Training plan by role
Write the plan once and review it after every assessment or new test launch. A lab that adds molecular testing or a new analyser needs new programs for the people who will run it, and those people should be named before the equipment arrives.
- Phlebotomists: venipuncture technique, order of draw, paediatric and elderly patients, sample labelling
- Home collection: home visit conduct, cold chain in transport, cash and UPI handling, road safety
- Technicians: analyser operation, internal QC, EQAS handling, calibration records
- Everyone: biosafety, spill management, biomedical waste, needle-stick protocol, fire safety, POSH awareness
- Pathologists and supervisors: report review, critical value policy, quality indicators
Annual competence assessment
Accredited labs usually reassess each person's competence at least once a year, and after a long absence or a new method. Treat each assessment as a program in ZeniaHR's Learning module with 12 months' validity. Marking it complete issues a certificate number that expires a year later, and the program's compliance view lists everyone as completed, in progress or expired. Store the signed assessment sheet in the employee's documents as the evidence behind the record.
External and vendor training
Some training comes from outside: analyser vendor training, EQAS workshops, a first aid course. Create these as external programs with hours and validity, enrol the staff who attended and mark them complete. Vendor training for a new analyser is worth recording carefully, because only trained technicians should run it until others are trained, and the record shows the section head who those people are.
Scheduling around sample peaks
Never schedule training between 7 am and 11 am at collection centres, or during the main evening batch in the lab. Early afternoons suit collection staff, and late mornings suit the evening processing team. Keep sessions to 45 or 60 minutes and repeat them so every shift can attend, and use the online mode for refreshers that do not need hands-on practice.
How to set it up in ZeniaHR
- Create programs for induction, biosafety, phlebotomy technique, QC and annual competence in Learning, with mode, hours and validity.
- Mark programs such as biosafety and biomedical waste as mandatory.
- Enrol staff by role and section, and mark completion to issue certificate numbers with expiry dates.
- Check the compliance view per program before each internal audit and external assessment.
- Upload signed competence assessments and external certificates to Employee Documents.
Read more about learning and training in ZeniaHR.
Roles this applies to
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What training do lab technicians need?
Technicians need training on the analysers they run, internal QC and EQAS, calibration records, biosafety and spill handling, biomedical waste, and fire safety, plus a competence assessment before they work alone and at least yearly after that. Accredited labs keep a record of each session and assessment in the staff file.
How often should a lab check staff competence?
Accredited labs usually reassess competence at least once a year, and again after a long absence, a new method or a new analyser. Record each assessment with a 12-month validity, so the expiry shows up in the compliance view and the supervisor can plan the next one in time.
How can a lab track staff training for NABL?
Keep a training plan per role, record each session against named staff with dates and validity, and store signed competence assessments in each staff file. In ZeniaHR, Learning issues certificate numbers with expiry dates and shows a compliance view per program, which makes it quick to show an assessor who is trained and who is due.