Trainee Clinical Perfusionist (annex21)

Leeds Teaching Hospitals

The closing date is 17 July 2024

Job summary

An excellent opportunity has arisen to appoint a Trainee Clinical Perfusionist to join our team at Leeds General Infirmary. Due to continuous workforce planning we are looking to appoint an enthusiastic, self motivated science graduate, to undertake the Bristol University MSc alongside clinical training. We provide a diverse range of cardiac surgery from neonatal to adult patients, including ECMO, intra-aortic balloon pumping and intra-operative cell salvage. You can expect to find a supportive and forward thinking department, keen on delivering the highest standards of healthcare. Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust is undergoing a significant phase of regeneration, with the construction of two new hospitals on the General Infirmary site planned.

The role is a fixed term training post, designed to obtaining National accreditation, with the expectation of a permanent position, once all criteria are achieved. The successful applicant will need to participate in the 24 hour on call, once appropriate. You must register with the Society of Clinical Perfusion Scientists of Great Britain and Ireland and with the College of Clinical Perfusion Scientists of Great Britain and Ireland to meet with the training course criteria. This advert is likely to close early, due to high applicant rate.

For further information, please contact Andrew Nichols or Angela Beatson 01133925342

Planned Interview Date: Monday 22nd July 2024

Main duties of the job

The Clinical Perfusion Department at Leeds General Infirmary, cover all aspects of cardiopulmonary bypass and blood preservation techniques in both adult and paediatric cardiac surgery. Clinical perfusionists must have exceptional communication skills and extreme diligence to detail, working within the dynamic, multi-disciplinary cardiac surgical team, with a pivotal role in patient care and safety. The job involves the running of the heart-lung bypass machine, for extended periods of time, keeping our patients alive, whilst they receive life saving surgery. Much of this work is carried out electively, however, a significant amount is also unplanned and occurs out of normal working hours, covered by our on-call team. As a trainee, you will be studying in person and remotely at Bristol University to obtain a MSc in Perfusion within the two year course. During this period, you will learn the essential clinical skills and knowledge and perform a minimum of 150 cardiopulmonary bypass runs, to be eligible to sit the practical examination. Once this has been achieved, you will accredit as an autonomous allied healthcare professional.

As a unique group of specialist, we are responsible for the set-up, running and disposal of sterile and subsequently contaminated medical consumables used in surgery. The role incorporates the three core sciences on a daily basis and is highly stimulating.

About us

Come and join our team in Leeds and become part of The Leeds Way sharing our vision and values. Our Trust is recognised for our staff engagement, great care and rated GOOD by the Care Quality Commission.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the largest acute health providers in the UK and based in one of the fastest growing and vibrant cities in the north.

At Cardio-Respiratory CSU, we aim to be a fair and supportive CSU with positive, caring teams who are champions of the Leeds Way values. Our values are part of what make us different from other trusts, so we see this as a strength, as well as a responsibility. They have been developed by our staff and set out what they see as important to how we work. Our five values are:

Patient-centred

Collaborative

Fair

Accountable

Empowered

Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any questions.

Date posted

26 June 2024

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£43,742 to £50,056 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

28 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

C9298-CRS-204

Job locations

Leeds General Infirmary

Great George Street

Leeds

LS13EX

Job description

Job responsibilities

PRINCIPAL DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

CLINICAL PRACTICE

a. Take, where appropriate, delegated responsibility for the delivery of a highly specialist perfusion service, ensuring the service is effective and well coordinated.

b. Offer and undertake a range of highly specialised perfusion techniques during routine and emergency cardiopulmonary bypass.

c. Assess patients relevant medical history, pathology and diagnosis and make appropriate decisions concerning conduct of cardiopulmonary bypass procedures.

d. Advise clinicians on the suitability of equipment and suggest to clinicians appropriate courses of action.

e. Set up, prime and run the cardiopulmonary bypass machine to maintain life support for the period of cardiopulmonary bypass according to broad occupational and clinical policies as well as recent scientific evidence, seeking advice when necessary.

f. Regularly undertake By-pass initiation and termination which requires a high level of hand eye and sensory coordination, similar to that required for suturing/intubation.

g. Take personal responsibility for simultaneously monitoring and making fine adjustments to 43 patient parameters on the bypass machine and to clinically respond and react to any changes in the patients condition. This requires intense concentration for the duration of individual cases which can last up to 12 hours.

h. Sample, analyse and interpret arterial/venous blood gases and patient coagulation status in the form of activated clotting times and Thromboelastograph.

i. Administer drugs, including colloid/crystalloid fluids, vasoactive drugs, cardioplegia solution, potassium, anticoagulants, haemostatic drugs, sodium bicarbonate and osmotic diuretics as clinically indicated.

j. Monitor a wide range of highly complex and routinely conflicting clinical information on a minute-to-minute basis such as blood oximetry; cardiac output; systemic vascular resistance; ventilation; anticoagulation; renal status and blood glucose levels, and take appropriate autonomous action in both alpha and pH stat blood management.

k. Manipulate on a second-to-second basis the patients cardiovascular system whilst on cardiopulmonary bypass.

l. Determine requirement for, and perform where clinically indicated, haemofiltration and blood transfusion during cardiopulmonary bypass including zero-balance ultra-filtration and modified ultrafiltration in neonates.

m. Set up and manage, where appropriate, antegrade/retrograde cerebral perfusion; deep hypothermic circulatory arrest; vacuum assisted venous drainage; mechanical support devices; extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, Intra-aortic balloon pumping.

n. Provide one to one care to acutely ill children with life threatening conditions. This involves shifts of up to 12 hours over a period of 2 weeks. This requires the post holder to provide a high level of emotional support to parents and other relatives over a sustained and repeated period.

o. Ensure quality control, calibration, cleaning, maintenance and safe use of expensive complex medical equipment in Clinical Perfusion.

p. Frequent direct exposure to uncontained patient blood

q. Participate fully in the Clinical Perfusion 24hr on-call cover.

MANAGERIAL

a. Liaise with other members of the surgical, anaesthetic and nursing teams.

b. Manage and prioritise own caseload /workload independently.

c. Supervision of students, involving judging competence levels for routine adult procedures and assisting Senior Clinical Perfusionist with suitable training activity.

d. Complete a training record and casebook.

e. Discuss and sensitively deal with any highlighted problems that have arisen during supervision. This may involve providing reassurance where necessary or discussing problems with senior colleagues or staff.

f. Respect the confidentiality of all matters that may relate to colleagues employment and that of other members of staff. All staff are expected to respect the requirements of the Data Protection Act.

g. Assist Senior Clinical Perfusionist with the development of protocols and liaise any changes to staff in an appropriate forum. Assist with stock rotation and maintenance of stock levels including identification of stock requirements Input data on to the departmental database with regard to stock management and case auditing.

h. Reduce waste of disposable by ensuring correct equipment used and stock rotation.

i. Assist Clinical Perfusion Manager to budget and improve expenditure by suggesting cost saving techniques specifically on the £650k consumable cost type.

j. Ensure safe storage of consumables to the value in excess of £100,000. Paying particular attention to usage and short shelf life.

k. Attend monthly audit meetings and contribute to the sessions by offering specialist knowledge and experience and feedback any relevant information discussed at the meetings.