Highly Specialist Cardiac Physiologist (XR07)

Job description

Job responsibilities

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Demonstrates the ability to prioritise and organise the clinical caseload within a designated area of Cardiology. Includes planning and organisation of expected and acute workload and deployment of more junior staff within that area.

To be able to exercise initiative as an autonomous practitioner in both Invasive and Non invasive areas of the Cardiology Department. The individual uses his/her discretion to re-adjust plans as the clinical situation/need of the patient changes.

Lead specialist in own clinical field demonstrating highly specialist in-depth knowledge and theory.

Communicates with all members of the multidisciplinary team to ensure the best possible care for the patient. Including giving detailed advice to other specialist professions which will influence patient care/outcomes. Communication skills including:

Reassurance, e.g. to patients who are anxious about their clinical findings.

Immediate Life Support training essential due to nature of investigations being undertaken e.g. patients at high risk of cardiac arrest.

Non clinical skills to include computer literacy.

To communicate sensitive information about specialist cardiac investigations to patients and relatives/carers including children and those with learning and/or physical disabilities.

Performs, analyses and interprets a wide range of highly specialist and complex cardiac ultrasound investigations e.g. Tissue Doppler Imaging with quantitative analysis, myocardial perfusion studies. Generates factual reports that are documented in patient clinical notes and/or on relevant databases and directly used to influence patient management. These sources are then in turn used to aid audit and compilation of statistical information.

Has highly developed level of sensory skills and good hand to eye co-ordination in order to immediately analyse and respond to complex life threatening physiological signs. Following interpretation of the results judgemental skills are used in order to make instantaneous decisions about further patient care.

Has a high level of manual dexterity with enhanced precision and timing skills in order to ensure the accurate application of a range of diagnostic tools (e.g. measurement of cardiac ultrasound variables to optimise pacemaker programming settings).

High level of manual dexterity with hand / eye co ordination and sensory skills to position patient and manipulate ultrasound probes to obtain optimum ultrasound images often from limited acoustic windows and within very limited time scales (seconds)

THE LEEDS WAY VALUES

Our values are part of what make us different from other trusts, so we see this as a strength, as well as a responsibility. They have been developed by our staff and set out what they see as important to how we work. Our five values are: Patient-centred, Collaborative, Fair, Accountable and Empowered.

All our actions and endeavours will be guided and evaluated through these values.

CORE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

Complying at all times with departmental policies and guidelines.

Comply with LTH trust policies including health and safety policies (e.g. COSHH etc).

To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspect of own work, including the management of patients in your care.

Routinely undertakes assessment of both in-patients and out-patients prior to a range of Cardiological Investigations and uses own discretion in order to ensure the patient is suitable for the investigation.

Analyses and interprets ultrasound images, measurements, calculations and Doppler wave forms

Gives lead specialist advice during highly complex situations where analytical judgement is required to all other members of the multi-disciplinary team including consultant physicians e.g. diagnosis of pericardial effusion, whether there are signs of haemodynamic compromise and if suitable for pericardial aspiration.

Lead Specialist in own clinical field. Implements change in own specialist area of cardiac ultrasound based on own experience and evidence based practice.

Works within and towards national guidelines and directives, e.g. NICE guidelines, National Service Framework (NSF).

Works as an autonomous practitioner within established departmental policies and those recognised by international organisations e.g. American Heart Association, American Society of Echocardiography.

Proposes changes to ultrasound protocols / working practice in response to national guidelines e.g. British Society of Echocardiography, British Cardiac Society.

Communicates with all members of the multidisciplinary team to ensure the best possible care for patients, including: negotiating, reassurance, empathy, and persuasiveness.

Communicates sensitive information about routine and complex cardiac investigations to patients and relatives/carers including children and those with learning and/or physical disabilities.

Carries out a broad range of fundamental and complex cardiac investigations and provides accurate factual reports following analysis and interpretation of physiological data.

Calibrates and manipulates a wide range of complex, expensive, technical equipment which process, create, update and store information.

Performs / provides factual reports on a number of the following investigations on a region-wide range of Cardiac and Medical patients including acutely ill paediatric and elderly patients and those with a range of physical and learning disabilities:

Physiologist led Exercise Tolerance Testing (ETT)

Cardiac ultrasound imaging

Trans thoracic echocardiography

Trans oesophageal echocardiography

Stress echocardiography

Contrast studies

Assessment for cardiac resynchronisation therapy

Tissue Doppler imaging

Advanced haemodynamic assessments/calculations

Measurement of cardiac ultrasound variables to optimise pacemaker programming during physiologist led pacemaker follow-up

12 lead electrocardiographs (ECGs)

Blood pressure measurements (BP)

Exercise testing under Medical supervision

Reports equipment faults in accordance with departmental policy.

Demonstrates personal duty of care for safe use of expensive and highly complex equipment. Is responsible for ensuring that others are fully trained in the safe use of such equipment within their specialist area.

Responsible for maintenance of stock levels by ordering from pre-agreed tender schedules and by seeking new resources as service demands change.

Responsible for day to day security of expensive equipment, e.g. portable ultrasound machines, trans-oesophageal probes.

Responsible for maintaining own technical competencies in clinical areas.

Responsible for reporting clinical incidents and adverse events to the Service Manager, e.g. ultrasound probe heating.

Maintain state registration.

Responsible for formal mentorship and coordination of training for designated staff in training within own specialist area.

Provides highly specialist training on a day to day basis for doctors and cardiac physiologists.

Be an active member of the in-service training programme by attendance at, and participation in, in-service training programmes, tutorials, individual training sessions, external courses and peer review.

Undertakes Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in accordance with Personal Development Plan (PDP) as developed with Line Manager.

Attends and participates in departmental staff meetings.

Maintains and develops current knowledge of evidence based practice in the each clinical area.

Responsible for the implementation and evaluation of capitol and consumable equipment prior to purchase to ensure the equipment fulfils both service requirements and budget restrictions.

Frequently undertakes collection of data for use in audit, research projects and equipment testing.

Regularly undertakes clinical trials involving new and emerging technologies.

Collaborates with the Service Manager towards changes that may impact the wider service provision.

Health and Safety/Risk Management

All staff are responsible for working with their colleagues to maintain and improve the quality of services provided to our patients and other service users. This includes complying at all times with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Policies, including Health and Safety policies, in particular by following agreed safe working procedures, and reporting incidents using the Trust Incident Reporting system.

The jobholder must comply at all times with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Infection Control policies, in particular by practising Universal Infection Control Precautions. Hand hygiene must be performed before and after contact with patients and their environment.

Equality and Diversity

The jobholder must comply with all policies and procedures designed to ensure equality of employment and that services are delivered in ways that meet the individual needs of patients and their families. No person whether they are staff, patient or visitor should receive less favourable treatment because of their gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion etc.

For more details, please read the job description attached.

Person Specification

Additional requirements

Essential

• Professional membership of relevant professional body e.g. British Society to Echocardiography.
• RCCP registered or AHCS or HCPC

Skills & behaviours

Essential

• Highly motivated to provide a quality service
• Excellent ability to prioritise own workload
• Ability to communicate well with patients and colleagues
• Performs transthoracic echocardiograms to a high standard independently in accordance with BSE guidelines and departmental guidelines
• Experience in specialist areas e.g. Stress; contrast; ICC; valve clinic

Desirable

• Experience in Supervision and assessment

Qualifications

Essential

• BSc in Clinical Physiology or equivalent
• BSE Adult proficiency Accreditation

Desirable

• Masters level study
• ASCST part I & II

Experience

Essential

• Experience of providing a wide range of diagnostic investigations
• Experience in providing specialised, unsupervised diagnostic reports to an appropriate level and highlight urgent findings

Desirable

• Experience in Supervision and assessment

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.

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

Leeds Teaching Hospitals

Address

Leeds General Infirmary

Great George Street

Leeds

LS1 3EX

Employer's website

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