Trainee Orthopaedic Plaster Technician

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a trainee orthopaedic plaster technician at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.

We are looking for a highly motivated individual who is interested in a career within our plaster service. The successful applicant will need to have a good standard of education, excellent interpersonal skills, good manual dexterity and a desire to learn new skills.

Orthopaedic plaster technicians work in the field of Trauma & Orthopaedic Outpatients, Fracture Clinic, Accident & Emergency Departments and Operating Theatres. It is your job to apply casts to patients, at the doctor's request following an accident, for elective orthopaedic conditions and following surgery. You will be expected to complete the British Orthopaedic Association Casting Course after a minimum of one year working in the plaster service. Following qualification the person will be expected to remain within the department for a minimum of one year.

If you feel you have the character to take on this exciting opportunity please apply for this role. Further information can be found about the British Casting Certificate (BCC) here

https://www.boa.ac.uk/learning-and-events/casting-courses.html

Main duties of the job

This is a developmental role and you will join the team as a trainee orthopaedic plaster technician. Following a minimum of one year working and learning within the plaster room you will be required to complete the British Casting Certificate (BCC). This certificate is validated by the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) and the Association of Orthopaedic Practitioners UK (AOP UK) and is supported by the Society of Orthopaedic and Trauma Nursing (SOTN) of the Royal College of Nursing. Once the qualification is completed successfully you will receive 60 credits either at Diploma Level 8 SCQF equivalent to Level 5 NQF, or Degree Level 9 SCQF equivalent to Level 6 NQF. The course/examination will be undertaken on a 5-week residential course held at Stanmore Orthopaedic Hospital, London. Completion of the qualification will enable you to work in the plaster service as a Band 4 Junior Qualified Orthopaedic Plaster Technician and then progress into more senior roles as they become available.

The qualified Orthopaedic Plaster Technician is a vital member of the healthcare team providing a service not just in Orthopaedics and Trauma but also Trust-wide across many different specialties. In a similar way to Orthotists and Physiotherapists, they interpret prescriptions from a wider multidisciplinary team, being able to discuss issues of care with other relevant Healthcare Professionals.

About us

MTW is a large acute hospital trust in the south-east of England.

We provide a full range of general hospital services and some aspects of specialist and complex care to around 600,000 people living in west Kent and East Sussex. We have a team of over 8,000 full and part-time staff. We also provide specialist cancer services to around 2 million people across Kent and East Sussex via the Kent Oncology Centre.

In the 2024 NHS staff survey, our employees ranked MTW among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and the second-best Trust to work for in the South East.

Would you like to work flexibly? In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.