Cardiology Specialist Nurse

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Use specialist skills and knowledge to assess individual cardiac patients. Perform nurse led clinics, working autonomously, including taking patient history and physical examination.

Order appropriate pathology testing, ECGs, X-rays, echocardiography, CT coronary angiograms, stress testing and coronary angiography.

1. Act as an expert resource to assess patients with cardiac conditions. Develop, implement and evaluate programmes of care. Identify risk factors and advise on care and management following referral by agreed protocol. Implement local and national guidance (eg. NICE).
2. Reduce the impact of symptoms through achieving effective medical therapy through nurse prescribing.
3. Be responsible for assessing, monitoring and managing risk in this patient group, working within the Clinical Governance Framework to improve service quality.
4. Obtain informed consent for patients undergoing elective cardiac procedure.
5. Further develop nurse-led clinics for this patient group in consultation with the Consultant Cardiologist, and evaluate this service.
6. Improve access to medicines management via independent nurse prescribing within scope of competence within the nurse led clinics.
7. Provide patients and their families appropriate and evidence based advice regarding lifestyle modification, cardiac event and recovery.
8. Accurate and legible documentation should be completed to record Cardiac assessments/interventions.
9. Contribute to a patients seamless care between secondary and primary care by providing good written communication to the patients GP and patient regarding individual assessments and behaviour changes/goals agreed.
10. Signposting and referring where appropriate patients to other health professionals or supportive services e.g. smoking cessation, dietetic team, psychology services.
11. Input and update patient records on the local RACPC database.
12. Manage own caseload of and outpatients.
13. Actively contribute to Cardiology team in service training/updates for all members of the team.
14. Supervise and provide learning opportunities for other members of staff including nursing students.
15. Address and deal with unexpected events that impact on service delivery e.g. staff sickness to prioritise workload appropriately.
16. Maintain knowledge of research and development within the field of Cardiology on a National and International level.
17. Identify appropriate areas of the service that may benefit from audit or research and liaise with senior members of the team to undertake research/audit projects.
18. Be accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care, and contribute to creating an environment where clinical excellence will flourish.
19. Maintain competency in ILS and defibrillation skills to facilitate the elective DC cardioversion service.

Patient Care

See above.

Budget Responsibilities

This post does not hold any budget responsibilities.

However all staff will support their managers to make efficient and effective use of resources. All staff are responsible for identifying any actual or potential deviations from budgets and work with the budget holder or manager to find effective ways of handling it.

Responsibilities for People or Training

No line management responsibilities. The post holder is responsible for ensuring they meet the Nursing midwifery council (NMC) requirements for revalidation.

Flexibility

This job description is not intended to be exhaustive and it is likely that duties may be altered from time to time in the light of changing circumstances, in discussion with the post holder. This role profile is intended to provide a broad outline of the main responsibilities only. The post holder will need to be flexible in developing the role with initial and on-going discussions with the designated manager.

Supplementary Information

This job description should be read alongside the Supplementary Information provided on NHS Jobs for applicants and alongside the Employee Handbook for current staff members.

Person Specification

Job Title:

Cardiac Specialist Nurse, cardiology outpatients.

Great Western Hospital

The following criteria will be assessed from information provided on your completed application form, during the shortlisting and assessment process, and by your referees.

Criteria

Essential

Desirable

STAR Values

We will expect your values and behaviours to reflect the STAR Values of the organisation:

Service - We will put our patients first

Teamwork - We will work together

Ambition - We will aspire to provide the best service

Respect - We will act with integrity

Education, Qualifications and Training

NMC Registered nurse (level 1)

Diploma/Degree in nursing or willingness to undertake study at this level.

ILS provider.

Willingness to undertake Non-Medical Prescribing

Willingness to undertake PACE or diagnostic reasoning course

Relevant post graduate course in cardiology, cardiothoracic nursing or coronary care.

Non-Medical Prescribing

PACE course or Diagnostic reasoning module

Experience

Significant experience of working within a Cardiology setting.

Significant post Registration nursing experience

Experience within a health promotion role

Experience of nurse-led clinics

Knowledge and Skills

A good standard of written and spoken English is required to be able to undertake the relevant duties.

Basic IT Skills including use of email, inputting data, power point

The ability to dictate clear concise letters

Ability to prepare and deliver presentations to groups of people

Ability to communicate complex information to patients and relatives who may be anxious

Advanced IT Skills

Other

Job-Related Requirements

Willing to work in other areas of the Trust or Trust-wide as and when required to do so.

Able to work within a multi-disciplinary team

Promotes team morale through positive attitude and effective role modelling

Able to work autonomously

Good timekeeping

Self-motivated

Flexible and adaptable to the changing needs of Cardiology

Empathic

Tact and diplomacy

Able to work under pressure

Assertive

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• NMC Registered nurse (level 1)
• Diploma/Degree in nursing or willingness to undertake study at this level
• ILS provider

Desirable

• Relevant post graduate course in cardiology, cardiothoracic nursing or coronary care
• Non-Medical Prescribing

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience of working within a Cardiology setting
• Significant post Registration nursing experience

Desirable

• Experience within a health promotion role

Knowledge

Essential

• A good standard of written and spoken English is required to be able to undertake the relevant duties
• Basic IT Skills including use of email, inputting data, power point
• The ability to dictate clear concise letters

Desirable

• Advanced IT Skills

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Great Western Hospital

Marlborough Road

Swindon

SN3 6BB

Employer's website

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