Follow standard operating procedures for the receipt, booking in and processing of samples b. Review appropriate risk and COSHH assessments in areas relevant to own practise and abide by laboratory health and safety policies c. Arrange dispatch of different types of samples. Deal with queries relating to the receipt and dispatch of samples, including products of conception (received for post-mortem examination), and other tissues.2. Establish, maintain, sub-culture and harvest cell cultures, or undertake DNA extraction, from a variety of biological specimens received which may be high risk (eg HIV, Hep C) and/ or derived from recognisable human or fetal parts, by all methods currently employed in the laboratory and to work safely under exposure to toxic substances which are hazardous to health.3. Identify samples that have failed to be processed efficiently by evaluation of quality criteria, and bring them to the attention of senior technologists or scientists for further discussion.4. Liaise with senior technical or scientific colleagues over availability of equipment, sample prioritisation, or requirement for supplementary cell cultures or chromosome preparations, when planning work schedules in designated areas of work, in accordance with laboratory protocols and under the supervision of the Section Head and/or Laboratory Director.5. Supply a high level of technical expertise in the investigative procedures involved and take a daily responsibility for his/her own work, subject to the supervision and direction of section head or other senior staff. Be adaptable to changing diagnostic workload pressures, by making independent day-to-day decisions about own workload. The post holder must communicate all problems with, and when necessary obtain help/advice from, appropriate senior staff6. Attend, and actively participate in, team and laboratory meetings with opportunity to propose improvements in efficiency and changes to scientific and technical protocols and to contribute to the development and implementation of departmental policies within the limits of experience.
Laboratory Management7. Undertake appropriate duties to fulfil quality control programs, including recording of appropriate data according to operating procedures, validation and verification of new reagents and protocols.8. Safely handle and store chemicals of a volatile or hazardous nature including carcinogens and neurotoxic agents. Dispose of hazardous chemicals and biohazard waste.9. Assist in the daily maintenance, monitoring and care of instrumentation within the laboratory (to include safety, performance and temperature of equipment e.g. biological safety cabinets, incubators, fridges and freezers).10. Undertake general laboratory house-keeping tasks on a rotational basis, such as maintenance and organisation of the stock room and chemical shelves, washing-up, autoclaving, laundry
Staff11. Participate in the teaching and training of new members of staff or less experienced employees in own work area by demonstrating own work activities and routine practice.
Research and Service Development12. Assist clinical scientists in research and development projects which meet the overall objectives of the department.
Personal development13. Attend relevant in house training at an appropriate level for the development and maintenance of skills, knowledge and expertise required for the post (eg training on specific equipment/instrumentation, presentations on relevant topics)
Informatics/Bioinformatics14. Be proficient at entering and retrieving relevant information from Excel spreadsheets and databases, including the laboratory information management system (LIMS).
General15. Abide by all Operational Policies applicable to the Department16. Co-operate with management and safety representatives in matters connected with the Health and Safety at Work Act of Practice for safety in laboratories17. Take responsibility for the accuracy of his/her own work, and undertake an appropriate proportion of the total workload of the Department. The post holder will collaborate with all other staff, to be an effective team member, and achieve optimal use of resources18. Participate in internal quality control and internal and external quality assessment procedures19. Work within the section/subsection to ensure achievement of and adherence to the standards required of an accredited laboratory, in close liaison with the Quality manager and under the direction of the section head and laboratory director.20. Participate in the preparation of the department for accreditation.21. Implement laboratory record keeping processes and assist with retrieval and presentation of data as required22. Take responsibility with others for the maintenance of stocks of reagents and consumables to ensure the proper functioning of the laboratory and efficient use of resources. Ensure that all equipment is used appropriately and safely and that any faults are reported for immediate rectification23. Take responsibility with others for the daily maintenance of complex instrumentation systems within the laboratory24. Participate in regular performance review and personal development planning25. Attend regular team, laboratory and departmental meetings and contribute to the development and implementation of departmental policies26. Maintain confidentiality of information about patients, staff and other health service business in accordance with Data Protection Act of 1984.27. Participate in out of hours duties, if required, in line with the Department Out of Hours Policy 28. Work such hours as required for the effective and timely performance of his/her duties, as specified in the terms of the contract of employment29. Undertake any other duties commensurate with experience and job role as a result of changes to the service as agreed by the Consultant Head of Laboratory or Trust and reviewed as part of the annual staff appraisal
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical Service1. Assist in the delivery of the technical service of a section/subsection or designated area of work to nationally accepted standards (UKAS or equivalent) with appropriate supervision to include the following: a. Follow standard operating procedures for the receipt, booking in and processing of samples b. Review appropriate risk and COSHH assessments in areas relevant to own practise and abide by laboratory health and safety policies c. Arrange dispatch of different types of samples. Deal with queries relating to the receipt and dispatch of samples, including products of conception (received for post-mortem examination), and other tissues.2. Establish, maintain, sub-culture and harvest cell cultures, or undertake DNA extraction, from a variety of biological specimens received which may be high risk (eg HIV, Hep C) and/ or derived from recognisable human or fetal parts, by all methods currently employed in the laboratory and to work safely under exposure to toxic substances which are hazardous to health.3. Identify samples that have failed to be processed efficiently by evaluation of quality criteria, and bring them to the attention of senior technologists or scientists for further discussion.4. Liaise with senior technical or scientific colleagues over availability of equipment, sample prioritisation, or requirement for supplementary cell cultures or chromosome preparations, when planning work schedules in designated areas of work, in accordance with laboratory protocols and under the supervision of the Section Head and/or Laboratory Director.5. Supply a high level of technical expertise in the investigative procedures involved and take a daily responsibility for his/her own work, subject to the supervision and direction of section head or other senior staff. Be adaptable to changing diagnostic workload pressures, by making independent day-to-day decisions about own workload. The post holder must communicate all problems with, and when necessary obtain help/advice from, appropriate senior staff6. Attend, and actively participate in, team and laboratory meetings with opportunity to propose improvements in efficiency and changes to scientific and technical protocols and to contribute to the development and implementation of departmental policies within the limits of experience.
Laboratory Management7. Undertake appropriate duties to fulfil quality control programs, including recording of appropriate data according to operating procedures, validation and verification of new reagents and protocols.8. Safely handle and store chemicals of a volatile or hazardous nature including carcinogens and neurotoxic agents. Dispose of hazardous chemicals and biohazard waste.9. Assist in the daily maintenance, monitoring and care of instrumentation within the laboratory (to include safety, performance and temperature of equipment e.g. biological safety cabinets, incubators, fridges and freezers).10. Undertake general laboratory house-keeping tasks on a rotational basis, such as maintenance and organisation of the stock room and chemical shelves, washing-up, autoclaving, laundry
Staff11. Participate in the teaching and training of new members of staff or less experienced employees in own work area by demonstrating own work activities and routine practice.
Research and Service Development12. Assist clinical scientists in research and development projects which meet the overall objectives of the department.
Personal development13. Attend relevant in house training at an appropriate level for the development and maintenance of skills, knowledge and expertise required for the post (eg training on specific equipment/instrumentation, presentations on relevant topics)
Informatics/Bioinformatics14. Be proficient at entering and retrieving relevant information from Excel spreadsheets and databases, including the laboratory information management system (LIMS).
General15. Abide by all Operational Policies applicable to the Department16. Co-operate with management and safety representatives in matters connected with the Health and Safety at Work Act of Practice for safety in laboratories17. Take responsibility for the accuracy of his/her own work, and undertake an appropriate proportion of the total workload of the Department. The post holder will collaborate with all other staff, to be an effective team member, and achieve optimal use of resources18. Participate in internal quality control and internal and external quality assessment procedures19. Work within the section/subsection to ensure achievement of and adherence to the standards required of an accredited laboratory, in close liaison with the Quality manager and under the direction of the section head and laboratory director.20. Participate in the preparation of the department for accreditation.21. Implement laboratory record keeping processes and assist with retrieval and presentation of data as required22. Take responsibility with others for the maintenance of stocks of reagents and consumables to ensure the proper functioning of the laboratory and efficient use of resources. Ensure that all equipment is used appropriately and safely and that any faults are reported for immediate rectification23. Take responsibility with others for the daily maintenance of complex instrumentation systems within the laboratory24. Participate in regular performance review and personal development planning25. Attend regular team, laboratory and departmental meetings and contribute to the development and implementation of departmental policies26. Maintain confidentiality of information about patients, staff and other health service business in accordance with Data Protection Act of 1984.27. Participate in out of hours duties, if required, in line with the Department Out of Hours Policy 28. Work such hours as required for the effective and timely performance of his/her duties, as specified in the terms of the contract of employment29. Undertake any other duties commensurate with experience and job role as a result of changes to the service as agreed by the Consultant Head of Laboratory or Trust and reviewed as part of the annual staff appraisal
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- 5 GCSEs at grade C or above, including science (or equivalent)
Desirable
- QCF level 3 or equivalent: A/AS levels BTEC, NVQ level 3 including science.
- Does not have a degree level qualification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of Microsoft office or equivalent, navigating databases and spreadsheets
Desirable
- Previous experience of laboratory work.
- o Experience of using and maintaining equipment.
Special knowledge
Essential
- Basic knowledge of human genetics, including role of DNA and chromosomes
Skills
Essential
- Good level of attention to detail
- Manual dexterity
- Well organised
- Team player
- Ability to keep accurate written and computerised records
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Good time management skills
- Able to follow written and verbal instructions.
Special attributes
Essential
- Ability to cope with pressures and uncertainty of diagnostic workload
- Able to handle range of human tissue samples.
- Flexible approach to work.
- Interest in human genetics and laboratory technology.
- Recognises limits of responsibilities
- Willing to learn
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- 5 GCSEs at grade C or above, including science (or equivalent)
Desirable
- QCF level 3 or equivalent: A/AS levels BTEC, NVQ level 3 including science.
- Does not have a degree level qualification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of Microsoft office or equivalent, navigating databases and spreadsheets
Desirable
- Previous experience of laboratory work.
- o Experience of using and maintaining equipment.
Special knowledge
Essential
- Basic knowledge of human genetics, including role of DNA and chromosomes
Skills
Essential
- Good level of attention to detail
- Manual dexterity
- Well organised
- Team player
- Ability to keep accurate written and computerised records
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Good time management skills
- Able to follow written and verbal instructions.
Special attributes
Essential
- Ability to cope with pressures and uncertainty of diagnostic workload
- Able to handle range of human tissue samples.
- Flexible approach to work.
- Interest in human genetics and laboratory technology.
- Recognises limits of responsibilities
- Willing to learn
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details
Employer name
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Churchill Hospital
Old Road, Headington
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust
OX3 7LE
Employer's website
https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
