4D40
MEDICAL DIRECTOR, LABORATORY SERVICES

This is clinical laboratory work, with responsibility for providing medical direction for the Health Department’s laboratory operations. The employee in this class is responsible for establishing standards and developing policies and procedures for the public health, air chemistry, and forensic toxicology laboratories and for directing pathology and laboratory diagnostic support for other Health Department programs. Significant aspects of the work include development of quality assurance protocols to ensure that laboratories meet all clinical diagnostic and regulatory requirements and to maintain effective working relationships with departmental program directors and private laboratory health practitioners. Work is performed under the general direction of a higher level administrator.

• Position must provide clinical and medical direction to all Health Department laboratories in accordance with federal, state and city regulations, private laboratory regulatory and accrediting agencies.
• Only one position will be allocated to this class.

• Directs the development of policy for Health Department laboratories including, but not limited to, public health, air chemistry and forensic toxicology; assures that laboratory operations meet clinical needs of program staff; provides technical leadership to laboratory managers and works with managers and other program staff to plan and implement new programs; develops laboratory program goals, objectives, and improvement priorities based on CLIA standards and Health Department strategic initiatives in collaboration with managers and clinicians; facilitates and reviews all program improvement activities and communicates status of activities to Health Department executive staff and other concerned parties.
• Provides technical direction to laboratory system personnel working in district health centers and in other departmental programs; directs and monitors a quality assurance program; assesses impact of current and pending federal and state regulations and changes in private laboratory regulatory and accrediting agencies to determine impact on laboratories; initiates necessary actions to assure continued compliance with all required changes; evaluates staff qualifications to ensure compliance with state mandated staffing requirements; works with administrator to ensure that laboratory personnel are fully trained and receive ongoing education as needed to maintain credentials; oversees the evaluation and revision of laboratory techniques; evaluates effectiveness of laboratory techniques through personal inspection, conferences with laboratory managers and review of laboratory analysis reports; evaluates test results submitted by outside laboratories.
• Coordinates review of laboratory operations in preparation for state certification inspection; develops corrective action plans to address violations and deficiencies cited in state inspection reports; reviews and revises laboratory manuals and record keeping procedures.
• Represents the department at a variety of meetings and symposia; acts as consultant with external health care and laboratory professionals on clinical pathology issues.
• Performs related work as required.

KNOWLEDGE OF:
• Clinical laboratory standards and regulatory requirements< /li>
• Laboratory management principles and practices, including laboratory quality management initiatives
• Laboratory equipment and information systems operations
• Principles, practices, methods and current developments in the fields of microbiology, biochemistry, hematology, immunology and toxicology as applied in a clinical and public health laboratory
• Principles and practices of clinical pathology applicable to a clinical and public health laboratory
ABILITY TO:
• Evaluate laboratory services programs and initiate changes as needed
• Coordinate the clinical activities of multiple laboratories
• Provide technical oversight for laboratory personnel and program managers
• Direct quality assurance and control programs to achieve compliance with regulatory standards
• Present ideas effectively, both orally and in writing
• Establish and maintain effective and collaborative working relationships with program directors and administrative and technical staff

EDUCATION
• Possession of a Doctor of Medicine degree with requisite specialty in anatomic or clinical pathology, hematology, hematology/oncology, medical microbiology or clinical chemistry.
AND
GENERAL EXPERIENCE
• Three years of professional level clinical or public health laboratory experience.
AND
SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE
• Three years of experience supervising a laboratory section, such as anatomic pathology or clinical pathology, of a clinical or public health laboratory.

OR

Any equivalent combination of education and experience determined to be acceptable by the Personnel Department, which has included the Education and Specific Experience described above.

PHYSICAL AND MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required of a position in this class.

• Possession of a valid unrestricted license to practice medicine in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania issued by the appropriate state board prior to and during tenure of employment as a Medical Director, Laboratory Services.
• Possession of a certificate in anatomic or clinical pathology issued by the American Board of Pathology, or in hematology or hematology/oncology issued by the American Board of Internal Medicine, or possession of a certificate from the American Board of Medical Microbiology or the American Board of Clinical Chemistry.
• Possession of a current license as a laboratory director issued by the State of Pennsylvania within six months of date of appointment as a Medical Director, Laboratory Services.