Audiology Apprentice

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

This job is now closed

Job summary

This is a Trainee (Apprentice) role, during which the post holder will be supported to work towards successful completion of:

Healthcare Science (Audiology): Degree Apprenticeship BSc (Hons)

As an apprenticeship this role is supported by an accompanying assessment and skills development programme, during which the post holder will gain the skills and knowledge relevant for this role. Learning will be a mix of in the workplace, formal on and off the job training, and the opportunity to practise new skills in a real work environment. On successful completion of their Apprenticeship, they will have the right knowledge, skills, and behaviours they need for their chosen role.

Salary

Year 1 - £22,308 - National Minimum Wage.
Year 2 - 65% of top of Band 5 - £22,477.65
Year 3 - 70% of top of Band 5 - £24,206.70
Year 4 - 75% of top of Band 5 - £25,935.75

Main duties of the job

The main purpose of this role is to provide a range of clinical care working in one or more specialist areas of audiology. The post holder is responsible for maintaining clinical records in relation to the activities carried out. The post holder will also supervise or train less experienced staff, assess and supervise students and be a point of contact for junior staff regarding routine cases, and provide advice regarding the specialist area(s) they work in. The post holder may also lead a team working in a specialist area.

About us

The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals.

From 1st July we have come together as a single organisation under the name Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk and Newton hospitals.

The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.

Our Vision is to deliver 5 Star Patient Care:

CAREthat is evidence based, high quality and compassionate
SAFETY that is of the highest standards
COMMUNICATION that is open, inclusive and respectful
SYSTEMS that are efficient, patient centred and reliable
PATHWAYS that are best practice and embedded, but also respect the individual needs of patients

Our achievements include:

Trust rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
Awarded National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for our Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Date posted

09 May 2024

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£28,408 to £34,581 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

409-26242539

Job locations

Ormskirk District Hospital

Wigan Road

Ormskirk

L39 2AZ

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities to be gained over the period of the apprenticeship:

To perform and analyse diagnostic hearing assessments on adults and children over the age of 36 months.

Examination of the pinna, external auditory canal and tympanic membrane to identify normal and healthy features using otoscopy.

Recognizing contraindications to performing further procedures and appropriate referral to ENT, Dressing Clinic, GP, Treatment Rooms and Radiology.

Perform pure tone audiometry using headphones and bone conduction vibrator to elicit accurate hearing threshold levels, using masking when appropriate in line with British Society of Audiologys recommended guidelines.

Use of tact and persuasion and modification of procedure where barriers to understanding exist.

Perform middle ear analysis using tympanometry, following the British Society of Audiologys recommended procedure to record compliance, middle ear pressure, acoustic reflexes and acoustic reflex decay and reporting on findings.

Selection, programming and objective and subjective verification when prescribing hearing aids.

Assessment of patients individual physical abilities, motivation, and social needs in choice of hearing aid and functions.

Use of real ear measurement techniques in the objective verification against prescription using relevant hardware and software. Placement of probe tube microphones to accomplish this verification requires fine manual dexterity and care when placing them within a few millimetres of the eardrum. Use of live voice and the Arthur Boothroyd wordlists and BKB sentences in the subjective measurement of hearing aid performance.

Adjustment of hearing aid parameters away from prescription in response to patients experiences.

Instruct the patient on the effective use of hearing aids, communicating realistic expectations and limitations of amplification.

Negotiate individual care plans to empower the patient to address their communication and hearing needs.

Use effective communication and persuasion where poor motivational attitude to hearing loss, visual impairment, dementia, stroke, aphasia and other health conditions co-exist.

Use of the Glasgow Hearing Aid Benefit, GHAB, questionnaire to measure handicap and disability before and after treatment.

Refer to social care for assistive listening equipment and signpost to hearing related voluntary agencies.

Participate in the open access drop-in hearing aid repair clinics, this entails the maintenance, repair and replacement of faulty hearing aids and ear moulds, supplying batteries and accessories and the taking of aural impressions by the syringe method. Dealing with queries and problems presented by the patient/carer, identifying those that would benefit from reassessment or require referral on to other support services.

Provide cover for our outreach services in the community.

Provide a full audiology service to in-patients.

Support the domiciliary service.

Modification of ear moulds using grinders, polishers, buffers and drills and appropriate safety equipment. Fine dexterity, good grip and motor skills are required to make very fine modifications and drill very small vents.

Selection of appropriate ear mould types and produce accurate and safe impression as per British Society Societys recommended guidelines, using the syringe method on adults and children aged over 36 months.

To communicate effectively with patients, carers, relatives, and guardians to ensure understanding of diagnosis/ condition and ongoing management.