Discipline Specific Deployment Roles, Competencies and Trainings
The Medical Lab Scientist (MLS) discipline specific roles with their competencies and related education and trainings requirements can be found below:
MT/MLS Generalist
MT/MLS Generalist: Performs laboratory testing using low to moderate complexity diagnostic laboratory methodologies in a clinical care environment.
Competencies:
- Familiarity with Laboratory Cache devices, tests (cardiac markers, pregnancy, drug abuse testing, occult blood), and instrumentation (Coulter Act Diff 2, Clinitek Status, BG Monitor, iSTAT, Piccolo).
- Perform routine clinical laboratory testing in Hematology, Clinical Chemistry, and Urinalysis.
- Perform immunologic and serologic rapid testing
- Convey laboratory test results to medical care providers
- Answer specimen collection and sample testing questions
- Enter patient test results into laboratory information systems or electronic health records (ex: JPATS)
- Maintain testing equipment and monitor environment
- Perform routine quality control
Trainings/Education/Experience:
- Experience: Either
- Currently serving in a clinical billet and performing standard medical laboratory testing in Urinalysis, Hematology, Chemistry, or
- Currently serving in a specialized/regulatory or a non-clinical billet AND demonstrates compliance with the deployment technical readiness requirements for this role as outlined below.
- Education/Training Requirement: Current biannual ASPR Lab Cache training certificate of completion (training opportunity is maintained by MLSPAG Technical Readiness Subgroup and available on Max.gov), AND 80 documented clinical hours annually. Must include a minimum of 40 hours completed in the disciplines of Urinalysis, Hematology, and Chemistry. Note - Clinical hours in phlebotomy are strongly recommended.
- Additional Recommended Skills Trainings:
MT/MLS Specialist/Regulatory
MT/MLS Specialist/Regulatory: Performs laboratory testing using moderate to high complexity diagnostic laboratory methodologies potentially within the clinical care environment or in research, food safety or other specialized areas of laboratory science.
Competencies:
- Set up and process laboratory specimens
- Perform moderate to high complexity analysis. This may include specialized testing as described in the Specialized Skills section below.
- Record results & evaluate data
- Report findings
- Maintain testing equipment and monitor environment
- Perform routine quality control
Trainings/Education/Experience:
- Additional Certification: May hold laboratory additional, specialized certifications in their area of specialization through their certification agency.
- Experience: Either (1) Currently billeted in a specialized/regulatory position performing moderate to high complexity analysis , or (2) Currently working in a laboratory outside of their billeted position and performing moderate to high complexity analysis ,or (3) Recently billeted (within past 5 years) in a specialized/regulatory position where they performed moderate to high complexity analysis AND demonstrates compliance with the deployment technical readiness requirements for this role as outlined below.
- Education/Training Requirement: 80 documented clinical hours annually. Must include a minimum of 40 hours completed in moderate to high complexity analysis on disease pathogens (bacteria, viruses), disease states (genetics) or on environmental samples (soils, foods, etc…)
- Additional Recommended Skills Trainings
MLS Leadership
MLS Leadership: Performs review of laboratory regulatory compliance requirements to include CLIA, AABB, OSHA and FDA regulations and/or laboratory compliance with accreditation standards to include CAP and Joint Commission.
Competencies:
- Be familiar with laboratory regulatory compliance requirements to include CLIA, AABB, OSHA and FDA applicable regulations
- Be familiar with laboratory accreditation standards to include CAP and Joint Commission
- Be familiar with laboratory quality assurance to include documentation of quality control, environmental monitory, proficiency surveys, staff competencies, equipment maintenance
Trainings/Education/Experience:
- Experience: Either (1) Currently serving in a clinical laboratory supervisory billet, or (2) has previously served clinical laboratory supervisor billet (in the last 7 yrs) AND demonstrates compliance with the deployment technical readiness requirements for this role as outlined below.
- Education/Training Requirement: 80 documented clinical hours each year. Must include a minimum of 60 hours completed in the disciplines of Urinalysis, Hematology, Chemistry, and Quality Assurance.
- Additional Recommended Skills Trainings:
