Job summary
An excellent opportunity has arisen for the role of Healthcare Scientist/Biomedical Scientist within Histopathology at the Queen Victoria Hospital! We are looking for a hard-working and ambitious person who is able to integrate into our small and friendly team.
The QVH histology laboratory was the first of its kind to be awarded accreditation against ISO 15189 UKAS and we pride ourselves on the quality of our work.
We welcome applications from individuals with a relevant degree or with equivalent knowledge and skills to join us in this busy, friendly department which currently handles approximately 20,000 specimens per year.
Most importantly, the role requires a friendly, enthusiastic and self-motivated person with good interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work well as part of a team.
Both HCPC and non-HCPC applicants considered - ideally we would like a registered Biomedical Scientist but willing to consider non-HCPC with relevant lab experience.
For further details or informal visits please contact senior BMS staff .
Main duties of the job
The post holder is expected to perform the role of Healthcare Science Practitioner in a friendly and cooperative manner, providing technical assistance to the Laboratory manager, Biomedical Scientists and Consultant Histopathologists. To be responsible for a variety of tasks that assist in the smooth operation of the laboratory in order to deliver a specialised diagnostic service contributing to the clinical care of the patient.
Duties will be varied but will include working in all areas of the laboratory - dependent on HCPC registration - and to undertake the following specialist techniques:
Prepare, receive and label specimens
Data enter specimen requests onto lab computer system
Microtomy
Special stains
Basic lab tasks such as filing of blocks/slides, disposal of waste reagents and cleaning of blocks
Quality control
Frozen sections
Immunohistochemistry
About us
Rated GOOD overall with outstanding care by the CQC. A specialist NHS hospital providing life-changing reconstructive surgery, burns care and rehabilitation services across the South of England and beyond.
A centre of excellence, with an international reputation for pioneering advanced techniques and treatments. Everything we do is informed by our passion for providing the highest quality care and the best clinical outcomes.
At QVH we are proud of our achievements and our specialist services continue to record excellent clinical outcomes for patients. We regularly receive excellent results from patient satisfaction surveys and on average 98% of inpatients say they would recommend the hospital to their family or friends.
Our success is underpinned by the skills and enthusiasm of our staff and a strong culture of partnership. We are fully committed to training and development of the workforce with support for continuing education and learning.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Receive, label and prepare specimens prior to processing checking the validity of sample labelling and specimen type and prioritise urgent requests.
- Undertake manual, semi-automated and fully automated laboratory investigations, following set protocols and procedures to prepare stained histology slides.
- Quality check histology sections and request appropriate action to resolve any quality issues.
- Perform routine operative maintenance on laboratory instruments and undertake corrective maintenance and troubleshooting of faults found when using a variety of complex pieces of laboratory equipment.
- Maintain the adequate storage of samples and follow the correct disposal protocol at the appropriate time. This includes occasional requirements for moderate physical effort during the day to lift and move specimen trays/buckets and carry racks of slides and blocks to the relevant storage facilities.
- Maintenance of a high standard of work, checking specimen and request details and resolving any non-conformities
- Changing of reagents on processors and staining machines.
- To undertake basic laboratory tasks such as filing of blocks/slides, disposal of waste reagents and cleaning blocks (this list is not exhaustive).
- To adhere to departmental standard operating procedures at all times and seek help/ assistance from senior BMSs and lab manager when required.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Receive, label and prepare specimens prior to processing checking the validity of sample labelling and specimen type and prioritise urgent requests.
- Undertake manual, semi-automated and fully automated laboratory investigations, following set protocols and procedures to prepare stained histology slides.
- Quality check histology sections and request appropriate action to resolve any quality issues.
- Perform routine operative maintenance on laboratory instruments and undertake corrective maintenance and troubleshooting of faults found when using a variety of complex pieces of laboratory equipment.
- Maintain the adequate storage of samples and follow the correct disposal protocol at the appropriate time. This includes occasional requirements for moderate physical effort during the day to lift and move specimen trays/buckets and carry racks of slides and blocks to the relevant storage facilities.
- Maintenance of a high standard of work, checking specimen and request details and resolving any non-conformities
- Changing of reagents on processors and staining machines.
- To undertake basic laboratory tasks such as filing of blocks/slides, disposal of waste reagents and cleaning blocks (this list is not exhaustive).
- To adhere to departmental standard operating procedures at all times and seek help/ assistance from senior BMSs and lab manager when required.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- o Degree in Health Sciences (or equivalent knowledge and skills gained through any combination of alternative study, employment or voluntary work) plus additional training or experience of working in a laboratory environment. o Numeracy & Literacy at level 1
Desirable
- o Additional theoretical knowledge or applied training through completion of additional histopathology courses
- IBMS registration portfolio or HCPC registration
Experience
Essential
- o Experience working in a Histopathology Laboratory o Sufficient scientific experience to develop a wide understanding and practice of Histopathology techniques.
Desirable
- o Basic tissue recognition o Experience with Immunohistochemistry and frozen sections
Knowledge
Essential
- o Knowledge of histology process and techniques to include processing, embedding and microtomy o Health and Safety awareness
Desirable
- o Understanding of Special stains/ immunohistochemistry and their applications o Awareness of instrumentation, method development and new technologies o CPD
Skills
Essential
- o Meticulous, conscientious, enthusiastic and self-motivated and ability to organise your own work effectively. o Be capable of working as part of a team o Methodical approach to following protocols and procedures. o Excellent organisational skills o Good manual dexterity for performing complex tasks o Able to communicate, verbally and in writing, clearly and professionally at all levels o Be willing to continuously develop skills & knowledge
Desirable
- o Good IT skills and familiarity with hospital pathology systems o Good hand-eye coordination o Training junior staff o Experience of trouble shooting laboratory
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- o Degree in Health Sciences (or equivalent knowledge and skills gained through any combination of alternative study, employment or voluntary work) plus additional training or experience of working in a laboratory environment. o Numeracy & Literacy at level 1
Desirable
- o Additional theoretical knowledge or applied training through completion of additional histopathology courses
- IBMS registration portfolio or HCPC registration
Experience
Essential
- o Experience working in a Histopathology Laboratory o Sufficient scientific experience to develop a wide understanding and practice of Histopathology techniques.
Desirable
- o Basic tissue recognition o Experience with Immunohistochemistry and frozen sections
Knowledge
Essential
- o Knowledge of histology process and techniques to include processing, embedding and microtomy o Health and Safety awareness
Desirable
- o Understanding of Special stains/ immunohistochemistry and their applications o Awareness of instrumentation, method development and new technologies o CPD
Skills
Essential
- o Meticulous, conscientious, enthusiastic and self-motivated and ability to organise your own work effectively. o Be capable of working as part of a team o Methodical approach to following protocols and procedures. o Excellent organisational skills o Good manual dexterity for performing complex tasks o Able to communicate, verbally and in writing, clearly and professionally at all levels o Be willing to continuously develop skills & knowledge
Desirable
- o Good IT skills and familiarity with hospital pathology systems o Good hand-eye coordination o Training junior staff o Experience of trouble shooting laboratory
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
