Cellular Therapy Processing Technician

The Blood Connection•Piedmont, SC

About The Position

At The Blood Connection, every role plays a part in saving lives. Join our team and help make an impact in your community today! 24 Days PTO! - Use it, Cash it, Roll it Potential Company Bonuses Tuition Reimbursement 401k Retirement Plan Health Insurance (Medical, Vision, and Dental) Healthcare and Dependent Care FSA Short and Long-Term Disability Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Basic Life Insurance Schedule: 1st shift: Monday to Friday (8:30am - 5:00pm) with occasional after hours Position Overview Possesses knowledge of clinical laboratory procedures and a working knowledge in the relevant specialty area of cellular therapies. Requires the application of this knowledge through the performance of processing, cryo-preservation, storage, infusion, and patient tracking of cellular products. Proficient in: Laboratory procedures, with special emphasis on analytical practices, principles and instrumentation used Monitoring of quality indicators at each critical step in cellular product handling Communication with clinical sites, hospitals and physicians Working with others in order to fulfill the mission of The Blood Connection

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a Science related field or MLT
Some laboratory experience preferred
Demonstrates an understanding of the design and operating principles of a transplant program
Excellent customer services skills
Ability to read, understand, and follow written and verbal instructions
Ability to follow SOP in a heavily FDA regulated environment
Ability to communicate effectively, tactfully, and courteously to patrons, donors, sponsors and co-workers
Ability to work with all levels and in a diverse work environment
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, management, and peers

Responsibilities

Product Transport:
Prepares transport coolers for fresh products
Prepares transport containers for cryopreserved products
Effectively removes units from cryopreserved inventory/ packs for transport and correctly completes associated documents
Product Handling:
Uses aseptic technique
Performs evaluation of cellular products upon receipt
Processes cellular products for cryopreservation
Processes cellular products for fresh infusion
Performs controlled rate freezing on products for cryopreservation
Prepares labels following regulatory guidelines for all products types and ensures accuracy
Assigns and places cryopreserved products into LN2 storage units and properly adjusts inventory
Properly handles inventory placement of quarantine caliber products
Testing Performance:
Performs automated cell counts on donor samples
Performs analysis for CD34+ antigen
Performs cellular viability percentage determinations
Inoculates appropriate media for sterility testing
Send-out Testing:
Prepares requisitions and specimens for shipping
Tracks receipt and results to completion
Supplies and Reagent Management:
Monitors reagent and supplies inventory for adequacy
Documents receipt and inspection upon arrival
Ensures critical good approval by QS when necessary
Reports non-conformances to CTP laboratory director
Product Inventory Management:
Participates in cellular therapy product storage surveillance to monitor critical conditions
Monitors liquid nitrogen supply and ensures adequacy to meet needs
Monitors and manages product inventory
Performs chart audits and identifies products eligible for disposal
Prepares disposal forms and routes to CTP director or appropriate physicians for approval and signature
Tracks progress of disposal process and performs product disposal when authorized
Adjusts product inventory to generate inventory reports and billing information
Infusion Preparation:
Prepares fresh and cryopreserved cellular products for infusion following the prescribed order of the attending physician
Prepares infusion summary forms and infusion documents required for transport, receipt, infusion and follow-up
Document and Record Management:
Assembles charts for new patients
Enters and reviews all data entered into StemLab
Reviews faxes of laboratory results and orders, records results and files appropriately
Identifies documents and reports requiring the Medical Director’s review and signature
Performs review of worksheets or StemLab records completed by other personnel in a timely manner as established
Performs chart audits to ensure all required documents are present
Completes summary reports for each harvest and distributes to clinical and collection facilities prior to high dose chemotherapy or infusion for immunotherapy
Follows record retention guidelines
Equipment Care:
Performs QC for equipment and instrumentation according to established guidelines
Performs equipment preventive maintenance as scheduled
Calibrates equipment at required intervals
Performs validation tasks as required
Quality Assurance:
Submits occurrences, equipment malfunctions, deviations, etc. to appropriate parties
Participates in external proficiency testing for appropriate analyses on a rotating schedule
Monitors and benchmarks comparisons of specified operating conditions
Assures records are generated according to instructions in related procedures and that applicable regulatory requirements and accreditation standards are met
Communications:
Communicates product evaluations and processing results to the clinical and collection facilities as completed
Reports non-conforming events and adverse reactions to appropriate parties as identified and documents notification; performs follow-up and resolution reports as directed
Training:
Assists in training cellular transport personnel and technical personnel as needed
Miscellaneous:
Actively pursues opportunities for continuing education in the field of cellular therapy
Other duties as assigned or required