Job summary
The St Thomas' Hearing Implant Centre is excited to be recruiting a Band 8a Paediatric Deputy Audiological Scientist. This is a newly created post, and the successful candidate will work closely with the hearing implant senior management team, take a lead in the running of the service, as well as being a team leader for our group of hearing implant paediatric audiological scientists.
Collaborative working is essential. The post-holder will be an active member of our multi-disciplinary team (MDT) which includes Adult and Paediatric Audiologists, ENT Consultants and Clinical Nurse Specialists, Speech and Language Therapists, Teachers of the Deaf and Clinical Psychologists, Assistant Technical Officers, and our Administrative team.
Taking a proactive lead in research and audit is strongly encouraged, as is further developing and improving our hearing implant service, and the field of hearing implants in general.
Main duties of the job
The post-holder will take responsibility for the day-to-day running of the paediatric hearing implant centre, as well as take a lead in the assessment, selection, programming and re-habilitation of babies, young children, and adolescents within the Hearing Implant Centre. The post-holder will help manage our team of paediatric audiologists and other staff, and will take responsibility for audiological input into the multipdisciplinary hearing implant team, as well as liaising with professionals outside of our centre.
About us
Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Trust (GSTT) is one of the largest in the UK, with an international reputation as a centre of excellence. St Thomas' Hearing Implant Centre was established in 1992 and we look after children with cochlear implants, auditory brainstem implants, bone conduction implants, and middle ear implants.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For further information about the job's main responsibilities, please see attached job description.
- This position is for a Deputy Paediatric Audiological Scientist in Hearing Implants. This new role within the Trust has been created to better manage the day-to-day running of the paediatric hearing implant service within GSTT. The Deputy Audiological Scientist undertakes scientific techniques at a very high level of expertise, often replicating taskspreviously performed by the Principal Audiological Scientist. They make clinical assessments before and throughout diagnostic procedures and present highly complex information in a format that is understood by clinicians, healthcare professionals, local professionals, patients and carers. They will be expected to assess, consult with and advise on paediatric patients who have been referred to the paediatric hearing implant centre for any type of hearing implant. In order to do this, they will use advanced clinical paediatric skills and tests, and be able to correlate these tests with other diagnostics in order to in order to determine the best clinical management and improve outcomes for hearing implant patients. The post holder will be expected to take the lead by having the highest level of specialist knowledge and significant practical experience of: Routine and non-routine diagnostic paediatric audiological assessment proceduresincluding BOA, VRA, Play Audiometry, Standard Audiometry, Immittance measures,ABR, eABR, Corticals, Promontory testing, Speech perception testing, etc. Adapting audiological tests in order to assess multi-handicapped and difficult-to-testchildren All therapeutic/rehabilitative procedures, including highly specialist counselling,hearing aid assessment, fitting, verification, and orientation Complex paediatric cochlear implant intervention, including assessment ofcandidacy for cochlear implantation, suitability for implantation, choosing the implantdevice, determining which ear to implant, and electrically testing the implant duringsurgery Assessing and implementing optimal programming strategies, cochlear implantfitting, verification and orientation Continual post-operative management throughout the childhood years Appropriate audiological management for children not suitable for implantationThe Deputy Audiological Scientist will play a vital role in the further development and delivery of the auditory brainstem implant service. The post holder will be responsible for preparing and presenting the clinical decision taken to determine whether a child should receive any type of hearing implant in specialist multidisciplinary team meetings. They willclinically manage their own specialist hearing implant lists, and as the Deputy lead Audiological Scientist will be responsible for education, mentoring, and training for other Audiological Scientists, as well as local professionals and trainees. They will help lead service evaluation and audit including quality assurance. The role has the potential for involvement in original research. Whilst the Paediatric Hearing Implant Centre is well established at GSTT, there will be an innovation element to the role that will require the development of the surrounding infrastructure of resources, protocols and training and their maintenance by the post holder.They will be responsible for the routine staff management of the specialist team of Audiological Scientists in the day-to-day service, and the delivery of extensive expert level training will be integral to the role. They will be responsible for the development of the team of healthcare scientists to support these advanced services.In view of the senior and autonomous nature of this role the post holder should holdregistration, for example as a Clinical Scientist with the Health and Care Professions Council. They must demonstrate that their practice exemplifies the standards detailed inGood Scientific Practice as defined by the Academy of Healthcare Science.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For further information about the job's main responsibilities, please see attached job description.
- This position is for a Deputy Paediatric Audiological Scientist in Hearing Implants. This new role within the Trust has been created to better manage the day-to-day running of the paediatric hearing implant service within GSTT. The Deputy Audiological Scientist undertakes scientific techniques at a very high level of expertise, often replicating taskspreviously performed by the Principal Audiological Scientist. They make clinical assessments before and throughout diagnostic procedures and present highly complex information in a format that is understood by clinicians, healthcare professionals, local professionals, patients and carers. They will be expected to assess, consult with and advise on paediatric patients who have been referred to the paediatric hearing implant centre for any type of hearing implant. In order to do this, they will use advanced clinical paediatric skills and tests, and be able to correlate these tests with other diagnostics in order to in order to determine the best clinical management and improve outcomes for hearing implant patients. The post holder will be expected to take the lead by having the highest level of specialist knowledge and significant practical experience of: Routine and non-routine diagnostic paediatric audiological assessment proceduresincluding BOA, VRA, Play Audiometry, Standard Audiometry, Immittance measures,ABR, eABR, Corticals, Promontory testing, Speech perception testing, etc. Adapting audiological tests in order to assess multi-handicapped and difficult-to-testchildren All therapeutic/rehabilitative procedures, including highly specialist counselling,hearing aid assessment, fitting, verification, and orientation Complex paediatric cochlear implant intervention, including assessment ofcandidacy for cochlear implantation, suitability for implantation, choosing the implantdevice, determining which ear to implant, and electrically testing the implant duringsurgery Assessing and implementing optimal programming strategies, cochlear implantfitting, verification and orientation Continual post-operative management throughout the childhood years Appropriate audiological management for children not suitable for implantationThe Deputy Audiological Scientist will play a vital role in the further development and delivery of the auditory brainstem implant service. The post holder will be responsible for preparing and presenting the clinical decision taken to determine whether a child should receive any type of hearing implant in specialist multidisciplinary team meetings. They willclinically manage their own specialist hearing implant lists, and as the Deputy lead Audiological Scientist will be responsible for education, mentoring, and training for other Audiological Scientists, as well as local professionals and trainees. They will help lead service evaluation and audit including quality assurance. The role has the potential for involvement in original research. Whilst the Paediatric Hearing Implant Centre is well established at GSTT, there will be an innovation element to the role that will require the development of the surrounding infrastructure of resources, protocols and training and their maintenance by the post holder.They will be responsible for the routine staff management of the specialist team of Audiological Scientists in the day-to-day service, and the delivery of extensive expert level training will be integral to the role. They will be responsible for the development of the team of healthcare scientists to support these advanced services.In view of the senior and autonomous nature of this role the post holder should holdregistration, for example as a Clinical Scientist with the Health and Care Professions Council. They must demonstrate that their practice exemplifies the standards detailed inGood Scientific Practice as defined by the Academy of Healthcare Science.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of service improvement
Desirable
- Evidence of research and/or audit
- Evidence of management of people
Skills
Essential
- 5+ years paediatric audiology testing and management
- 10+ years audiology experience
Desirable
- Worked with Cochlear implants
- Worked with BCI/MEI
- Worked with hearing aids
Knowledge
Essential
- MSc in Audiology
- HCPC or equivalent
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of service improvement
Desirable
- Evidence of research and/or audit
- Evidence of management of people
Skills
Essential
- 5+ years paediatric audiology testing and management
- 10+ years audiology experience
Desirable
- Worked with Cochlear implants
- Worked with BCI/MEI
- Worked with hearing aids
Knowledge
Essential
- MSc in Audiology
- HCPC or equivalent
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
