Jonathan Soto

• - Ordered weekly microbiology and immunology supplies to ensure uninterrupted lab operations
• - Maintained and reviewed quality control charts, ensuring all monthly and quarterly QC tasks were completed accurately and on time

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

(A) Knowledge of medical technology applicable to a wide range of duties to solve complex problems involving diverse aspects of clinical laboratory practice.

• - Performed gram staining to assist in bacterial identification and diagnosis, contributing to timely and accurate results
• - Operated and troubleshot the Virtuo blood culture instrument, enhancing efficiency in microbial pathogen detection
• - Investigated and resolved discrepancies in antimicrobial susceptibility results to ensure accuracy
• - Verified that susceptibility interpretations were precise and that the correct drugs were reported in compliance with FDA guidelines, preventing errors in diagnostics
• This ensured that infectious disease teams had accurate data to make informed decisions, ultimately improving patient outcomes through effective antimicrobial therapy
• - Addressed complex testing scenarios by combining results from advanced instruments like VITEK MS and VITEK2 with manual biochemical testing such as oxidase, indole, catalase, BactiStaph, and PathoDx

(B) Skill to maintain, troubleshoot, and repair laboratory instrumentation:

• - Operated and performed troubleshooting on the Virtuo blood culture instrument, resolving technical issues to maintain uninterrupted workflow
• - Performed routine maintenance on laboratory instruments according to established schedules to ensure consistent performance, prevent unexpected failures, and regularly perform QC and calibrations to uphold testing accuracy
• Additionally, in the absence of the supervisor, reviewed all monthly QC to ensure compliance with regulatory and laboratory standards
• - Successfully resolved an issue on the VITEK2 where AST cards were not loading correctly into the cassette chamber by thoroughly identifying the underlying problem
• This resolution prevented the need for field service intervention, saving time, resources, and ensuring uninterrupted laboratory operations
• - Successfully repaired calibration errors on VITEK MS by contacting technical support and performing fine-tuning to restore the instrument for bacterial and fungal identification
• This ensured timely results and uninterrupted laboratory operations
• - Logged all communications regarding instrument troubleshooting and repairs in corrective action logbooks, ensuring that all relevant information is passed to the supervisor and shared with staff to keep the team informed of any issues and resolutions

(C) Ability to develop procedures for new tests, and modify existing procedures and methods to resolve problems relative to complex and difficult situations:

• - Assisted the supervisor in reviewing standard operating procedures (SOPs) and identified multiple errors requiring correction, ensuring the accuracy and consistency of testing protocols
• - Validated N806 and XN30 Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) cards on the VITEK2 instrument by testing multiple bacterial isolates obtained from in-house isolates, AR Bank CDC isolates, and affiliated VA microbiology laboratories
• Coordinated reproducibility, precision testing, and proper QC testing for each AST card, while assigning technologists to specific tasks
• Compiled comprehensive charts and authored a detailed validation summary for the entire N806 and XN30 validation process, ensuring clarity and compliance with laboratory standards
• - Validated T
• Vaginalis testing on male urine specimens, CT/NG testing for rectal, throat, and vaginal self-collected specimens, and Multiplex Vaginitis Panel (MVP) testing for female vaginal samples to expand the Infinity instrument's testing capabilities
• These validations ensured accurate and reproducible results by utilizing samples from in-house patients, affiliated VA microbiology laboratories, and QC validation sources
• This expansion significantly reduced hospital costs by minimizing expensive send-out testing and allowed for faster patient results, ultimately improving patient care

(D) Ability to manage and coordinate daily work activities and assignments in a section:

• - Allocated workloads effectively among team members, ensuring timely completion of high-priority and routine tests
• - Adapted team schedules during unexpected absences, ensuring lab operations continued smoothly and all reporting deadlines were consistently met
• - Participated in daily huddles to share and receive important operational updates, ensuring all team members are informed of critical information and changes

(E) Ability to provide or coordinate staff development and training:

• - Trained new CLS students, pharmacy residents, and new hires, providing hands-on guidance with culture workups and advanced microbial identification instruments
• - Assisted the supervisor in assigning competency tasks to technologists across all shifts, ensuring they remain proficient in microbiology procedures and protocols
• - Identified gaps in staff proficiency with pipette calibration and implemented Artel training sessions to improve compliance and accuracy

(F) Ability to provide guidance and technical direction to a wide variety of individuals including physicians, nurses, and other clinical staff regarding technical aspects of testing, specimen requirements, and results:

• - Regularly consulted with nurses, doctors, and nurse practitioners to clarify proper specimen collection requirements for the tests performed in the lab, particularly for the newly implemented Infinity system
• - Distributed detailed charts to guide clinical staff on proper swab types and collection techniques, ensuring accuracy in testing and reducing sample rejections
• - Regularly consulted with infectious disease teams to interpret complex susceptibility patterns, aiding in critical patient treatment decisions

• - Handled a variety of tasks including hematology analyses, urinalysis testing, and body fluid cell counts using Sysmex analyzers and coagulation instruments, ensuring timely and precise results
• - Conducted routine maintenance on these instruments to keep them running smoothly
• - Worked efficiently in a fast-paced lab to handle high-volume testing, ensuring accuracy and speed
• - Performed and interpreted differentials and body fluid cell counts to aid in accurate diagnostics

• - Performed hematology and urinalysis testing using Sysmex analyzers, ensuring accurate results
• - Conducted routine maintenance on hematology and urinalysis systems to maintain operational efficiency
• - Performed rapid antigen flu A/B testing, drug testing, and osmolality testing to support quick turnaround times
• - Conducted gram stains and assisted in rapid diagnostic testing in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment