Job summary
The Cardiothoracic Unit at the Freeman Hospital is an internationally renowned specialist unit and is unique in undertaking cardiac surgical techniques for adults, adult congenital, paediatric and neonatal patients including transplantation. We are looking for a highly motivated Trainee Clinical Perfusion Scientist to join our team.
Currently, the multi-disciplinary cardiac team undertakes 1000 adults and 200 paediatric/neonatal procedures per year within five cardiac theatres. Within this we perform around 80 transplantation procedures per year. The highly skilled perfusion team also performs around 100 ECMO procedures covering all patient ages. We are one of only four national ECMO units. This is an opportunity to be part of a Cardiothoracic Centre that is a renowned Regional and National Centre of Excellence for Respiratory and Cardiac Care. It is one of the top units in the UK, providing specialist treatment for all types of heart and respiratory related conditions in adults and children; and one of the few centres funded for paediatric open-heart surgery and is one of the small number of centres centrally funded for cardiopulmonary transplantation in the UK. The team are also involved with the Ex Vivo Heart Perfusion System.
Main duties of the job
- Interview Date: 15 May 2024
-
37 hours 30 minutes/week
- You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.
You would be appointed on Annex 21 of Band 7, salary will be 65%, 70% and 75% of the top of Band 7 in your first, second and third years of employment respectively. Once you have completed training and provided evidence to HR, annex 21 will be removed and you will be paid at Band 7. Failure to complete this within 3 years from date of appointment may result in your employment with the Trust being reviewed.
You will train to become an experienced autonomous practitioner and you will be an integral part of the dynamic perfusion team working 37.5 hours per week. The successful applicants will be enrolled on an MSc in Perfusion Science at the University of Bristol. The course is delivered part time, split between Bristol and Newcastle. It is essential candidates possess an upper second class or higher science or medicine-related BSc degree, to gain entry onto the MSc course.
About us
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest, largest and most successful teaching NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 16,000 staff and an annual income of £1 billion.
We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.
We're also proud to be the second largest provider of specialised services in the country. This means we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.
Our staff oversee around 2 million patients 'contacts' each year, delivering high standards of healthcare.
Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust.
We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people's race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
Job description
Job responsibilities
We are searching for a dynamic, highly motivated, hardworking and enthusiastic individual to join our team. The successful candidates after two years of training will become fully conversant with perfusion techniques involving adult, paediatric and neonatal patients. These techniques include cardiopulmonary bypass, cell salvage, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, Ventricular Assist Devices, Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump, Liver Perfusion, Xvivo Donor Heart Perfusion Retrievals and various point of care testing techniques including thromboelastography.
Job Purpose
- As an autonomous practitioner a Clinical Perfusionist should offer a comprehensive specialist clinical and technical service during both routine and emergency procedures as a vital member of the multidisciplinary team during cardiac surgery. Train to become competent in all aspects of neonatal and paediatric perfusion. Participate in the emergency on-call rota. The clinical perfusionist will also participate in the education of trainee perfusionists and contribute to departmental research.
- Safely perform a range of highly specialised perfusion techniques on adult patients during routine and emergency cardiopulmonary bypass.
- Construct, prime and operate the cardiopulmonary bypass machine to maintain CAR/PTB/CAR/FRM/149g life support for the period of cardiopulmonary bypass according to local and occupational clinical policies and protocols.
- Assess the patients relevant medical history, pathology and diagnosis and make appropriate decisions concerning conduct of the procedure.
- Administer drugs including colloid/ crystalloid fluids, vasoactive drugs, cardioplegia solutions, potassium, anticoagulants, haemostatic drugs, sodium bicarbonate and osmotic diuretics as clinically indicated.
- Prepare and deliver cardioplegic solutions to arrest the heart and give a still bloodless field in which the surgeon can perform heart surgery. Deliver multiple doses of antegrade and/or retrograde cardioplegic solutions to optimise myocardial preservation during open heart surgery.
- Maintain patients blood pressure at adequate level whilst on cardiopulmonary bypass, by mechanical and pharmalogical means.
- Maintain adequate levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in patients bloodstream using an artificial lung (Membrane Oxygenator)
- Manipulate on a second-to-second basis the patients cardiovascular system whilst on cardiopulmonary bypass.
- 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 and anticoagulation whilst observing renal status and blood glucose levels and take appropriate autonomous action.
- Undertake, analyse and interpret arterial/venous blood gases and coagulation status.
- Take where appropriate, delegated responsibility for the delivery of a highly specialist perfusion service, ensuring the service is effective and well-coordinated.
- Advise clinicians on the suitability of equipment and persuade clinicians on appropriate course of action.
- Determine the requirements for and perform where clinically indicated, haemofiltration and blood transfusion during cardiopulmonary bypass.
- Set up and manage, where appropriate; antegrade/retrograde cerebral perfusion, deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and mechanical support devices.
- Assist senior clinical perfusionist in construction and management of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (long term cardiopulmonary bypass)
- Undertake retrieval and preservation of donor organs (heart and/or lungs) from hospitals in our retrieval sector
- Ensure quality control, calibration and maintenance of complex medical equipment in Clinical Perfusion and their safe use incompliance with Near-Patient testing Policies.
- Assisting when necessary with education of trainee clinical perfusionists.
- Training of nursing and medical personnel in use of blood gas analysers
- Participating in Clinical Perfusion 24hr emergency on-call rota as second on-call.
Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate.The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first months pay.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Job description
Job responsibilities
We are searching for a dynamic, highly motivated, hardworking and enthusiastic individual to join our team. The successful candidates after two years of training will become fully conversant with perfusion techniques involving adult, paediatric and neonatal patients. These techniques include cardiopulmonary bypass, cell salvage, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, Ventricular Assist Devices, Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump, Liver Perfusion, Xvivo Donor Heart Perfusion Retrievals and various point of care testing techniques including thromboelastography.
Job Purpose
- As an autonomous practitioner a Clinical Perfusionist should offer a comprehensive specialist clinical and technical service during both routine and emergency procedures as a vital member of the multidisciplinary team during cardiac surgery. Train to become competent in all aspects of neonatal and paediatric perfusion. Participate in the emergency on-call rota. The clinical perfusionist will also participate in the education of trainee perfusionists and contribute to departmental research.
- Safely perform a range of highly specialised perfusion techniques on adult patients during routine and emergency cardiopulmonary bypass.
- Construct, prime and operate the cardiopulmonary bypass machine to maintain CAR/PTB/CAR/FRM/149g life support for the period of cardiopulmonary bypass according to local and occupational clinical policies and protocols.
- Assess the patients relevant medical history, pathology and diagnosis and make appropriate decisions concerning conduct of the procedure.
- Administer drugs including colloid/ crystalloid fluids, vasoactive drugs, cardioplegia solutions, potassium, anticoagulants, haemostatic drugs, sodium bicarbonate and osmotic diuretics as clinically indicated.
- Prepare and deliver cardioplegic solutions to arrest the heart and give a still bloodless field in which the surgeon can perform heart surgery. Deliver multiple doses of antegrade and/or retrograde cardioplegic solutions to optimise myocardial preservation during open heart surgery.
- Maintain patients blood pressure at adequate level whilst on cardiopulmonary bypass, by mechanical and pharmalogical means.
- Maintain adequate levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in patients bloodstream using an artificial lung (Membrane Oxygenator)
- Manipulate on a second-to-second basis the patients cardiovascular system whilst on cardiopulmonary bypass.
- 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 and anticoagulation whilst observing renal status and blood glucose levels and take appropriate autonomous action.
- Undertake, analyse and interpret arterial/venous blood gases and coagulation status.
- Take where appropriate, delegated responsibility for the delivery of a highly specialist perfusion service, ensuring the service is effective and well-coordinated.
- Advise clinicians on the suitability of equipment and persuade clinicians on appropriate course of action.
- Determine the requirements for and perform where clinically indicated, haemofiltration and blood transfusion during cardiopulmonary bypass.
- Set up and manage, where appropriate; antegrade/retrograde cerebral perfusion, deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and mechanical support devices.
- Assist senior clinical perfusionist in construction and management of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (long term cardiopulmonary bypass)
- Undertake retrieval and preservation of donor organs (heart and/or lungs) from hospitals in our retrieval sector
- Ensure quality control, calibration and maintenance of complex medical equipment in Clinical Perfusion and their safe use incompliance with Near-Patient testing Policies.
- Assisting when necessary with education of trainee clinical perfusionists.
- Training of nursing and medical personnel in use of blood gas analysers
- Participating in Clinical Perfusion 24hr emergency on-call rota as second on-call.
Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate.The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first months pay.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential
- To have attained Accreditation of the Society of Clinical Perfusion Scientists of Great Britain and Ireland.
- To be a registered member of the College of Clinical Perfusion scientists and achieve the re-accreditation criteria at the predetermined time intervals.
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Requires highly specialised knowledge acquired through a unique mixture of theoretical and practical work, which is over a significant training period.
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Must possess excellent communication skills and work well as an integral team member in the perfusion department and also in the multidisciplinary theatre team
- Able to work independently and participate in departments 24 hour emergency on-call rota as the secondary Perfusionist.
- Ability to adapt to changing circumstances and a commitment to professional development.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential
- To have attained Accreditation of the Society of Clinical Perfusion Scientists of Great Britain and Ireland.
- To be a registered member of the College of Clinical Perfusion scientists and achieve the re-accreditation criteria at the predetermined time intervals.
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Requires highly specialised knowledge acquired through a unique mixture of theoretical and practical work, which is over a significant training period.
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Must possess excellent communication skills and work well as an integral team member in the perfusion department and also in the multidisciplinary theatre team
- Able to work independently and participate in departments 24 hour emergency on-call rota as the secondary Perfusionist.
- Ability to adapt to changing circumstances and a commitment to professional development.
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).
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).
