Autopsy Technician

J  o  b    D  e  s  c  r  i  p  t  i  o  n

JOB INFORMATION

Effective Date:

7/1/2018

Entity:

Wisconsin

Job Code:

510020

Job Title:

Autopsy Technician

Exemption Status:

Non-Exempt

Management Level:

Individual Contributor

JOB SUMMARY

Under the general supervision of the Director of Lab Services, the position provides basic and complex technical services to the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Autopsy service. Primary responsibilities include assistance in autopsy; organizing and cataloguing forensic and medical autopsy tissue; and preparing and checking for completeness of all required documentation. This position

assists in budget preparation and provides oversight of QA monitoring and case accessioning.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

•

Autopsy Service Skills
o Receive, log and register remains electronically, and assign case number when needed.
o Work with hospital personnel, hospice care, and referring hospitals to arrange autopsies and body disposition.
o Collaborate with pathologists and resident to schedule autopsies.
o Prepare remains for examination or autopsy procedures.
o Aid pathologists and residents in performing medio-legal autopsies, including forensic, adult, pediatric, and neurological cases.
Assist with body opening/closing, evisceration and collection of evidence.
o Demonstrate basic autopsy procedures to medical students and residents and assist in training on dissection methods, infection control and use of surgical tools such as the Mopec saw and surgical knives.
o Conduct X-ray examination on remains as needed.
o Complete restoration of remains for release to agencies, funeral homes or families.
o Submit specimens to reference laboratories for toxicology or other studies.
o Set up and display tissue to be discussed at gross conferences.
o Maintain post-mortem materials (e.g., tissue, slides, and blood specimens) and retrieve upon request; dispose of unneeded materials per retention guidelines.
o Oversee storage and retrieval of archived specimens.
o Clean, disinfect, repair, and maintain autopsy equipment and facilities. Place work orders when needed.
o Provide input into procedure manual(s) and autopsy policies in area(s) of expertise using approved formats.
o Assist with planning and exercises for mass fatality reponse.
o Be available for on-call body handling as scheduled.

•

Autopsy Service Administration
o Obtain autopsy permits and ensure completeness of death packets. Verify all state reporting requirements are fulfilled and submitted. Communicate as directed with state regulatory personnel.
o Assist physicians with autopsy permit completion. Provide guidance and support to hospital staff regarding case administration, addressing questions or issues within the scope of expertise.
o Work with transplant harvesting groups and nursing personnel as needed.
o Provide operational leadership in the absence of the mortician or a pathologist.
o Assume other responsibilities as directed by the manager.
o Monitor and order morgue supplies.
o Participate in inspection readiness and tracer activities for regulatory and accreditation agencies.
o Attend assigned meetings.
o Perform troubleshooting and problem solving. Serve as a resource to all staff that use Autopsy services; refer questions outside of expertise or written procedures/policies to the mortician or a pathologist.
o Provide data to manager to assist with budget development. Monitor expenses as requested.
o Participate in transport of bodies to the morgue.
o Oversee and perform quality assurance monitoring of morgue equipment (e.g., temperature checks, scales, eye wash)

•

Communication
o Liaise with hospitals, coroners, funeral homes, law enforcement, physicians, and families. Communicate information, questions, and problems to relevant parties according to guidelines.

•

Other duties as assigned
o Transport gross specimens from the University Hospital to Surgical Pathology.

ALL DUTIES AND REQUIREMENTS MUST BE PERFORMED CONSISTENT WITH THE UW HEALTH PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.

X

Non-Clinical

JOB REQUIREMENTS

High School Diploma

or equivalent

Required

Associate's Degree

in applied science or mortuary science

Preferred

1 year

One year completed Licensed Funeral Director apprenticeship OR One year of healthcare or relevant laboratory experience.

Required

2 years

Two years serving as Licensed Funeral Director OR Two years of relevant laboratory experience.

Preferred

•

Knowledge of general laboratory safety requirements, handling of infectious waste & universal precautions

•

Knowledge of medical terminology

•

Ability to interact with the public and other agency and institutional representatives in a positive, helpful manner via telephone, email, correspondence or in person

•

Knowledge of basic computer functionality

•

Ability to organize and prioritize daily work

•

Ability to work independently

•

Competence in problem identification and resolution

•

Knowledge of human anatomy and morphology

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORKING CONDITIONS

☐

Sedentary: Ability to lift up to 10 pounds maximum and occasionally lifting and/or carrying such articles as dockets, ledgers and small tools. Although a sedentary job is defined as one, which involves sitting, a certain amount of walking and standing is often necessary in carrying out job duties. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and other sedentary criteria are met.

Up to 10#

Negligible

Negligible

☐

Light: Ability to lift up to 20 pounds maximum with frequent lifting and/or carrying of objects weighing up to 10 pounds. Even though the weight lifted may only be negligible amount, a job is in this category when it requires walking or standing to a significant degree.

up to 20#

Up to 10# or requires significant walking or standing or requires pushing/pulling of arm/leg controls.

Negligible or constant push/pull of items of negligible weight

☒

Medium: Ability to lift up to 50 pounds maximum with frequent lifting and/or carrying objects weighing up to 25 pounds.

20-50#

10-25#

Negligible-10#

☐

Heavy: Ability to lift up to 100 pounds maximum with frequent lifting and/or carrying objects weighing up to 50 pounds.

50-100#

25-50#

10-20#

☐

Very Heavy: Ability to lift over 100 pounds with frequent lifting and/or carrying objects weighing over 50 pounds.

Over 100#

Over 50#

Over 20#

Other - list any other physical requirements or bona fide occupational qualifications not indicated above:

Note: The purpose of this document is to describe the general nature and level of work performed by personnel so classified; it is not intended to serve as an inclusive list of all responsibilities associated with this position.