Ultrasound Engineer

Job responsibilities

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Organisational

1.1 Work as instructed by the Lead Ultrasound Engineer and Lead Ultrasound Physicist in conjunction with the other Ultrasound Engineers and the Ultrasound Coordinator to prioritise the work of the section. Assign planned visits for preventive maintenance and call outs for breakdowns and suspected faults. This planning must ensure that urgent breakdowns are dealt with in the contracted time frame.

1.2 Support the planning of service dates and visits according to existing contracts so that all planned visits are fulfilled in a timely manner. This involves liaison with the equipment managers or users and, in the case of shared contracts, with the manufacturers service department so all visits by the team and the manufacturer are properly coordinated.

1.3 Jointly take responsibility for the organisation and monitoring of the various activities of the ultrasound section in collaboration with the other engineers as appropriate

1.4 Act as ultrasound engineer manager as required in the absence of the lead ultrasound engineer

1.5 Promote the range of services available from the ultrasound section of the department when meeting users of ultrasound systems, radiology managers and others associated with ultrasound system use.

1.6 Assist the Lead Ultrasound engineer and Lead Ultrasound Physicist in negotiating with ultrasound companies over the terms and conditions of joint maintenance contracts including special discounts on contract pricing for the level of our involvement where we are a partner.

1.7 Provide and organise training courses, either formal in a training centre or informal on site to a level sufficient for the engineers to operate effectively over the range of current ultrasound imaging equipment.

1.8 Apply ultrasound system knowledge and experience to discern appropriate repair options e.g. decide to pass over to the manufacturer or repair in-house as appropriate, and sign off completed jobs.

1.9 Organise and carry out work to provide a timely and efficient service to users of ultrasound so the systems are operating effectively with minimum disruption to provision of clinical services.

1.10 To decide when and on what basis to carry out work at the request of a manufacturer when their service organisations cannot attend in a timely manner.

1.11 Assist the physicists in the planning and delivering of acceptance and inspection testing on new ultrasound imaging equipment and conduct site audits when required to ensure contact details and system details are up to date.

1.12 Promote the available services of the Ultrasound Section of the department regarding acceptance and maintenance along with advising and assisting with disposal of ultrasound equipment.

1.13 Foster good relationships with users and company sales and application personnel to identify new ultrasound equipment purchased in the Region, and to promote the services of the ultrasound section

Technical

2.1 Attend sites with appropriate test equipment and tools while working according to written procedures in the Quality System.

2.2 Carry out unsupervised planned preventive maintenance (PPM) visits on over 100 models of highly complex ultrasound systems throughout North West England.

2.3 Identify faults on complex ultrasound systems during PPM visits, carry out repairs where appropriate and/or advise on further action where necessary.

2.4 Attend hospitals to investigate reported faults where required. Carry out repairs where possible and/or advise on further action where necessary.

2.5 Assist the physicists in acceptance testing on new highly complex ultrasound equipment and follow through on behalf of the customer any issues or findings which need to be addressed by the manufacturer or agent.

2.6 Liaise with the manufacturer or supplier on complex technical issues where required, when a job or request for parts is passed to the manufacturer.

2.7 Carry out repairs, adjustments and calibration on highly complex ultrasound systems, and associated equipment in the base workshop as required.

2.8 Liaise with companies over identifying and supplying of spare parts and technical information relating to repairs and maintenance.

2.9 Ensure that appropriate spares are available by system and fault profiling.

2.10 Work within the established quality system to appropriate standards.

Education and Training

3.1 Maintain and develop a high level of knowledge of a wide range of highly complex ultrasound systems including all system types under contract with the service and new systems on release.

3.2 Attend manufacturer and agent training courses on the operation and repair of highly complex diagnostic ultrasound imaging systems.

3.3 Undertake peer staff training of engineers in general and system specific aspects of highly complex ultrasound diagnostic imaging systems, cascading manufactures training to the team.

3.4 Attend specialist generic electrical and ultrasound courses including for example electrical safety testing courses for medical equipment.

3.5 Develop and maintain understanding of computer communications for the storage and transmission of images (PACS) by attendance at training courses and local skill development.

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree in an appropriate electronics or electrical discipline or equivalent.
• Full UK driving licence.

Desirable

• Registered in a recognised CPD scheme.
• Registered as a Clinical Technologist

Experience

Essential

• Comprehensive experience in the maintenance and repair of medical electronic equipment.

Desirable

• Experience of maintaining a wide range of ultrasound medical devices.
• Possess an up-to-date professional portfolio
• Experience of making quality assurance measurements on technical medical equipment preferably diagnostic ultrasound systems

Skills

Essential

• Good manual dexterity and hand eye co-ordination to facilitate dismantling and reassembly of delicate equipment and use of precision tools.
• Methodical way of working to facilitate repair and reassembly of complex equipment.
• Good verbal communication skills to communicate complex technical information to other professionals within the medical profession and other engineering staff
• Able to write competent technical reports.
• Able to make confident decisions on own initiative.
• Good negotiating skills.
• Computer literate with good understanding of network communication
• Ability to work safely & effectively under pressure without supervision or oversite
• Ability to maintain concentration for long periods, to explore a particular problem or feature on a system and come to a logical and justifiable decision.
• Good supervisory skills.

Desirable

• In-depth knowledge of all Microsoft Office applications including Access 365.
• Able to understand and undertake network configuration of computer based medical equipment
• A basic knowledge of anatomy and physiology

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of medical equipment and the special circumstances which apply when working in a hospital environment.
• Working knowledge of MHRA practices in relation to equipment management.
• Knowledge of working with quality systems, procedures and work instructions.
• Working knowledge of an equipment management system.
• An understanding of the applications of medical ultrasound sufficient to appreciate relative importance and urgency of different faults and tests.

Desirable

• Working knowledge and understanding of specific ultrasound devices.

Values

Essential

• Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours.

Other

Essential

• Will sometimes be required to carry out duties over normal lunchtime periods or travel back from sites after 5 pm.
• Will be required to travel to many different hospitals and clinic sites, transporting substantial amount of valuable test equipment.
• Be responsible for their decisions and actions while on site
• Capable and sensitive to of working in clinical areas and sensitive environments, displaying tact and discretion at all times and adhering to local policies and procedures.
• Appropriately dressed.
• Full UK driving licence.
• Access to a motor vehicle that is insured for business use with respect to service provision to North West hospitals and clinics

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).