How to hire an accessioner

How to hire an accessioner, step by step

Here's a step-by-step accessioner hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an accessioner job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new accessioner
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an accessioner do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the accessioner you need to hire. Certain accessioner roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An accessioner's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, accessioners from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of accessioners.

   Type of Accessioner	Description	Hourly rate
   Accessioner	Medical laboratory technologists (commonly known as medical laboratory scientists) and medical laboratory technicians collect samples and perform tests to analyze body fluids, tissue, and other substances.	$11-21
   Certified Medical Technician	Certified Medical Technicians are specialists in medical diagnoses by performing laboratory testing and analysis for hospitals and physicians. Their duties include lab sanitization to prepare for testing and collection, recording medical samples for testing, specimen preparation, blood drawing for donation and testing, and assisting physicians with sample collection as well as equipment handling in surgical rooms... Show more	$13-25
   Laboratory Aide	A laboratory aide is primarily responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and order in laboratories, all while performing support tasks for scientists. Their duties revolve around arranging specimens and samples, transporting materials from one laboratory to another, preparing apparatuses and machines, and storing them accordingly... Show more	$9-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Laboratory Specimens
   • Laboratory Analysis
   • Lab Tests
   • Specimen Handling
   • Patients
   • Data Entry
   • HIPAA
   • Blood Smears
   • OSHA
   • Medical Terminology
   • Computer System
   • Cytology
   • Lims
   • Body Fluids

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Achieve PHLEBOTOMY duties utilizing proper infection control techniques and perform a variety of laboratory tests.
   • Manage microbiology processing, customer care accounts, frozen splits, send outs and cytology processing.
   • Detail data entry base on patients requisitions and assist with various administrative functions.
   • Prepare specimens for FedEx shipments.
   • Follow company policies and procedures, including OSHA guidelines.
   • Create doctors schedules daily through EMR and Microsoft applications.

   More accessioner duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your accessioner job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An accessioner salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, accessioners' average salary in south carolina is 49% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level accessioners earn 49% less than senior-level accessioners.
   • Certifications. An accessioner with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an accessioner's salary.

   Average accessioner salary

   $15.69hourly

   $32,627 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level accessioner salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average accessioner salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Alaska	$45,449	$22
   2	California	$37,965	$18
   3	New York	$36,788	$18
   4	Minnesota	$34,926	$17
   5	New Jersey	$34,847	$17
   6	Washington	$33,059	$16
   7	Connecticut	$32,405	$16
   8	Arizona	$31,477	$15
   9	Louisiana	$30,876	$15
   10	Utah	$29,656	$14
   11	Indiana	$28,591	$14
   12	Pennsylvania	$28,587	$14
   13	Virginia	$28,329	$14
   14	Colorado	$28,294	$14
   15	Texas	$28,032	$13
   16	Kansas	$26,868	$13
   17	Ohio	$26,855	$13
   18	Missouri	$25,776	$12
   19	Tennessee	$25,671	$12
   20	North Carolina	$25,343	$12

   Average accessioner salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Zoetis	$58,417	$28.09	4
   2	LabConnect	$34,811	$16.74
   3	Northwell Health	$34,527	$16.60	51
   4	Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings	$34,310	$16.50	401
   5	Sonic Healthcare USA	$34,071	$16.38	75
   6	Covance	$33,942	$16.32
   7	Viome	$33,849	$16.27
   8	Kelly Services	$33,488	$16.10	50
   9	Management Recruiters International(MRI)	$33,213	$15.97	11
   10	Vero Labs	$33,137	$15.93	1
   11	Eastridge Workforce Solutions	$32,922	$15.83
   12	Aerotek	$32,809	$15.77	4
   13	Invitae	$32,699	$15.72
   14	Trilogy Health Services	$32,586	$15.67
   15	Eurofins	$32,299	$15.53	34
   16	Adecco	$31,848	$15.31	29
   17	MDxHealth	$31,765	$15.27
   18	Pride St. Louis Inc.	$31,604	$15.19
   19	Randstad North America, Inc.	$31,057	$14.93	4
   20	The Center for Health Care Services	$30,811	$14.81

4. Writing an accessioner job description

   An accessioner job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an accessioner job description:

   Accessioner job description example

   SCHEDULE: Tuesday - Saturday, 8:30am - 5:30pm

   Territory: San Francisco, California

   Invitae is dedicated to bringing comprehensive genetic information into mainstream medicine to improve healthcare for billions of people! Our team is driven to make a difference for the patients we serve. We are leading the transformation of the genetics industry, by making clinical-grade genetic information affordable and accessible to guide health decisions across all stages of life.

   Our Laboratory Accessioning team plays an integral part in the pre-analytical laboratory phase. The team is responsible for accurate specimen intake and support laboratory operations while working cross-functionally with multiple departments. Accessioning team members will contribute to a culture in which direct and consistent feedback can be given and taken; we encourage honest and open communication and constructive feedback. We rely on team members to work with a sense of urgency and with a goal of putting patients first and the team above the individual. We prioritize transparency and continuous process improvement to contribute towards the highest level of patient care.

   This role is essential and requires being on-site at our San Francisco, CA location with a Monday - Friday or Tuesday - Saturday schedule. Flexibility and the ability to work overtime is required when needed by the team.

   What you'll do:

   • Assist with shipping and receiving of both incoming and outgoing patient specimens and supplies working with third party vendors and cross-functional teams as needed
   • Work with our Client Services team to resolve missing information cases, data discrepancies and any other issues related to sample processing within the lab using platforms including Jira and Salesforce
   • Thorough review of new orders for accuracy, appropriateness of test selection, and missing information
   • Participate in new product/assay launches and provide input on process improvements

   What you bring:

   • 1 year minimum experience working in biotech, life sciences, and/or healthcare or recent experience in an industry requiring strong and consistent attention to detail
   • HS Diploma or equivalent
   • Intermediate data entry, Google apps, and computer skills
   • Ability to problem-solve and anticipate potential downstream issues
   • Strong work ethic and ability to work successfully with a team and independently
   • Passion for patient care is a plus!

   Please apply even if you don't meet all of the “What you bring” requirements noted. It's rare that someone checks every single item, it's ok, we encourage you to apply anyways.

   Join us!

   At Invitae, we value diversity and provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

   We truly believe a diverse workplace is crucial to our company's success and to better serve our diverse patients. Your input is especially valuable. We'd greatly appreciate it if you can take a quick moment to make your selection(s) below. Submissions will be anonymous.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find accessioners for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any accessioners they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level accessioners with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your accessioner job on Zippia to find and attract quality accessioner candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with accessioner candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new accessioner

   Once you've decided on a perfect accessioner candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new accessioner. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an accessioner?