Midwife Sonographer

Job responsibilities

We are looking for a highly motivated individual with knowledge of all aspects of Obstetric Ultrasound to work as part of a multidisciplinary team to provide support to both women and her family. Facilting midwifery care in line with the NMC and the NHS Trust.

The midwife sonographer will work in collaboration with members of the midwifery team, firmly focused on delivering a high quality and responsive ultrasound service, playing a key role in teaching, research and audit, as well as supporting the team leader in the day to day management of the department.

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further details.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse
• Registered Midwife
• Hold a relevant Case Accredited, Ultrasound certificate in Obstetric Ultrasound

Experience & Knowledge

Essential

• Must be able to care for women whose pregnancies have the potential to be, or are complicated with fetal anomalies, potential genetic disorders, past history of genetic disorders or previous complicated pregnancies.
• Must be able to give counselling, along with on-going support for women with high-risk pregnancies, fetal abnormalities and following the loss of a baby if needed
• Must be able to perform detailed obstetric scans to look for fetal abnormalities.
• Must be experienced in all types of obstetric ultrasound scans.
• To confirm intrauterine death.
• To monitor and assess complex and high-risk pregnancies, using Doppler when appropriate.
• To make decisions following assessment and make appropriate follow up appointments or take appropriate action.
• To be a point of referral for community services.
• To provide practical training and assessment to postgraduates and clinicians in basic and advanced obstetric ultrasound.
• Must be to use necessary reporting system/image recording system.
• Possess knowledge and understanding of the audit process and undertake clinical audit.
• Desirable to have experience in Research and Development.
• To have experience in writing protocols and guidelines along with patient care pathways using research based evidence.
• Must be able to work independently and be competent to write concise and accurate reports.
• Must be prepared to contribute to developing service protocols and audit.
• Must be prepared to continue with professional development to ensure high standard of ultrasound examination and to maintain State registration.
• Ultrasound is quickly evolving medium, which requires the sonographer to learn new skills and new ways of applying ultrasound. Must be able to adapt and incorporate new procedures in fetal medicine. (Fast evolving area of obstetrics.)

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Must be able to communicate effectively with a multidisciplinary team, including Consultants , Sonographers, Midwives, GP's , Nurses and other Health care workers when discussing patient management
• Must possess a full understanding of ethical and moral issues to enable delivery of bad news to the patients in appropriate /empathetic manner.
• Must be able to communicate verbally by telephone or in face to face situations often with very distressed families.
• Must be able to communicate with other agencies, both giving and receiving sensitive information. (Fetal Medicine Dept).
• Must communicate effectively with patient by compiling information leaflets and letters.
• Need to communicate in multidisciplinary meetings with colleagues.
• Must be able to Train a range of ultrasound trainees and provide feedback.

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Often in contact with infectious patients
• Daily contact with bodily fluids
• High risk of repetitive strain injury through Scanning (well documented), especially with obese or difficult patients and in awkward situations. Prolonged looking at a monitor causes eyestrain. (Guidelines suggest no more than 12 scans per session) but frequently more are done.
• Must be able to work effectively in a potentially high-pressurised emotive environment, with urgent patients and unpredictable workload. There is a high degree of emotional stress surrounding the care of women with high-risk pregnancies. Giving and receiving abnormal results, informing families of fetal abnormalities or fetal death. This can become more pronounced when there are more than one client at the same time with problems. Coping with parents having to make difficult decisions. Must be able to provide counselling for families after the loss of their baby

Trust Values

Essential

• Effective open communication
• Excellence and safety in everything we do
• Challenge but support
• Expect respect and dignity
• Local health that inspires confidence

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).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).