Trainee Echocardiographer

Job description

Job responsibilities

The trainee will undertake the full training programme in order to progress through the academic and practical elements of the training scheme. In so doing they will learn how to perform and interpret clinical and specialist scientific processes underpinned by theoretical and applied knowledge and practical experience and will learn how to:

Perform and interpret routine cardiac investigations.

Perform specialised diagnostics investigations.

• Carry out complex scientific and clinical roles, including those working directly with patients.
• Analyse and interpret and data compare investigative and clinical options.
• Make judgements, including clinical and differential judgements, involving complicated facts or situations that impact on patients.
• Initiate and undertake innovation, improvement and R&D and be involved in the education of healthcare science trainees and other learners in the workplace.
• Carry out audit to continuously improve patient care and service needs.
• Participate in the training and development of both external university students and junior team members.
• Communicate and interact effectively within a multidisciplinary team to ensure a positive patient experience.
• Assist the Principal Cardiac Physiologist and other senior members of the team in the day to day organisation and delivery of the cardiothoracic diagnostic service.

Post qualification and with appropriate additional experience and competencies, graduates from this scheme would be eligible to apply for Clinical Scientist equivalence and HCPC registration.

In addition, they will be expected to undertake work based experience to enable them to communicate complex technical, scientific and sensitive information to colleagues within their department in both verbal and written forms.

• Undertake a range of clinical and scientific investigations as appropriate to the role.
• Acquire and maintain a high level of professional competence in the performance of all tests, investigations and measurements carried out.
• Interpret and act upon results of tests, investigations and measurements in accordance with departmental policies, procedures and quality systems.
• Comment and advise on new proposals and protocols, especially for service improvements.
• Assist in the provision of advice to medical, nursing and other healthcare staff on the optimal and safe use of scientific procedures and highly complex equipment, including assisting in the design of new facilities.
• Assist with the procurement, acceptance and use of medical devices and consumables.
• Be responsible for the safe use of complex scientific and medical equipment, including recording all maintenance and calibration procedures performed and any corrective actions undertaken.
• Use reagents, consumables, hazardous materials and equipment safely and in accordance with Health and Safety policies.
• Participate in risk management procedures including risk assessment and the investigation and reporting of adverse incidents.
• Participate in internal and external audit processes and quality systems
• Undertake R&D within the department as an integral part of training and acquire relevant skills to undertake clinical audit.
• Assist with supervision and training of support staff, students and new appointees, and participate in departmental seminars and scientific meetings to disseminate knowledge acquired through study or research.

Education and Learning

• Successfully complete the training and assessment programme in conjunction with the local Training Coordinator and designated Academic institution to achieve certified competence awarded by the BSE.
• Undertake suitable training within the host department and other placements to successfully acquire core competencies and thereafter maintain the required standards of competence when undertaking duties.
• Take responsibility for own learning and development by recognising and taking advantage of all opportunities to learn, including appraisal, supervision, academic course and problem based learning and maintaining a personal portfolio of learning.
• Ensure that own learning needs, identified with the Training officer and reflecting the requirements of the curriculum, are met.
• Retain sufficient flexibility and adaptability in learning in order to ensure full contribution to improving services in response to changing health care needs.
• Maintain knowledge of recent scientific developments and undertake supplementary training to develop both knowledge and skills.
• Attend mandatory training (both vocational and academic) as required.
• Participate in internal and external assessment processes.

Delivery of patient care experience and contribution in the following areas:

Provide support to specialist clinics and specialist treatment interventions

Perform, report and interpret a range of investigations undertaken indirectly for or directly with patients within a range of care settings

Specialist care and treatment interventions for patients across the range of clinical pathways and health care settings

Appropriate clinical and scientific advice and interpretation of analytical results

Participate in multidisciplinary meetings

Apply and promote evidence based practice and use of relevant clinical protocols and procedures

Ensuring that all equipment used on patients and the public is handled and applied in accordance with health and safety requirements and other national or international guidelines

• Communication and interpretation of complex clinical, scientific and technical information to a wide range of people including clinicians, managers, patients and the public
• Liaise with senior scientists and clinical users of the service on appropriateness of investigations, interventions and tests

• Contribute to audits to inform patient management and clinical care
• Contribute to quality audits relating to accreditation and regulation
• Perform quality assurance, process and outcomes audits relevant to the specialism

• Maintain standards for health & safety procedures
• Comply with quality and governance procedures within the department including risk management and risk mitigation
• Maintain high standards of professional and personal conduct
• Ensure that patient safety and experience and effectiveness of service are maximised.

• To carry out any other reasonable duties to achieve learning and experience that may be required, which are commensurate with the grade and nature of the post
• This job description outlines the main current duties and responsibilities of the training post. The job description will need to be reviewed and subsequently may be altered. Any resulting changes will be subject to consultation

In addition to regular assessment and planning meetings, the trainee will have a biannual meeting to discuss progress and to consider issues relevant to the wider training programme

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• A 1st or 2:1 in Cardiac Physiology (PTP) or a relevant scientific subject (examples include Pure or Applied Physics, Engineering, Biology or Human Biology, or Sports Science (if significant scientific content) or equivalent experience and appropriate underpinning knowledge and skills in cardiology. As evidenced for example by appropriate voluntary registration with the Registration Council for Clinical Physiologists or Academy for Healthcare Science.

Experience

Essential

• Knowledge acquired through study and experience to formulate appropriate advice and judgements, including clinical judgements involving facts or situations that impact on patients.

Scientific Skills

Essential

• Has an understanding of the role of an Echocardiographer in healthcare and disease and its application in a healthcare setting.
• A committed, in depth interest in Echocardiography and its application to direct clinical care of patients in a clinical environment.
• Have an understanding of quality control and management assurance in a science or work based context
• Ability to develop proficiency in the performance of routine and complex techniques currently in use where they are training (ability to follow Standard Operating Procedures accurately)
• Able to identify problems associated with scientific equipment, inappropriate testing, incompatible results and to investigate these, plan corrective action confirming appropriateness with senior colleagues and follow up.
• Ability to analyse and assess scientific, technical and medical literature.
• Ability to use, maintain and troubleshoot scientific equipment.
• Good IT skills and knowledge of common computing packages for word processing, spreadsheets, presentation packages and databases.
• Ability to analyse complex information

Transferable skills

Essential

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both writing and speaking in English language in order to:
• Explain analytical, scientific and clinical aspects of the work to a variety of people including scientific colleagues, clinical professionals, service managers and patients and to listen to their needs.
• Make formal presentations to groups of colleagues.
• Good active listening skills to build rapport with the listener to encourage an open discussion.
• Self-aware and flexible enough to adopt a range of evaluative or empathising listening styles according to the needs of the listener and the situation.
• Ability to work autonomously in the planning and execution of their own work and under the guidance of their Departmental Supervisors.
• Flexibility to acquire the skills to organise, plan and monitor the workload of others.
• Ability to work under pressure (emotional resilience and ability to prioritise and plan work)
• Under guidance develops good interpretative skills in the formulation of advice to multi-disciplinary team members on diagnosis and appropriate treatment of patients.
• Good personal organisational skills.
• Effective team worker, willing to adopt a role working in collaboration with others.
• Good understanding of ethics and professional practice, the NHS constitution and the importance of patient-centred care
• Ability to support patients (or their carers) including those with a range of acute or chronic clinical conditions and disabilities in a variety of healthcare settings.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital

Address

Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital

Thomas Drive

Liverpool

Merseyside

L14 3PE

Employer's website

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