Highly Specialised Cardiac Physiologist (Echocardiography)

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please view the attached Job Description and Person Specification documents for full details regarding this post.

Main Responsibilities

• Participate in regular meetings with the senior members of the department and other professionals to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas.
• Attend appropriate meetings/groups feeding back to the relevant staff.
• Produce regular feedback and annual reports for the Clinical Manager and Lead Sonographer when required.
• Provide formal written reports as and when required to with regard to formal assessment of staff skills and competency.
• Value the contribution and individuality of staff and team members.
• Motivates and develops others by instilling confidence using encouragement and helpful, constructive feedback.
• Coaches and provides advice to others adopting a positive encouraging style.
• Provides support and guidance to other team members.
• Will listen to, communicate with, value and acknowledge contributions from others.
• Relates well to people at all levels and different backgrounds showing tolerance and patience towards others.
• Communicates regularly with outpatients and inpatients (day case patients and ward stay patients) as the sole member of staff within a section and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Works closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team towards a common goal in team orientated procedures.
• Receives calls from a wide range /variety of hospital staff including physicians requesting cardiac investigations. Also receives calls from Consultants secretaries and clinic support staff that need patient results from previous cardiac investigations.
• Exercise clinical judgement and expertise in assessing and caring for the needs of a wide range of patient problems and promote options for optimum patient care.
• To be able to exercise initiative as an autonomous practitioner in their area of specialism within the Cardiology department. The individual uses discretion to re-adjust plans as the clinical situation/needs of the patient changes.
• Has highly developed level of sensory skills and good hand to eye co-ordination in order to immediately analyse and respond to complex life threatening physiological signs. Following interpretation of these the physiologist uses judgemental skills in order to make instantaneous decisions about further patient care.
• Makes logical, sound, reasoned decisions using relevant information.
• To support the day to day running and delivery of all invasive and non-invasive investigations offered by the department.
• Be able to manage own workload and adapt to clinical change within the echocardiography environment.
• Demonstrate the ability to prioritise and organise the clinical caseload within a designated area of Cardiology. Includes the planning and organisation of expected and acute workload and deployment of more junior staff within that area.
• Commitment to working within teams.
• In conjunction with the Echo Lead and other colleagues ensure that appropriate staffing levels exist across the departments.
• Promote an environment conducive to high patient and staff morale achieved by professional standards and leadership.
• Commitment to high quality patient care.
• Commitment to providing patient focused care.
• Deals sensitively with patients who have high levels of anxiety and aggression caused by pain, dementia or limited mobility
• To communicate and discuss service related information to Echo Lead.
• To liaise with Imaging Cardiology Consultants to ensure service needs are met.
• Work flexibly to support the needs of the service in responding to internal and external forces.
• Will accept the need for change and will open to new ideas and approaches, proposing strategies in response to change.
• Promotes the importance of service quality and continuously looks for ways of improving service quality.
• Collaborates with the Echo Lead to implement changes in service within own speciality.
• Keeps up-to-date with on-going national and international developments within the specialty and endeavours to ensure that the Trust is at the forefront of clinical developments. Work with the Lead Sonographer and Training Lead to review and keep up to date with the career pathways and educational reforms of all potential trainees to adjust the training needs as required.
• Maintain and improve knowledge and competence within the BSE scope of professional practice.
• Help deliver in-house training with regard to all new equipment.
• Takes responsibility for personal Continuing Professional Development attend all
• Undertake maintenance, fault finding to ensure safe usage for patients and staff.
• Monitor stock levels ensuring these are maintained by liaising with senior members of staff and departmental supplies officer.
• To support the Echo Lead in the monitoring of stock levels of highly sophisticated electronic / electrical consumables, and reorder as necessary to maintain adequate levels of stock so as not to impinge on service requirements.
• To be responsible for the use of highly specialist technical equipment used during specialised cardiac diagnostic procedures performed within the speciality field of invasive cardiology.
• To work in compliance and adhere to a range of Trust and local policies, seeking advice on non-routine matters from line manager.
• Support the implementation of local and national healthcare policies.
• To assume an appropriate share in responsibilities for departmental efficiency, safety and clinical governance
• Ensure that robust clinical governance arrangements are in place and that untoward incidents are reported and appropriate action taken.
• Complying at all times with departmental policies and guidelines
• In conjunction with the Echo Lead develop protocols which ensure compliance with clinical governance and safe practice guidelines.
• Help maintain accurate training records, having due regard to legal aspects, confidentiality and management information requirements.
• Maintain standards of conduct in accordance with RCCP and BSE code of professional conduct.
• Ensure adequate documentation and adherence to development protocols and procedures following national guidelines and evidence based practice, updates these protocols as necessary.
• Non clinical skills to include computer literacy.
• Frequently undertakes collection of data for use in audit, research projects and equipment testing.
• Responsible for regular departmental quality assurance audits.
• Commitment to personal development and the development of others.
• Committed to learning, seizing opportunities to further personal development and orchestrates appropriate development opportunities.
• Seeks and welcomes feedback from others and actively learns from positive and negative experiences.
• Regularly provides training in highly specialist cardiac techniques to staff members including specialist physiologists and medical staff.
• Plans and delivers formal teaching sessions to external sources, e.g. university students. Performs lectures to under graduate / post graduate students/medics.
• Act as a role model, providing mentorship and support and demonstrating exemplary practice to all members of the Cardiac Physiology team whilst providing support and guidance for all staff in relation to professional development issues.
• Practise Echocardiography to an advanced level having advanced knowledge of cardiac anatomy and provide a factually accurate and comprehensive report adhering to local and BSE guidelines.
• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients in your care.
• Demonstrate a personal duty of care for equipment used within the department
• Ensure the safe use of equipment for self and others within the clinical areas.
• Monitor cleaning, maintenance and housekeeping standards within the department.
• Frequent exposure to unpleasant working conditions on regular daily basis e.g. bodily fluids including blood, sputum, vomit, urine, and faeces.
• Occasional exposure to verbal and physical aggression.
• Occasional exposure to infectious patients e.g. Hepatitis B, HIV, MRSA.
• Almost constant use of VDU screens throughout the day when monitoring patients during cardiac investigations and when inputting data into report systems.
• Required to participate in the service rota as required. This service is multi-site and occasionally necessitates travel between Trust sites.
• Required to participate in 7 day rota

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• BSc in Clinical Physiology, MSc Clinical Science (Cardiac, Vascular, Respiratory and Sleep Sciences) or BTEC / HNC in Medical Physics and Physiological Measurements
• BSE Adult proficiency Accreditation
• Active membership of the British Society of Echocardiography
• Registration with RCCP, AHCS or HCPC
• Demonstrate Continual Professional Development as per British Society of Echocardiography Guidelines
• SCST parts I & II (if applicable to qualification route)

Desirable

• Immediate Life Support
• Teaching or Managerial Qualification / Experience

Experience

Essential

• Perform transthoracic echocardiograms to a high standard independently in accordance with BSE guidelines and department minimum standards
• Experience in providing specialised, unsupervised diagnostic reports to an appropriate level and highlight and urgent findings
• Professional membership of relevant professional body obtained by examination e.g. British Society of Echocardiography
• Ability to deliver hands on training and support junior members of staff, Specialist Registrars or other medical professionals as required
• Experience of providing a wide range of diagnostic investigations
• Experience in supervision and assessment

Desirable

• Some experience in speciality procedures e.g. contrast

Key Skills

Essential

• Ability to communicate well with patients and colleagues
• Excellent ability to prioritise own workload
• Positive approach to work
• Show initiative and be responsive to service needs
• Excellent organisational skills
• Highly motivated to provide a quality service
• Be professional at all times
• Ability to work independently and as a team player
• Good interpersonal, written and verbal skills
• Ability to self-educate and continuously improve
• Excellent IT skills, computer literacy to a high level
• Ability to work effectively under pressure
• Must be reliable and have a flexible approach to meet service demands
• Must be physically fit and active (able to walk long distances move diagnostic equipment)
• Maintain infection control standards within the department

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals

Sheffield

S5 7AU

Employer's website

https://www.sth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)