Job responsibilities
Professional / Clinical responsibilities
Perform a wide range of CT examinations of all body areas as required, managing patient priority as appropriate and maintaining a high standard of patient care, respect for dignity and privacy.
Supervise, support and train less experienced radiographers, nurses, students, porters and other support staff.
Assist in managing the varying workload according to need, recognising and respecting the individual needs of staff and patients, but also the current waiting list pressures.
Provide a patient centred service by communicating effectively with patients and other staff members of any potential delays which may occur.
Assess the clinical justification of CT/ x-ray referrals in accordance with national regulations and local protocols, and liaise with referrers and radiologists to select the most appropriate CT protocol.
Advise radiologists on the technical capabilities of the scanners and suggest appropriate protocols and sequences to best demonstrate common pathologies.
Take responsibility for the IV cannulation and drug administration relevant to the examination performed, including checking blood results and the medical history of the patient to ensure they have no contraindications to the administration of the drug.
To be aware of, and able to deal with any possible complications of the drug administration, without direct supervision by medical personnel.
Perform intravenous cannulation for patients undergoing CT, and administer IV drugs and contrast agents according to local and national protocols. This involves ascertaining the patients suitability for IV drugs and taking joint responsibility for the potential complications under the indirect supervision of radiologists. This also involves the use of low-pressure remotely operated pumps, whilst operating advanced software on the scanners to monitor
the exact timing of the patients circulation. These skills require excellent hand-eye coordination and frequent practice to maintain competence.
Review images produced and in the absence of a radiologist, ensure that any additional imaging procedures or scans are acquired prior to the patient leaving the department.
Bring to the attention of the radiologist (or referring clinician in their absence) the presence of any pathology that may suggest that urgent medical intervention is indicated.
Work closely with anaesthetic teams, intensive care staff, or other visiting members of staff to ensure they adopt safe working practices in the CT environment.
Be able to articulate the scan procedure, and complex or sensitive information in language suitable to a wide variety of patients with specific and individual needs.
Communicate effectively with patients and escorts throughout their journey in the department and the potential outcome of the examination. Much skill and a variety of persuasive and counselling-like strategies are required in helping patients to overcome their anxieties in order to complete the examination.
Employ skill, empathy and a variety of persuasive and counselling-like strategies to help patients overcome their anxieties in order to complete the examination.
Review the imaging protocols and attend departmental meetings to suggest enhancements or incorporate on-going improvements.
Participate in the safe manual handling of patients and equipment within the hospital using risk assessment and co-operation with other members of staff. In particular CT scanning involves the transfer of many bed-bound immobile patients some of whom may be very heavy and unable to assist themselves.
Ensure that infection control measures are adopted, with attention to personal protection and protection of equipment and other patients. Deal appropriately with situations involving exposure to bodily fluids and parasitic infestations, according to Trust guidelines.
Act as an operator under IRMER (2000). This requires constant attention to the need to maintain diagnostic image quality whilst minimising the large radiation dose associated with CT studies, relevant to the specific patient condition.
Perform intimate procedures to prepare the patient for CT scans of the pelvis and colon with due regard to the patients dignity and physical condition.
Work unsupervised during and out of normal working hours.
Attend ILS training and act as an ILS trained member of staff covering contrast reactions as required.
Management and Leadership
Participate in the appraisal process by appraising imaging assistants at Band 3 grade.
Involvement in the recruitment and retention process for Imaging Assistants (Band 3).
Know how to recognise and ensure that equipment is being used safely, and when it would be appropriate to intervene to maintain staff or patient safety.
Have an advanced working knowledge of the CT scanners service software so that problems can be rectified under the telephone guidance of a service engineer, if appropriate.
Communicate with the superintendent radiographer as to the action you have taken.
Re-arrange work lists in the event of equipment failure, taking account of patient priority.
Know how to book appointments, evaluating the clinical information to determine the appropriateness of the request, degree of urgency and the length of time required, and the most appropriate equipment for the examination, according to local protocol.
Know how to perform regular equipment testing, and quality assurance, monitoring trends and documenting results.
Financial responsibilities
Responsible for ensuring that the correct encounter has been used by the referring clinicians as this will impact on internal recharging.
Make changes to the RIS so that the areas that have been scanned are correctly recorded - with particular importance for updating when contrast agent has been used.
Information management
Accurately record data inputs concerning the examination for the purposes of patient record
integrity and statistical purposes. This involves use of the hospital and radiology information system (RIS), and the image archiving system (PACS).
Monitor, report and/or correct any lack of data accuracy in the hospital computer systems or image archive (PACS).
Be familiar with the operation of all relevant IT systems such as the PACS, RIS, CRS and the appointments systems.
Education & Professional Development
Encourage the highest professional and technical standards by personal example and constructive supervision.
Maintain a high level of technical and theoretical skills for CT, through personal CPD.
Train and teach rotational staff in CT and provide professional support
Apply any learning from continuous professional development to manage any change within the CT department which will improve patient care and quality of scanning.
Evaluate the quality of scans which you are involved with and discuss outcomes with the clinical specialist in the area.
Operational Delivery
Participate in the safe manual handling of patients and equipment within the hospital using risk assessment and co-operation with other members of staff.
Act as the coordinator in CT to organise workload to accommodate clinical priorities, negotiating changes to the planned work rota where required. In particular, the workload of the CT department requires particular attention to optimising the usage of the scanner rooms and making best use of the available equipment resources so as not to delay the lists.
Work closely with other visiting members of staff to ensure they adopt safe working practices in the CT environment.
Adapt to changes in working practices in response to developments of the service.
Monitor and report faults in any equipment with regard to the urgency of the problem.
Liaise with the portering services to ensure patients arrive in the Imaging department on time and with the correct clinical support.
Coordinate the preparation of patients, e.g. oral prep and IV cannulation.
Record and accurately scan the patients who have been referred on Research and clinical trials and to complete all the relevant documentation for these patients
Risk & Governance Management
Adhere to the requirements of IR (ME) R and local rules for Imaging
Identify and report any risks, incidents or near misses on the Trust Datix system.
Service Development
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 and after consultation with the post holder.
The post holder may be required to work across the Trust at any time throughout the duration of his/her contract, which may entail travel and working at different hospitals.
