Lab Assistant

Job Title: Lab Assistant

Location: RWJ - New Brunswick

Department Name: Lab RWJNB

Req #: 0000250890

Status: Hourly

Shift: Day

Pay Range: $21.48 - $25.78 per hour

Pay Transparency:

The above reflects the anticipated hourly wage range for this position if hired to work in New Jersey.

The compensation offered to the candidate selected for the position will depend on several factors, including the candidate's educational background, skills and professional experience.

Job Overview:
The Lab Assistant provides essential clinical and administrative support to the Pathology Department by managing reference laboratory requests, organizing slide and block inventory, and tracking diagnostic case materials. Operating within a high-volume laboratory ecosystem, this role ensures reliable workflow continuity for pathologists, residents, and hospital clinicians while strictly maintaining specimen chain of custody. By executing crucial front-end accessioning and back-end archiving tasks, the Lab Assistant directly impacts the speed and accuracy of diagnostic services at the facility.

Qualifications:

Required:

• High School diploma or GED equivalent.
• Strong organizational, communication, and multitasking skills to safely coordinate patient case materials.
• Proven ability to strictly follow detailed documentation standards and regulatory protocols.
• Ability to stand, walk, and move between hospital clinical units for extended periods.
• Manual dexterity necessary to handle small, fragile pathology slides and paraffin blocks.
• Physical capacity to independently lift and transport objects up to fifty (50) pounds.

Preferred:

• Previous professional experience within a laboratory, medical office, or clinical healthcare setting.
• Working knowledge of medical terminology, specifically relating to anatomy or pathology.
• Familiarity operating within a Laboratory Information System (LIS).

Scheduling Requirements:

• Full-Time (FT) / Day

Essential Functions:

• Prepares, securely packages, and logs pathology slides, blocks, and specimens sent to reference laboratories and physician offices, maintaining a flawless chain of custody.
• Coordinates the reception and prompt return of consult slides and diagnostic materials back to their originating clinical facilities.
• Picks up, transports, and unloads biological specimens from hospital clinical units and alternative departments following strict safety and PPE guidelines.
• Accessions incoming patient specimens into the Laboratory Information System (LIS) and assists processing teams with rapid labeling, sorting, and case organization.
• Pulls, systematically files, and organizes permanent paraffin blocks and histology slides within centralized departmental archives.
• Retrieves specific case slides and materials to prepare folders and displays for Tumor Boards and specialized clinical conferences.
• Executes general office tasks including scanning, faxing, distributing diagnostic reports, and compiling data to generate Quality Assurance (QA) reports.
• Maintains the cleanliness of shared workstations, tracks non-technical equipment startup/shutdown logs, and proactively replenishes laboratory supplies.

Benefits and Perks:
At RWJBarnabas Health, our employees are at the heart of everything we do. Driven by our Total Wellbeing promise, our market-competitive offerings include comprehensive benefits and resources to support our employees’ physical, emotional, financial, personal, career, and community wellbeing. These benefits and resources include, but are not limited to:

• Paid Time Off including Vacation, Holidays, and Sick Time
• Retirement Plans
• Medical and Prescription Drug Insurance
• Dental and Vision Insurance
• Disability and Life Insurance
• Paid Parental Leave
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Student Loan Planning Support
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Wellness Programs
• Voluntary Benefits (e.g., Pet Insurance)
• Community and Volunteer Opportunities
• Discounts Through our Partners such as NJ Devils, NJ PAC, and Verizon
• ….and more!

Choosing RWJBarnabas Health!
RWJBarnabas Health is the premier health care destination providing patient-centered, high-quality academic medicine in a compassionate and equitable manner, while delivering a best-in-class work experience to every member of the team. We honor and appreciate the privilege of creating and sustaining healthier communities, one person and one community at a time. As the leading academic health system in New Jersey, we advance innovative strategies in high-quality patient care, education, and research to address both the clinical and social determinants of health.

RWJBarnabas Health aims to truly make a unique impact in local communities throughout New Jersey. From vastly improving the health of local residents to creating educational and career opportunities, this combination greatly benefits the state. We understand the growing and evolving needs of residents in New Jersey—whether that be enhancing the coordination for treating complex health conditions or improving community health through local programs and education.