The Laboratory Teaching Assistant reports to the course instructor, Program Head of the Histotechnology Program, and the Dean of the School of Health Sciences. This position's purpose is to provide technical and organizational support for courses with a Histotechnology Laboratory component. Duties include coordinating all laboratories; ordering lab supplies for experiments; maintaining all labs; scheduling lab student workers; and assisting instructors in all labs. The Laboratory Teaching Assistant attends all departmental and school meetings and performs other duties assigned within this position's scope deemed necessary to fulfill the mission of the department and the School of Health Sciences.

The following listing of essential job duties indicates the general nature and level of work required in this job. This is not designed to be a comprehensive listing of all the activities, duties, or responsibilities that may be required in this job. Individuals assigned to this job may be asked to perform other duties as required. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties and responsibilities of the job.

• 20-30 hours per week, during and in blocks of time no smaller than 4 hours each; occasional weekend duties may be required to prepare for Monday laboratory sessions
• The teaching assistant will assist course coordinators with the following organizational tasks:
• Assisting course coordinators with updating and maintaining materials inventory supply and equipment inventories for instructional purposes
• Setting up for laboratories and cleaning up afterward
• The Teaching Assistant will assist with some laboratories, where they may keep attendance records, assist instructors in procedure demonstration, and instruction for technical tasks
• On a limited basis, with priority for core HTO courses, the Teaching Assistant will assist with the update of Moodle pages as directed
• The Teaching Assistant will work with the Sim Lab team to provide clinical skills experience on ruminant and other models
• As needed, the Teaching Assistant will work with faculty to create and update instructional videos and to develop new instructional resources, including guides, videos, and new models
• The teaching assistant will assist course coordinators with the following laboratory responsibilities:
• Process human tissue and body fluid specimens in preparation for microscopic exam
• Perform technical duties related to the production of histopathological slides of surgical specimens
• Section the embedded tissue, using a microtome and mount the section properly on a microscope slide
• Process mounted sections through routine and special staining procedures
• Properly orient and embed surgical tissue specimens
• Prepare the stains and reagents needed for special procedures
• Report accurate and timely test results to deliver quality patient care
• Perform and document equipment maintenance as needed
• Follow the laboratory's procedures for specimen handling and processing, analysis, and reporting
• Document problems that may affect test performance and perform corrective actions when needed

Minimum Qualifications

• Associate degree in the discipline from an accredited histotechnology program with at least one year of laboratory teaching experience;
• Or a High School Diploma with 5+ years histology experience
• ASCP (American Society of Clinical Pathologist) Histology certification or eligible
• Knowledge of and compliance with current Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) Regulations
• Familiarity with routine histology procedures and equipment
• Comfortability embedding both large and small specimen
• Ability to accurately read all labels and documents
• Highly organized with a strong attention to detail
• Familiarity with laboratory SOPs and safety protocols
• Must be able to pass a standardized color vision screen
• Self-starter with an analytical and collaborative mind-set who can effectively work independently

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and spreadsheet management
• Experience with and proficiency in Moodle learning management system
• Exemplary communication skills to work with faculty, students, and staff
• Desire to teach histotechnology students in all aspects of clinical skills instruction
• Familiarity with feedback techniques and communication tools to motivate learners
• Willingness to clearly communicate concerns to the faculty member and work towards resolution
• Previous experience working independently to identify problems and plan methods and techniques for solving technical or research problems
• Enthusiasm for supervising students and assessing their work

• Light work that includes moving objects up to 30 pounds
• Sedentary work that primarily involves sitting/standing