Job Description

Medical Lab Technologist – Special Chemistry and Functional Med

Job Description

The Medical Laboratory Technologist – Special Chemistry & Functional Medicine is responsible for performing specialized, moderate to high-complexity laboratory testing within the approved test menu to support accurate diagnosis, treatment monitoring, disease prevention, and personalized healthcare. Perform pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical laboratory functions including specimen assessment, Analytical processes, quality control, instrument operation, result verification within authorized scope, and technical troubleshooting.

The role ensures compliance with American Hospital Dubai policies and procedures, Dubai Health Authority (DHA) regulations, College of American Pathologists (CAP) accreditation requirements, Joint Commission International (JCI) standards, and recognized laboratory quality, safety, and professional practice standards.

Responsibilities

Technical Operations

• Performs specialized chemistry and functional medicine testing within the approved laboratory scope, including endocrine, metabolic, nutritional, immunoassay, therapeutic drug monitoring, trace element, toxicology, and other advanced chemistry investigations using validated methodologies.
• Assesses specimen acceptability by reviewing patient preparation, collection requirements, transport conditions, storage parameters, and other pre-analytical factors. Reject or escalate unsuitable specimens in accordance with laboratory policies and quality standards.
• Conducts analytical testing accurately and efficiently while adhering to standard operating procedures, quality requirements, and established turnaround times.
• Reviews and verifies analytical results within authorized scope, evaluating accuracy, consistency, reference intervals, delta checks, instrument flags, and critical values. Escalates unusual, discrepant, or clinically significant findings to senior laboratory technologists, supervisors, or pathologists as appropriate.
• Operates, calibrates, maintains, and troubleshoots specialized laboratory analyzers and equipment, ensuring optimal functionality, reliability, and regulatory compliance.
• Maintains comprehensive records of maintenance activities, instrument performance, calibration status, reagent utilization, and corrective actions.
• Participates in the validation and verification of new instruments, reagents, assays, reference intervals, and methodology changes, including studies related to precision, accuracy, linearity, analytical measurement range, carryover, and method correlation.
• Maintains accurate, complete, and timely documentation within the Laboratory Information System (LIS) and associated records.
• Adheres to established reporting protocols and escalation pathways for critical results and laboratory issues.
• Manages reagents, calibrators, quality control materials, consumables, and specialized testing kits through appropriate receipt, storage, lot verification, inventory monitoring, stock rotation, and expiry management. Assists in maintaining adequate inventory levels to ensure uninterrupted laboratory operations while minimizing wastage.
• Provide technical guidance, mentoring, and support to students and trainees. 

Quality Assurance and Compliance

• Performs and evaluates quality control, calibration, calibration verification, proficiency testing, external quality assessment activities, and other quality indicators to ensure analytical reliability and accuracy.
• Investigates quality control failures, instrument performance issues, and non-conforming events, implementing corrective actions and documenting outcomes in accordance with laboratory procedures.
• Ensures compliance with patient identification, traceability, confidentiality, data integrity, and document control requirements.
• Collaborates effectively with pathologists, physicians, nursing staff, phlebotomists, laboratory colleagues, referral laboratories, and other stakeholders to ensure high-quality laboratory services and optimal patient outcomes. Provides technical support and guidance to laboratory colleagues within area of expertise.
• Participates in continuing education, professional development, competency programs, and departmental training initiatives to maintain current knowledge and technical proficiency. Promotes a culture of safety, quality, teamwork, innovation, and patient-centered care.
• Participates in internal audits, quality improvement initiatives, competency assessments, accreditation activities, and regulatory inspections to maintain continuous compliance with CAP, DHA, JCI, and other applicable standards.
• Supports the investigation, documentation, and resolution of incidents, non-conformities, corrective actions, preventive actions, and risk management activities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Laboratory Science, Medical Laboratory Technology, Biomedical Science, Clinical Laboratory Science, or a related recognized discipline.
• Current professional registration in the home country where applicable and valid Dubai Health Authority (DHA) License/Eligibility as a Medical Laboratory Technologist.
• Strong knowledge of clinical chemistry, immunoassay principles, analytical instrumentation, quality control, calibration, specimen management, laboratory safety, and result interpretation within professional scope.
• Knowledge of CAP accreditation requirements, DHA Clinical Laboratory Standards, JCI requirements, and ISO 15189 quality principles is preferred.
• Proficiency in Laboratory Information Systems, analyzer middleware, quality-control applications, and standard Microsoft Office tools.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, documentation, communication, and organizational skills with high attention to accuracy, patient identification, confidentiality, and laboratory quality.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum of three (3) years of recent experience as a Medical Laboratory Technologist, preferably in Clinical Chemistry, Special Chemistry, Endocrinology, Immunoassay, or a comparable high-complexity laboratory section.
• Demonstrated experience with automated and specialized chemistry/immunoassay platforms, quality control, calibration, instrument troubleshooting, and verification of analytical performance.
• Experience with functional or personalized medicine-related laboratory testing, specialized send-out testing, or advanced metabolic and nutritional investigations is preferred.
• Experience in assay validation/verification, proficiency testing, quality improvement, audit preparation, and corrective action processes is preferred.
• Experience within a tertiary, CAP-accredited, JCI-accredited, or similarly regulated laboratory environment is highly preferred.