Job responsibilities
Post Title: Highly Specialist/Advanced Clinical Physiologist/Clincial Scientist (Neurophysiology)
Pay Band: Band 7
Hours: 30
Contract: Perminant
Location / Department: Neurophysiology
Accountable to: Kelly Bill Clincial Service manager
Reports to: Kelly Bill Clinical Service Manager
Key Working Relationships: Communicate with;
Patients, carers, other medical and non-medical staff. Other professional organisations.
Gives advice to:
As above
Risk Assessment:
Manual handling activities, exposure to bodily fluids, needle stick injury, cross infection, lone working, aggressive and abusive behaviour and unpredictable patients and visitors. Exposure to emotionally distressing situations, VDU and contained hazardous materials.
Job Purpose:
The Clinical Neurophysiology Department provides a neurodiagnostic service to the Worcestershire Hospitals, surrounding community trusts and GPs
Extra contractual referrals from surrounding trusts are frequent.
The post holder undertakes all neurophysiological investigations unsupervised, at an advanced level to include highly complex and advanced procedures.
With accountability for specialised managerial and administrative duties and contributing to the general day to day management of the department.
Key Duties:
Main duties and responsibilities
Clinical
- Monitor and maintain high professional standards of Neurophysiological services to patients and will initiate remedial action where necessary.
- Work collaboratively with other professionals and agencies to ensure service(s) meet changing healthcare needs.
- Demonstrates leadership and support to other neurophysiological staff in dealing with difficult and conflicting situations including those of a clinical and professional nature.
- Initiates and participates in the implementation of policies and protocols, trust, local and national.
- Plans, performs, reports and interprets a range of Specialist and highly complex Neurophysiological investigations as listed below to an advanced level of competence and expertise using own initiative to derive the best clinical interpretation of neurophysiological investigations. On patients with neurological, non-neurological, psychiatric, learning disabilities, labile mental states and substance dependant conditions.
Specialist Neurophysiological investigations;
- Perform Electroencephalograph (EEG) investigations employing current standard techniques (digital) with out supervision in the EEG laboratory taking appropriate action(s) where necessary to ensure complex information is delivered and understood to obtain accurate results. Also perform EEGs both dedicated and non-dedicated environment. To be performed on all ages and variety clinical circumstances.
- Perform emergency EEGs on ITU (Intensive Therapy Unit), SCBUs (Special Care Baby Unit) or general wards to include terminally ill and potentially brain dead patients- Where rapid application of electrodes is essential this could be on or off site, appropriate action taken where necessary.
- Perform EEG investigations using specialist techniques. These include activation procedures - hyperventilation, photic stimulation, recordings following sleep deprivation, using video, polysomnography recordings recording during stimulation of a non-routine nature, e.g. postural change.
- Performs Nerve conduction studies for Carpel tunnel syndrome (CTS)
- Assist with EMG (Electromyography) examinations and Nerve conduction Studies with the Clinical Neurophysiologist
- Performs all modality evoked potentials on all age groups both for Neurological and Opthamological purposes.
- Performs full calibration, faults, and machine checks on all specialist neurophysiological equipment and implements appropriate action where necessary.
Highly Advanced Neurophysiological investigations;
- Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT)
- Perform Ambulatory recordings, taking appropriate action where necessary.
- Performs Nerve conduction studies for ulnar nerve lesions.
- Performs peripheral nerve conduction studies.
- Initiates and takes appropriate unsupervised action where further nerve conduction studies may be needed e.g. Needs lower limbs studies when screening CTS in a diabetic patient.
- Drug monitoring; during the administration of medication (e.g. Chloral hydrate Thiapentone), To monitor the management of a medical emergency.
- Advanced Evoked Potentials;- Electroretinograms (ERG) Pattern, flash, photopic, scotopic
- Jerk-Locked Back Averaging
- During general anaesthesia
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- Provides a One-stop Nerve conduction clinic, off site. Which includes planning, performing and reporting.
- In the absence of a Consultant Neurophysiologist, selects and faxes appropriate pages of EEG to be interpreted and reported on, with a potential for treatment and/or diagnosis.
- Provides an on call EEG service when required.
- Undertakes and responsible for fault remedy, cleaning and maintenance of recording equipment or apparatus within the department including care and maintenance of electrodes and other apparatus.
- Accountable for allocating complex appointments and daily duties for all neurophysiological investigations both urgent and non-urgent for a skill mix of staff.
- Knowledge and ability to used emergency equipment and manual handling aids.
- Provides advice for major lifestyle changes to both patients and medical staff. (i.e. driving and photo sensitivity)
- Contributes to overseeing the accuracy of medical reports leaving the department.
Managerial and Leadership
- Contribute to the management and leadership for Neurophysiologists and other staff groups.
- Contribute to the monitoring of annual leave and sickness absence.
- Contributes to the management of budget holder and responsible for effective use of resources.
- Undertakes responsibility for the efficient and effective management of physical resources.
- Undertakes responsibility for the planning and organisation of information resources, ensuring effective patient reporting and data storage to include archiving skills both paper and digital.
- To provide and maintain statistical information as required for statistical and other management purposes. (Using spread sheets where necessary)
- To formulate the health and safety and quality assurance policies to patients, staff and visitors.
- To attend Trust, Regional and National meetings relating to issues of Neurophysiological Services provision.
- Participate in Trust/Region wide projects.
- Contributes to the recruitment, appointment and retention of all staff in line with Trust policies and guidelines.
- Contributes to the analysis and workforce planning needs of the Neurophysiology establishment and skill mix as appropriate to the safe provision of service(s) to patients, within budget provision.
- Undertakes responsibility for counselling, grievance, discipline and welfare matters and where appropriate implementing disciplinary procedures.
- Promote and ensure equality, diversity and rights for all.
- Undertakes negotiating contracts when purchasing new equipment.
- Responsible for professional decisions and action taken with in the Neurophysiology service provision.
- Contribute to the management and leadership for Junior Neurophysiologists and other staff groups.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities.
- Undertakes responsibility and is accountable for clinical governance with in the Neurophysiology service provision and overseas the sharing of best practice
- Initiates, implements and undertakes risk assessment within the Neurophysiology service provision.
- Evaluates and identifies purchase needs for minimal handling equipment. And negotiates price.
- Identifies and implements training needs resulting from such purchases.
- Responsible for regular update of health and safety protocols.
- Responsible for maintaining records of staff attendance at mandatory training events.
