Apprentice Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA)

Summary

A great opportunity to join a forward thinking, growing pathology service that invests in its staff, innovation and development, and promotes itself as the Employer of Choice for Pathology. Opportunity for a career pathway from Apprentice MLA to Specialist Biomedical Scientist through the Healthcare Science Degree Apprenticeship.

Annual wage: £19,000 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Training course: Healthcare science associate (level 4)
Hours: Monday to Friday and be prepared to potentially work evenings and weekends if required
37 hours a week
Possible start date: Monday 9 December
Duration: 2 years
Positions available: 2

Work

As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.

What you’ll do at work

You will work alongside technical and scientific staff in our busy Genetics laboratory to learn the skills and knowledge required to become an MLA.

The Genetics laboratory is part of the South East Genomic Laboratory Hub (SEGLH) based at Guy’s Hospital. You will perform a range of duties under the supervision of qualified staff to help in the service provision for our patients and customers, whilst developing important laboratory skills:

Receipt of patient samples
DNA extraction from blood and other tissues
Preparing samples for testing
Maintenance of equipment

Where you’ll work

Genetics - Synnovis

5th Floor Tower Wing

Guy's Hospital

London

SE1 9RT

Training

An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.

College or training organisation

CSR SCIENTIFIC TRAINING LIMITED

Your training course

Healthcare science associate (level 4)

Equal to higher national certificate (HNC)

Course contents

Act in line with legislation, standard operating procedures, codes of conduct and ways of working that apply to own role.

Work within the scope of the role, the limits of own knowledge and skills and support others to do the same.

Act in line with probity requirements and support others to do the same.

Promote mental health, wellbeing and resilience in the workplace.

Provide technical healthcare-science-based services relevant to own role.

Recognise problems and seek technical solutions to them and support others to do the same.

Perform a range of equipment management activities appropriate to own role including fault-finding, preventative maintenance, calibration or repair.

Contribute to the drafting or revising of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Support decisions made to initiate, continue, modify or cease using techniques or procedures.

Analyse, interpret, record and present healthcare science technical data.

Provide or support the provision of person-centred care.

Take responsibility for any care provided by yourself and your team members including adhering to duty of care and safeguarding requirements.

Apply policy and protocols that relate to informed consent.

Protect the dignity, rights, privacy and confidentiality of individuals and support others to do the same.

Deliver or support the delivery of high quality technical clinical procedures in the investigation or management of individuals.

Convey information using appropriate techniques.

Give and receive feedback that informs your own practice and that of others in the team.

Use techniques to reduce communication barriers and support others to do the same.

Keep accurate, confidential records and produce reliable data, inputting and retrieving information within required governance processes and checking that others do the same.

Share information correctly as part of the healthcare science team and the multi-professional team.

Use technology to present information.

Follow protocols for dealing with or reporting difficult situations and complaints.

Work as part of the healthcare science team and the wider healthcare team to provide healthcare science services.

Plan, review and report on the work of a team and individuals within it.

Follow delegation, reporting and escalation protocols appropriate to own role.

Demonstrate leadership skills appropriate to own role and work in partnership with the healthcare science and wider healthcare team.

Help create the conditions that assist the team in providing a supportive environment for colleagues.

Maintain and check that others maintain a safe and healthy working environment.

Participate in the management of risk, supporting others to do the same.

Take appropriate action in response to incidents or emergencies, reporting or escalating as required by the situation.

Move and transport items safely for example individuals or equipment and items.

Adhere to protocols for infection prevention and control and support others to do the same.

Follow guidelines and procedures for handling hazardous materials and substances.

Demonstrate relevant health, safety or security practices to others in the team.

Take part in quality management technical audit processes relevant to own role.

Participate in audit or service improvement programmes.

Share the outcome of audit or service improvement with others.

Support the improvement of healthcare science practice by taking part in innovation or research or service improvement activities.

Undertake audit, research or other activities which support quality improvement, innovation and sustainability in healthcare science.

Critically reflect on your technical and non-technical practice and how it impacts on the quality and safety of patient care.

Work within the limits of your personal competence, keeping up-to-date by engaging in continuing personal and professional development.

Take part in mentoring processes with colleagues and students.

Respond to appraisal or performance review and feedback in relation to your own development and action plans.

Supervise and demonstrate practical skills to others.

Your training plan

Healthcare Science Associate - L4

Blended delivery incorporating online classes and face to face assessment in the workplace.

Inputs delivered one day per week.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

A Level in:

- 2 A-levels or equivalent (grade C)

Desirable qualifications

A Level in:

Biology (grade C)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
IT skills
Attention to detail
Organisation skills
Problem solving skills
Presentation skills
Administrative skills
Analytical skills
Team working
Initiative

Other requirements

Will require occupation health clearance and vaccinations if not already vaccinated.

About this company

Synnovis is a partnership between SYNLAB UK & Ireland, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Our organisation brings together the very best in clinical, scientific and operational expertise, and displays in action the core values at the heart of our brand: science for life, collaboration for the benefit of everyone, and innovation and quality. Synnovis provides services to the NHS, clinical users and other service users. We are proud to work in collaboration with our excellent partners across our sites. Using innovation and quality to deliver pioneering pathology services is a way of life for us. We have an open and innovative mindset which drives the quality of both our services and the care provided by our clinical service users.

https://www.synnovis.co.uk/ (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, there maybe opportunities for further training or to apply for laboratory posts (E.g. Medical Laboratory Assistant) and complete the L6 Healthcare Science Practitioner degree apprenticeship, to train and register as a Biomedical Scientist.

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