The Microbiology Supervisor is expected to be fully competent in all testing and maintenance procedures within their department upon completion of the technical training. All technical staff, including Supervisors, in the Microbiology department are responsible for plate reading of various culture types including, but not limited to, urines, stool, respiratories, genital cultures, MRSA, wounds and fluids. This requires the ability to perform microscopic identification of bacteria and yeast correctly as well as the documentation of all steps within the LIS. Micro Staff also perform rapid testing, to include PCR testing, and culture set ups on specimens during their shifts. Managing reagent and supply inventories including stocking and QC on all necessary media and test kits, as required. The Microbiology Supervisor also works in the department to support staffing. They are expected to maintain and support all CAP and Joint Commission accreditation standards in all work practices including proficiency testing requirements. Microbiology Supervisor is responsible for the compilation and creation of the annual Antibiogram, participates in the organizational Antimicrobial Stewardship Collaboration and Infection Control & Emerging Pathogen Committees, as well as the Bioterrorism Preparedness Committee. Phlebotomy competencies are established and maintained by all technical staff.
Supervisory duties include, but are not limited to a review of daily, monthly, and yearly paperwork. All Quality Control is reviewed and if needed, reported to an established program for peer inclusion and review. Quality Assurance data is gathered and submitted to the Lab Admin for review. The Supervisor will actively participate in training new techs and ensure proper documentation of competency and training for all technical staff. Analyzer maintenance is maintained/reviewed on a recurring basis. Any new analyzer implementation projects are also under the Technical Supervisor’s realm of responsibility to ensure completion and validation under guidance of the Medical Director. The Supervisor is responsible for policy review and updates as needed as well as creation of new polices when needed. The ability to proactively plan activities and projects within the department to ensure minimal interruptions to workflow and patient testing is a must.
The Laboratory is staffed 7 days a week, 365 days a year with 8 hour and 12 hours shifts. The Supervisors typically work between the hours of 0700-1530. This allows the Technical Supervisor to interact with techs from all shifts. Schedules are adjusted from time to time to cover departmental staffing needs. Holidays off are rotated between the tech staff, Supervisors included. Weekend administrative call is rotated among the Supervisor staff.
