Job summary
We are excited to be able to offer the opportunity for a reliable, enthusiastic, hardworking Associate Practitioner to join our busy Audiology Department. You should be able to integrate well with the existing team, be flexible in supporting the needs of the service and have a genuine desire to contribute to providing a quality service for patients.
The department provides a comprehensive Audiology and Hearing Aid service to the whole of the North of Tyne and Northumberland area, therefore a driving licence and access to a car is desirable and a willingness to travel is essential.
- Interview date: 21 March 2024
- 37 hours 30 minutes/week
- You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will be working with adults with hearing loss so the ability to communicate clearly with a caring, friendly approach is essential. The role includes performing hearing aid reassessments for existing patients, including hearing tests, the fitting and verification of hearing aids, hearing aid repairs, taking impressions for ear moulds and fine tuning hearing aids at follow up appointments.
Your qualities should include being adaptable to short notice changes, being a good team player with excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to use your initiative.
About us
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest, largest and most successful teaching NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 16,000 staff and an annual income of £1 billion.
We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.
We're also proud to be the second largest provider of specialised services in the country. This means we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.
Our staff oversee around 2 million patients 'contacts' each year, delivering high standards of healthcare.
Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust.
We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people's race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- The main purpose of this role is to provide adult audiological assessment and rehabilitation to long standing hearing aid users. . The post holder will be working at all times with either direct or indirect supervision by a qualified Audiologist.
- The Associate Audiology Practitioner will undertake hearing aid reassessments, based around subjective and objective clinical assessments on adults and develop an individual care plan that will optimise their communication abilities and help to increase their social integration and comfort.
- Perform hearing aid fitting and verification on routine patients, using a selection of NHS hearing instruments and a variety of software programmes, in accordance with departmental policy.
- Perform real ear measurements routinely as part of aural rehabilitation, in accordance with departmental policy.
- Undertake hearing aid reprogramming, maintenance, repairs and adjustments
- Provide appropriate basic advice on hearing rehabilitation and the management of hearing impairment.
- Perform home visits to adults who require Audiology follow-up and are unable to attend appointments.
- Perform masked pure tone audiometry, in accordance with BSA recommended procedure and departmental policy.
- Perform tympanometry, in accordance with BSA recommended procedure and departmental policy.
- Perform hearing aid follow ups to determine how the patient is managing with their hearing aid and assess whether a further follow up appointment is required with a more senior staff member.
- Take accurate ear impressions on patients aged >12 years
- Refer to senior colleagues where complex issues are identified.
- Make decisions within the context of a set care plan which has been negotiated with the patient.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- The main purpose of this role is to provide adult audiological assessment and rehabilitation to long standing hearing aid users. . The post holder will be working at all times with either direct or indirect supervision by a qualified Audiologist.
- The Associate Audiology Practitioner will undertake hearing aid reassessments, based around subjective and objective clinical assessments on adults and develop an individual care plan that will optimise their communication abilities and help to increase their social integration and comfort.
- Perform hearing aid fitting and verification on routine patients, using a selection of NHS hearing instruments and a variety of software programmes, in accordance with departmental policy.
- Perform real ear measurements routinely as part of aural rehabilitation, in accordance with departmental policy.
- Undertake hearing aid reprogramming, maintenance, repairs and adjustments
- Provide appropriate basic advice on hearing rehabilitation and the management of hearing impairment.
- Perform home visits to adults who require Audiology follow-up and are unable to attend appointments.
- Perform masked pure tone audiometry, in accordance with BSA recommended procedure and departmental policy.
- Perform tympanometry, in accordance with BSA recommended procedure and departmental policy.
- Perform hearing aid follow ups to determine how the patient is managing with their hearing aid and assess whether a further follow up appointment is required with a more senior staff member.
- Take accurate ear impressions on patients aged >12 years
- Refer to senior colleagues where complex issues are identified.
- Make decisions within the context of a set care plan which has been negotiated with the patient.
Person Specification
Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of patient confidentiality and the Data Protection Act
- Good familiarity with medical technology.
Skills
Essential
- IT skills
- Good interpersonal and communication skills.
- Effective report writing skills
- Organisational and time management skills
- Good analytical and judgment skills.
- Demonstrable practical skills Pure Tone Audiometry, ULL, Tympanometry,
- Hearing aid fitting, verification, reviews and repairs.
- Basic manual handling skills.
Desirable
- Ability to perform, interpret and report recordings
- Driving license and use of car
Experience
Essential
- Previous clinical experience within an Audiology Department undertaking a range of investigations.
Qualifications/ Education
Essential
- Educated to Foundation Degree / Diploma in Hearing Aid Audiology or possess equivalent qualification
Person Specification
Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of patient confidentiality and the Data Protection Act
- Good familiarity with medical technology.
Skills
Essential
- IT skills
- Good interpersonal and communication skills.
- Effective report writing skills
- Organisational and time management skills
- Good analytical and judgment skills.
- Demonstrable practical skills Pure Tone Audiometry, ULL, Tympanometry,
- Hearing aid fitting, verification, reviews and repairs.
- Basic manual handling skills.
Desirable
- Ability to perform, interpret and report recordings
- Driving license and use of car
Experience
Essential
- Previous clinical experience within an Audiology Department undertaking a range of investigations.
Qualifications/ Education
Essential
- Educated to Foundation Degree / Diploma in Hearing Aid Audiology or possess equivalent qualification
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.
