Job summary
We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Clinical Technologist to lead the Cyberknife treatment planning team as a dosimetrist. We are a busy department, growing significantly in terms of patients treated per year with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and now treating around 500 patients annually with our Cyberknife unit.
We are a large department with 48 WTE scientific and technical staff and 9 linear accelerators, treating around 5000 patients per year. We have an ongoing equipment replacement programme and by early next year plan to have 5 Elekta Versas, 3 Radixact units and a replacement for our current CyberKnife VSI unit.
The post holder will be a section lead clinical technologist with specific responsibility for SRS treatment planning. They will have expert knowledge of SRS treatment planning and provide leadership to band 5 and band 6 clinical technologists within SRS planning. They will allocate work to other technologists, managing their day-to-day workload of complex clinical cases, in a time-critical clinical pathway. Prior knowledge of Accuray Precision treatment planning software would be an advantage but not required.
In partnership with the lead clinical scientist, they will work to update and commission the treatment planning system used for SRS, contribute to the maintenance of the quality and accuracy of all work produced in the section and participate in multi-disciplinary group meetings.
Main duties of the job
They will undertake a range of routine duties within Cyberknife treatment planning, including opportunities for development work. The main duties are to:
*Provide expert advice on stereotactic radiosurgery treatment planning to oncologists, scientists, dosimetrists and radiographers.
*Organise and manage the daily stereotactic radiosurgery planning workflow, including peer review and resourcing to meet tight clinical deadlines.
*Communicate effectively with multidisciplinary staff to ensure safe and timely treatment.
*Train staff in stereotactic planning and image fusion.
*Ensure plans are completed, checked and clinically approved within short timeframes.
*Use specialist treatment planning software for stereotactic radiosurgery.
*Produce and evaluate dose plans, check plans from other staff and ensure protocol compliance.
*Assess dose to organs at risk and recommend corrective action where needed.
*Attend MDT meetings and support clinical decision making.
*Maintain accurate planning records and use a range of radiotherapy software.
*Support quality assurance, audits and adherence to ISO9001 processes.
*Assist with commissioning and upgrades to planning systems.
*Participate in research, development and introduction of new techniques, to develop and improve the SRS service.
About us
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.
Job description
Job responsibilities
*Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description*
Job description
Job responsibilities
*Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description*
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- *Relevant BSc or equivalent.
- *Be registered with the Register of Clinical Technologists
- *Professional knowledge acquired through degree and supplemented by post-graduate specialist training to masters equivalent level.
Experience
Essential
- *Significant expertise of using highly developed specialist knowledge, both theoretical and practical in the area of stereotactic radio surgical treatment planning, and advanced radiotherapy treatment planning techniques
- *Expertise with commercial Radiotherapy Treatment Planning systems.
- *Extensive experience in the use of a wide range of manual methods and computerised external beam systems to produce routine and non-standard radiotherapy treatment plans.
- *Specialist experience in the use of stereotactic radiosurgery treatment planning systems, and ability to produce and critically appraise complex stereotactic radiosurgery plans.
- *Knowledge of radio biologically significant organ dose tolerances
- *Knowledge of radiation oncology: Including knowledge of patient anatomy, radiotherapy planning and treatment delivery techniques for x-ray and electron radiotherapy.
- *The ability to critically evaluate the highly complex radiotherapy planning metrics in terms of their influence on the choices in planning metrics made in producing a radiotherapy plan.
- *Ability to analyse and critically compare radiotherapy planning options and interpret potential consequences, so as to produce the highly specialist clinical technical solution required.
- *Ability to authoritatively advise clinical oncologists and therapy radiographers on possible treatment technique solutions
- *Demonstrable problem--solving ability to deal with problems or difficulties associated with treatment planning dosimetry that arise during or immediately prior to a course of radiotherapy.
- *Ability to produce reports on treatment verification and to recommend corrective actions.
- *Experience of monitoring staff workload and allocating resources according to patient treatment deadlines.
- *Ability to discuss patient set-up problems encountered in the treatment room with radiographers and clinicians in terms that deal with the situation without causing alarm or undue worry to the patient
- *Ability to liaise, work, collaboratively and negotiate solutions to day-to-day user problems within radiotherapy treatment planning.
- *Ability to prepare and deliver teaching, training and professional material on complex subjects to colleagues, trainees and other professional staff. This might be at national Scientific Meetings or Clinical System User Groups.
- *Specialist knowledge and ability to prepare preliminary dosimetric reports on treatment delivery errors (with advice on corrective action in consultation with the Medical Physics Expert-Treatment Planning).
- *Evidence of CPD and appraisal assessments, or equivalent evidence of career progression and continuing learning at post registration level.
- *Experience of research and development activities: ability to participate in developing new radiotherapy treatment planning techniques for UHB patients, and participation in national clinical trials.
- *Fluency with common IT packages such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc. with good keyboard skills.
- *Demonstratable understanding of relevant legislation, national standards, professional and other guidelines (eg IRR17, IRMER17, Data Protection Act etc) regulatory body reports and guidelines.
- *Demonstratable understanding of the hazards posed by, and precautions needed with:
- oIonising radiation
- oElectrical hazards
- oLasers
- oBiological Hazards
Additional Criteria
Essential
- *Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing with physics colleagues, clinical oncologists and other health care professionals. [n.b. This applies particularly to discussions on radiotherapy plan details and critical organ doses with Clinical Oncologists and Therapy Radiographers].
- *Able to demonstrate a high degree of initiative and ability to manage own time and manage resources to ensure appropriate levels of staff cover to meet the clinical needs of the service
- *Ability to propose improvements and new procedures both in radiotherapy physics and in the whole Radiotherapy Service.
- *Able to demonstrate high level of self-motivation and initiative in order to ensure patients are treated with the pareto optimal plan, on time.
- *Ability to provide professional and clinical supervision to Registered Clinical Technologists, Pre-registration and Trainee Clinical Technologists working in the Planning Room.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- *Relevant BSc or equivalent.
- *Be registered with the Register of Clinical Technologists
- *Professional knowledge acquired through degree and supplemented by post-graduate specialist training to masters equivalent level.
Experience
Essential
- *Significant expertise of using highly developed specialist knowledge, both theoretical and practical in the area of stereotactic radio surgical treatment planning, and advanced radiotherapy treatment planning techniques
- *Expertise with commercial Radiotherapy Treatment Planning systems.
- *Extensive experience in the use of a wide range of manual methods and computerised external beam systems to produce routine and non-standard radiotherapy treatment plans.
- *Specialist experience in the use of stereotactic radiosurgery treatment planning systems, and ability to produce and critically appraise complex stereotactic radiosurgery plans.
- *Knowledge of radio biologically significant organ dose tolerances
- *Knowledge of radiation oncology: Including knowledge of patient anatomy, radiotherapy planning and treatment delivery techniques for x-ray and electron radiotherapy.
- *The ability to critically evaluate the highly complex radiotherapy planning metrics in terms of their influence on the choices in planning metrics made in producing a radiotherapy plan.
- *Ability to analyse and critically compare radiotherapy planning options and interpret potential consequences, so as to produce the highly specialist clinical technical solution required.
- *Ability to authoritatively advise clinical oncologists and therapy radiographers on possible treatment technique solutions
- *Demonstrable problem--solving ability to deal with problems or difficulties associated with treatment planning dosimetry that arise during or immediately prior to a course of radiotherapy.
- *Ability to produce reports on treatment verification and to recommend corrective actions.
- *Experience of monitoring staff workload and allocating resources according to patient treatment deadlines.
- *Ability to discuss patient set-up problems encountered in the treatment room with radiographers and clinicians in terms that deal with the situation without causing alarm or undue worry to the patient
- *Ability to liaise, work, collaboratively and negotiate solutions to day-to-day user problems within radiotherapy treatment planning.
- *Ability to prepare and deliver teaching, training and professional material on complex subjects to colleagues, trainees and other professional staff. This might be at national Scientific Meetings or Clinical System User Groups.
- *Specialist knowledge and ability to prepare preliminary dosimetric reports on treatment delivery errors (with advice on corrective action in consultation with the Medical Physics Expert-Treatment Planning).
- *Evidence of CPD and appraisal assessments, or equivalent evidence of career progression and continuing learning at post registration level.
- *Experience of research and development activities: ability to participate in developing new radiotherapy treatment planning techniques for UHB patients, and participation in national clinical trials.
- *Fluency with common IT packages such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc. with good keyboard skills.
- *Demonstratable understanding of relevant legislation, national standards, professional and other guidelines (eg IRR17, IRMER17, Data Protection Act etc) regulatory body reports and guidelines.
- *Demonstratable understanding of the hazards posed by, and precautions needed with:
- oIonising radiation
- oElectrical hazards
- oLasers
- oBiological Hazards
Additional Criteria
Essential
- *Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing with physics colleagues, clinical oncologists and other health care professionals. [n.b. This applies particularly to discussions on radiotherapy plan details and critical organ doses with Clinical Oncologists and Therapy Radiographers].
- *Able to demonstrate a high degree of initiative and ability to manage own time and manage resources to ensure appropriate levels of staff cover to meet the clinical needs of the service
- *Ability to propose improvements and new procedures both in radiotherapy physics and in the whole Radiotherapy Service.
- *Able to demonstrate high level of self-motivation and initiative in order to ensure patients are treated with the pareto optimal plan, on time.
- *Ability to provide professional and clinical supervision to Registered Clinical Technologists, Pre-registration and Trainee Clinical Technologists working in the Planning Room.
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
