lab assistant Chelsea, England
Job description
We are seeking a confident, approachable and resourceful person to join the core Histopathology service in Chelsea. Your duties will include archiving of paraffin blocks and stained slides, routine solution rotation on processing and staining machines, specimen reception and disposal, packaging and collection of specimens transported between sites, collection of post.
The post-holder will perform a wide variety of support tasks within the Histopathology laboratory under the supervision and direction of the registered biomedical scientist staff which will include archiving of paraffin blocks and stained slides, routine solution rotation on processing and staining machines, specimen reception and disposal, packaging and collection of specimens transported between sites, collection of post.
The post holder will undertake basic technical tasks as directed by the Cellular Pathology Services Manager and senior staff and in line with departmental SOPs.
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.
At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.
At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.
For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification.
To be able to work within specific areas of the department, with appropriate training:
2.1 Specimen Dissection
- Receipt and checking of samples via EPIC
- Assisting Pathologists in the diagnostic sampling of fresh and formalin fixed tissue
- Ensuring cassettes are appropriately labelled
- Assisting in the preparation of appropriately identified blocks of tissue for diagnostic work
- Understanding and appropriate use of Vacuum Infiltration Processors (VIP’s)
- Assisting in the embedding of processed tissue blocks into paraffin wax
- Use and routine daily/ weekly maintenance of VIP’s
