Laboratory Assistant

Position Summary

The Oral Microbiology Laboratory (OML) is within the Division of Diagnostic Sciences and is part of the Adams School of Dentistry at UNC Chapel Hill. The OML provides diagnostic clinical microbiology, microbiology training; dental unit water line testing, and sterilizer monitoring services to both the Adams School of Dentistry and the community of dental practitioners in the state of North Carolina and surrounding geographic areas.

Job Responsibilities: Approximately 50% administrative and 50% hands-on laboratory duties. This position will primarily support the Sterilization Monitoring arm of the OML, which is a client based service that requires weekly testing of approximately 1,500 sterilizers. This involves the receipt of ~350 pieces of mail each day including test envelopes, payments and other laboratory samples. This position will be responsible for logging tests in and out of the SMS database, as well as administrative functions such as putting together and mailing out supply packets for service renewals. Will handle payments and log them into our database to accurately credit each account. Will be required to answer phones and communicate directly with dental office staff. This position will be responsible for media preparation, quality control and spore strip setups and test interpretation, including Gram staining of bacterial isolates.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

Demonstrated possession of competencies necessary to perform the work.

Management Preferences

• Coursework in biology, microbiology, clinical laboratory science, or related field.
• Ability to work independently to achieve set goals.
• Ability to problem solve and resolve complex issues.
• Strong customer service skills.