AAA Screening Technician

Job description

Job responsibilities

Post Title:Screening Technician for Hereford and Worcester Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening Programme

Pay Band: 4

Hours: 22.5 hours per week

Days to be negotiated. Hours usually between 08:00 and 17:00 dependant on location. Flexibility will be required, possibly weekend and evening working if the development of the programme requires

Contract: Permanent

Location / Department: AAA Screening Programme, Worcester Royal Hospital, to include daily

travel across Herefordshire and Worcestershire

Accountable to: Hereford and Worcester AAA Screening Manager

Clinical Skills Trainer (CST)

Job Purpose:

The primary purpose of this role is to undertake abdominal ultrasound scanning as part of the community AAA screening programme covering Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The post holder will be required to undertake Level 3 Health Screeners Diploma if not already qualified and will work independently and make judgements according to experience and training.

The post holder will reassure men attending the community AAA screening and surveillance clinics and explain the screening test to them. The post holder will ensure that the men attending clinics are informed and aware of the implications of AAA screening. The post holder will ensure abdominal ultrasound scanning is undertaken to a high standard and in accordance with national standard operating procedures and will relay the results of the test to men undergoing screening.

Key Duties:

1. Communication

Observe and care for men attending the screening clinic, liaising with administrative staff, nurses, medical and screening programme staff as appropriate and in the best interest of the patient.

Deal with anxious patients and their relatives with tact, patience and discretion. Recognise where communication difficulties arise and overcome barriers to understanding.

Carry out other duties in accordance with the current guidelines and the programme protocol including: obtaining informed consent; putting patients at ease, explaining the reasons for their invitation and answering any queries.

Communicate the outcome of the screening test to the man (this may be via his relative/carer or interpreter); provide additional information and offer support appropriate to the outcome/patient pathway.

Work alongside other screening staff and key stakeholders involved with the clinic and support the work of the screening programme.

Keep the Screening Programme Manager and CST informed of caseload and any difficulties arising, seeking advice where necessary.

2. Knowledge, Training & Experience

Use knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the abdominal aorta to identify the area to be scanned and any measurements taken which are outside the normal range.

Apply specialist training and experience to manipulate ultrasound machine controls to gain maximum image optimisation.

Apply experience and training to deliver outcome of the screening test clearly and correctly, ensuring the patient understands the outcome and any further action required.

Attend all AAA in house and external training in line with recommended NAAASP timeline for training and accreditation/reaccreditation of screening technicians

Following accreditation, the post holder must comply with NAAASP requirements to perform a minimum of 200 scans per year, carry out at least one clinic session per month, partake in one observed QA clinic per quarter and one reaccreditation clinic per year

3. Analysis & Judgement

Analyse scan data to ensure the quality and other factors meet with agreed protocols.

Download data electronically, inspect for abnormalities and flag / record as appropriate, decide on course of action from available options and send data to the screening office.

Ensure that the screening office is notified as soon as possible about any results that are at variance with specified criteria or that are of concern.

Record clinical measurements and other information as required.

Issue accurate scan reports for use in the AAA screening programme and for inspection by the Lead Ultrasound Clinician as required.

4. Planning & Organisation

Organise and carry out ultrasound scans of the abdominal aorta in accordance with current guidelines for sonographic scanning and the programme protocol.

Ensure that scan results are despatched as soon as possible from off-site screening clinics to the screening office in a safe and confidential way.

Deal with medical and patient enquiries as appropriate, taking the initiative to prioritise work and to bring to the attention of medical or administrative staff any patient whose condition warrants it.

Handle incidents and medical emergencies in a professional manner and in accordance with local policy, supporting other screening staff if appropriate.

5. Policy & Service Development

Participate in service reviews and actively put forward suggestions for improvement for own work area.

Work within agreed protocols and operating procedures for scanning and care of patients.

Observe the requirements of the Infection Control Policy in ensuring the cleanliness and tidiness of screening rooms. Ensure that all clinic waste is disposed of according to local protocol.

Ensure that all clinic equipment is packed up correctly at the end of a clinic and stored in a safe and secure location.

8. Financial Responsibilities

Ensure the safe use of expensive ultrasound equipment including transporting portable equipment to various screening locations.

Monitor equipment used in the course of the role, ensure it is kept clean and record / report any faults. Monitor stock levels of supplies and consumables. Ensure that the screening office is notified well in advance when supplies need to be replenished.

Relevant training in accordance with the National Programme Standard Operating Procedures will be funded by the AAA Screening Programme. At the Programme Managers discretion, the post holder will be required to reimburse the cost of the Level 3 Diploma for Health Screeners, if undertaken whilst employed as part of the Hereford and Worcester AAA Screening Programme, if they wish to terminate their employment within 2 years of gaining the Level 3 Diploma for Health Screeners qualification or within 2 years of first registering on the Diploma if training is not fully completed.

9. Human Resources

Demonstrates duties and techniques to less experienced and new staff. May provide some basic clinical supervision.

10. Information Resources

There will be a requirement to use computer software to upload, store and report on images taken.

11. Research & Audit

It will be expected that the post holder will participate in the extraction of local clinical data for research purposes in line with the AAA national screening programme.

12. Freedom to Act

The post holder will be work within the programmes organisational policies and the national standard operating procedures.

13. Physical Effort

There is a requirement for frequent travel within the catchment area of the programme. There is a requirement for frequent use and transportation of a portable ultrasound machine.

14. Mental Effort

There will be a frequent requirement for mental concentration for short durations but which requires a high level of accuracy.

15. Emotional Effort

In order to maintain the quality and integrity of the training provision and subsequently the quality at point of care, the post holder may occasionally have to suspend (temporarily or permanently) screening personnel from performing scans.

In the event of a significant incident which is found to be due to poor performance/inadequate training of the screening technician, the post holder will be expected to contribute to the investigation.

16. Working Conditions

The post holder may occasionally be exposed to challenging behaviour when running the screening clinics.

There may be occasional circumstances indicating the need to change practice or long-standing established procedures.

Other Duties

Transport portable equipment and supplies to the screening locations as required, some of which are off-site and cannot be reached by public transport.

Help set up and pack up equipment at the beginning and end of a clinic.

Undertake work independently at sites away from a hospital base.

Work alongside other screening staff involved with the clinic and support the work of the AAA screening programme. This will involve performing some administration tasks as appropriate.

Attend meetings, training sessions and tutorials as required. Maintain clinical skills and knowledge.

The post holder may be expected to undertake such duties as required, within own scope of capabilities, training and grade, from time to time to suit the needs of the service

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• 5 GCSE's including maths, English and human biology or equivalent

Desirable

• Level 3 Health Screeners Diploma or equivalent NAAASP Screening Technician qualification

Experience

Essential

• 1. Understanding of hospital/primary care environment.
• 2. Knowledge of Clinical Governance and data protection

Desirable

• 1. Experience of working in an AAA Screening Programme.
• 2. Experience of working in a clinical environment.
• 3. Experience of face to face patient contact.

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• 1. Previous use of computer systems including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel) and Databases.
• 2. Accurate data entry skills.
• 3. Knowledge of AAA Screening Programme.
• 4. Good verbal and communication skills.
• 5. Ability to help people who have barriers to communication (eg. language, hearing loss).
• 6. Ability to make unsupervised judgements on client enquiries and problems.
• 7. Awareness of when to request advice from line manager or senior colleagues.
• 8. Flexible & independent approach to work.
• 9. Ability to work within a team and to effectively liaise with people at all levels.
• 10. Ability to work under pressure.

Other requirements

Essential

• 1. Driving licence.
• 2. Access to vehicle with business insurance.
• 3. Agree to daily travel to sites across the whole of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
• 4. Able and willing to move / transport portable ultrasound machine and supplies.
• 5. Interest and enthusiasm in the screening project and its benefits to the community.
• 6. Able to work occasionally outside office hours.

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Charles Hastings Way

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR5 1DD

Employer's website

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