Posted on: Tue 23-01-2024

Zinnok Initiative for Women and Children - Our partner, the Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (Caritas Nigeria), is a Not-for-Profit Humanitarian and Development Agency established by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), to coordinate the social and development interventions of the Catholic Church in Nigeria. Caritas Nigeria works to fight hunger, disease, and ignorance as well as responds to humanitarian crises and emergencies by mobilizing resources from within and outside the Church to meet the basic needs of affected persons, regardless of religion, nationality, or ethnicity.

They are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Laboratory Technician

Location: Umuahia, Abia

Employment Type: Full-time

Purpose of Position

• Under the supervision of the Caritas Nigeria State Team the Laboratory technician will primarily work with the designated CBO’s Clinician, ART Nurse, and Adherence Focal Persons to ensure all patients due to receive a viral load are identified before the due date, notified, scheduled, and receive a viral load test.
• S/he will follow up on VL results received and ensure they are documented in the patient folder. S/he will provide other services like Recency, AHD diagnosis

Duties & Responsibilities

• Develop an effective relationship through clear communication and building trust with patients in the CBOs.
• Identify patients eligible for a viral load (VL) test via a line list of eligible patients generated monthly in collaboration with the M & E and Health Informatics unit as shared by your facility tier manager.
• Draw up a weekly list of patients for VL tests expected at the facility irrespective of appointment dates.
• Call out to patients (phone calls) to remind them of a VL test
• Ensure a list of expected patients is domiciled on clinic days at every point within the CBO to ensure the patient is identified, notified, and directed to the Lab for sample collection. Alternatively, you can pull their folders a day before and file a blank lab form in them as a 2nd step reminder
• Liaison with all POS within the CBO to ensure all clients eligible for VL draw are identified and are linked to the lab.
• Ensure that a VL requisition form is filled before the blood draw.
• Ensure that blood is drawn for the VL test for all those who are present at the laboratory.
• Make a list of patients who missed the scheduled appointment to reschedule for the VL draw and share it with the VL champion.
• Follow up on the patients that will be eligible for repeat VL after EAC and ensure that blood is drawn and shipped to the reference laboratory
• Provides weekly and monthly updates and reports of VL activity using prescribed templates for laboratory
• Notifies appropriate authorities of VL commodity shortage or stock out.
• Ensure that all new patients identified and eligible are offered recency and AHD testing.

Criteria for Qualification

• Minimum of Laboratory Technician certificate from MLSCN with current license to practice as a laboratory technician.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and make reasoned judgments in a timely fashion. Committing to a course of action without undue delay or prevarication
• Experience in dealing with difficult and sensitive situations professionally.
• Ability to work under pressure, efficiently handle multiple tasks, quickly find creative solutions to problems and challenges that arise, and manage stress and time in a fast-paced work and fluid operating environment.
• Ability to foster and maintain a spirit of unity, teamwork, cooperation, and learning.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Sensitivity in working with multiple cultures and beliefs, and to gender equity.
• Moderate level proficiency with Microsoft Office software: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Ability to work both independently and as a part of a team.
• Persons living with HIV who meet the above criteria are strongly encouraged to apply.

Method of Application

Interested and qualified candidates should submit a Letter of Application with a recently updated CV as a single PDF file format (as an attachment), and send it to: [email protected] using the Job Title and applicant's name as the subject of the email. E.g. "Usman OBI- ART NURSE or Johnson Bunmi- Programme Officer.

Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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