At UVA Health Medical Labs / Pathology you will join a highly skilled team that is driven by a commitment to advancing and improving patient care. Our specialty labs and state-of-the-art equipment set us apart from other hospitals by allowing us to work closely with physicians and researchers to perform diagnostic services in-house. Our career advancement ladder and educational opportunities facilitate and support career growth while the variety of cases that we see keeps us challenged and engaged. If you are interested in a meaningful career where your work will positively impact the care that patients receive, consider joining our team at UVA Health Medical Labs/Pathology.
Hear what our team members have to say about working at UVA Health Medical Labs
Hear what our team members have to say about working at UVA Health Medical Labs
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Clinical Pathology Laboratories
Clinical Pathology Laboratories
This laboratory provides specimen processing and general laboratory testing for the 24/7 operations of the UVA Medical Center and allied clinics. This testing includes hundreds of specific assays in general chemistry, hematology, coagulation, urinalysis, and immunochemistry run on high capacity analyzers. Core lab staff may rotate to the adjacent UVA Cancer Center that has its own on-site laboratory. This team also provides assistance for the collection of bone marrow biopsies and radiology-guided biopsies in the Cancer Center and Medical Center.
Roles in this Laboratory:
- Leadership Roles
- Laboratory Lead Technologist
- Clinical Laboratory Scientist 1, 2, 3
This laboratory provides both standard microbiology culture and identification, and molecular microbial diagnostics. The microbiology area sets up cultures, reads gram stains, and works up bacterial cultures. This laboratory also performs mycology and mycobacteriology diagnostics – each one of these having a separate workspace. Molecular platforms that are based on detection of microbe and virus genetic material includes a respiratory virus panel, gastrointestinal pathogen panel, and a vaginitis panel. High through put robotic platforms are used to perform bacterial and viral testing, including viral loads, that includes many important human pathogens including COVID, HIV, Hepatitis viruses, Herpes viruses among others. This laboratory is one of the few in the country that offers state of the art “next-generation” genomic sequencing to characterize antibiotic resistant bacteria.
Roles in this Laboratory:
- Leadership Roles
- Laboratory Lead Technologist
- Clinical Laboratory Scientist 1, 2, 3
This laboratory offers traditional Blood Bank and Transfusion Services. We transfuse 35,000 blood products a year and almost all of our blood comes from the American Red Cross. We perform platelets counts and viscoelastic testing for the OR and ICUs. This laboratory assists the solid organ transplant program to store organs and track vessels for liver transplants.
Roles in this Laboratory:
- Leadership Roles
- Laboratory Lead Technologist
- Blood Bank Quality Coordinator
- Clinical Laboratory Scientist 1, 2, 3
- Transfusion Safety Officer
The Cellular Therapies Laboratory oversees the processing, storage and characterization of cellular therapy products for patient care at UVA Health. Potential product sources include: apheresis, bone marrow, or cord blood. Several Car-T clinical trials are supported by the laboratory.
Roles in this Laboratory:
- Leadership Roles
- Supervisor Cytotherapy Lab Program
- Cytotherapy Lab Spec 1, 2
This laboratory performs conventional karyotype, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and molecular chromosomal microarrays on blood, bone marrow, and FFPE tissue to support several patient groups (maternal-fetal medicine / OB, NICU, pediatrics, Cancer Center hematologic malignancies and solid tumor).
Roles in this Laboratory:
- Leadership Roles
- Laboratory Lead Technologist
- Clinical Laboratory Scientist 1, 2, 3
This laboratory performs Flow Cytometry analysis to support primary and secondary immunodeficiency analysis (ID Clinic, Pediatrics), CD34 Stem Cell analysis (Transplant), Leukemia / Lymphoma analysis (Cancer Center). Immunology performs total and specific IgE for allergy (Asthmas/Allergy Clinic), and autoimmune testing (Rheumatology, GI Clinic).
Roles in this Laboratory:
- Leadership Roles
- Clinical Flow Cytometry Specialist
- Laboratory Lead Technologist
- Clinical Laboratory Scientist 1, 2, 3
This laboratory performs molecular genetic testing, including next generation sequencing for cancer and constitutional disorders to support the Cancer Center (hematologic and solid tumor malignancies), Pediatrics, Stem Cell transplant, and other clinical services.
Roles in this Laboratory:
- Leadership Roles
- Laboratory Test Development Specialist
- Clinical Laboratory Scientist 1, 2, 3
This laboratory provides routine and STAT testing to support the solid organ transplant program (immunosuppressant drug testing), Poison Center for the Commonwealth (toxic alcohol), stem cell transplant (anti-fungal drug testing), Pain Clinic, Addiction Clinic, Employee Health, WorkMed, UVA Athletics (drugs of abuse screen and confirmation), Pediatric Genetics (biochemical and metabolic testing), and therapeutic drug monitoring.
Roles in this Laboratory:
- Leadership Roles
- Laboratory Lead Technologist
- Laboratory Test Development Specialist
- Clinical Laboratory Scientist 1, 2, 3
The Point-of-Care-Testing (POCT) program encompasses all near-patient testing performed in in-patient units, the Emergency Department, all provider-based clinics, Transitional Care Hospital, UVA Cancer Center clinics, UVA Dialysis facilities, Imaging, Outpatient Surgery, Ortho Ivy, and UVa Community Medicine. POCT works with nursing colleagues to insure adherence to laboratory regulatory requirements. Validation of point of care testing kits and instruments are performed by the POCT staff following the POCT procedure Guidelines For New Equipment/Instrument Implementation.
Roles in this Program:
- Leadership Roles
- Laboratory Lead Technologist
- Clinical Laboratory Scientist 1, 2, 3
See a day in the life of a Medical Laboratory Scientist at UVA Health
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Laboratory Support Services
Laboratory Support Services
Client Services Representatives are a resource to UVA Health Medical Laboratories clients regarding laboratory services and supplies, specimen submission and testing requirements, and other laboratory policies and procedures. Client Services Representatives work in a call center to dispatch lab courier services and to communicate clearly and accurately issues related to laboratory orders, testing and to provide lab results to the care providers. Client Services Representatives receive the client’s feedback related to laboratory services for further investigation and resolution. Client Services Representatives perform data entry and other support functions to provide excellent customer service.
- Clinical Lab Scientist 1
- Laboratory Client Services Representative
Phlebotomists are trained and credentialed to perform Phlebotomy, a procedure in which a needle is used to puncture a vein (venipuncture) to withdraw blood for laboratory testing. Phlebotomists are front-line, patient-facing team members of the Medical Laboratories Professions and are an integral part of the overall Patient Care Team. In addition to venipuncture, phlebotomists perform electronic data entry for laboratory orders, process, and aliquot specimens, and package specimens for transport.
- Phlebotomist Trainee
- Phlebotomist
- Phlebotomist, Senior
Specimen Management Technicians receive all specimens submitted to the UVA Health Medical Laboratories and any referral laboratories for testing or analysis. For each specimen received, Specimen Management Technicians verify and enter lab orders in the Lab Information System to generate a unique identifying number that will accompany the specimen through all phases of testing or analysis and allow for tracking of the specimen through the laboratories. Specimen Management Technicians assess pre-analytical variables such as proper specimen type and quantity, and process, aliquot, and package specimens for transport and laboratory testing.
- Specimen Management Technician
- Specimen Management Technician, Senior
What our employees are saying
Anatomic Pathology Laboratories
Anatomic Pathology Laboratories
Patient tissues taken from surgeries or other procedures are delivered to the UVA Gross Room where they are described and sectioned prior to further processing in histology. Pathologists, pathologists' assistants or histology technicians perform the initial evaluation, sectioning larger tissues into smaller pieces that are placed in formalin solution for fixation and transported to the histology laboratory. The Gross Room also receives tissues for immediate frozen section analysis to assist surgeons as they operate on patients and assists with the preparation of aliquots for frozen archives, tissue banking, flow cytometry, or other special studies.
After grossing, tissues go to the Histology Laboratory where automated processors expose the fixed tissues to various fluids before technicians manually embed each piece of tissue into blocks of paraffin wax. Histotechnologists cut these tissue blocks using a microtome, placing extremely delicate tissue sections on to thousands of glass slides each day, for pathologist interpretation. UVA Histology offers an elaborate testing menu to include special stains, immunohistochemistry, enzyme histochemistry, immunofluorescence, fluorescent in situ hybridization and electron microscopy, providing our team members with many opportunities for growth and cross-training.
Roles in this Laboratory:
- Leadership Roles
- Specimen Management Technician
- Specimen Management Technician Sr.
- Histology Technician
- Histotechnologist
- Laboratory Lead Technologist
- Electron Microscopy Technician
- Pathologists’ Assistant
- Pathologists’ Assistant Sr.
This laboratory supports Mohs surgeons as they operate on patients in real time. Mohs is sometimes called micrographic surgery and the procedure is done in stages as the patient waits. Mohs technologists meticulously freeze, cut and stain these small tissues for the surgeon to examine under a microscope. This allows the progressive removal of cancer cells for the highest cure rate, while leaving the smallest possible scar.
Roles in this Laboratory:
- Histology Technician
- Histotechnologist
The Cytology laboratory is where cytologists and pathologists microscopically examine various types of tissues and body fluids for the presence of abnormal cells and organisms. UVA Cytologists perform rapid on-site adequacy evaluations and provide technical support for fine-needle aspiration biopsies throughout UVA Health. Within our laboratory, HPV molecular testing is performed on PAP smear specimens and additional patient samples are prepared for cell blocks and advanced staining procedures.
Roles in this Laboratory:
- Leadership Roles
- Specimen Management Technician
- Specimen Management Technician Sr.
- Cytotechnologist I
- Cytotechnologist II
Anatomic Pathology’s administrative team provides extensive in-house support to faculty, residents and technical staff by triaging phone calls, accessioning cases, facilitating tumor board conference reviews, managing consultation cases, organizing pathology material for storage and retrieval, sending molecular tests to other laboratory areas, fulfilling legal requests, and much, much more.
Roles in this Laboratory:
- Specimen Management Technician
- Specimen Management Technician Sr.
The Autopsy Service provides timely and accurate postmortem examinations to benefit patients' families, the institution, attending physicians and house staff by providing comprehensive report with conclusions as to the cause of death and contributing factors. Our team also supports the Virginia Medical Examiner’s office by performing neurological exams.
Roles in this Laboratory:
- Specimen Management Technician
- Autopsy Technician
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Career Advancement Opportunities
The UVA Health Medical Laboratories offers opportunities for career advancement while supporting our staff through the process of lifelong learning. We partner with several area post baccalaureate certificate programs, associates degree programs and certificate programs as an opportunity for team members to move up the career ladder while working in the medical laboratories.
Augusta Health School of Medical Laboratory Science
- Piedmont Virginia Community College- Medical Laboratory Technology | Piedmont Virginia Community College (pvcc.edu)
- Reynolds Community College- Reynolds Community College
- Piedmont Virginia Community College - Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA) | Piedmont Virginia Community College (pvcc.edu)
UVA Health Medical Laboratories
