Therapeutic Radiographer - Practice Educator

Job overview

A highly skilled and experienced practitioner working with the Radiotherapy Management team to ensure that the training, education and continuous professional development needs of the Radiotherapy workforce are met.

This post will ensure all postgraduate and undergraduate radiographers have access and understanding of radiotherapy development and practises both here at UHCW NHS Trust and in the wider Oncology community.

The post holder will work with and report to the Radiotherapy Service Manager and the Clinical Superintendents to ensure all staff have the same level of education and development.

The post-holder will be required to maintain clinical competency at Band7 level and take on the full responsibilities of that role when required.

Main duties of the job

• Liaise with the Radiotherapy Service Manager, Radiotherapy Superintendents, Medical Physicists and Clinical Oncologists, to identify the development and training needs of the current and future radiotherapy workforce, in line with individual staff needs and service requirements.

• Devise support mechanisms and assessment criteria in all aspects of training within the treatment and pre treatment area to ensure a common standard across all areas and across both clinical sites.
• Develop, implement and evaluate competency based training programmes and facilitate learning opportunities to meet the educational and skills development needs of Therapy Radiography staff.

• Facilitate and support the development and implementation of preceptorship programmes for newly appointed staff .

• Provide coaching and mentorship for Radiotherapy staff throughout their career to enable them to realise their full potential.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1.    Take responsibility for the correct interpretation, application and delivery of routine and complex Radiotherapy treatment prescriptions using expert clinical skills and developing those skills in less experienced members of the team.

2.    Ensure that highly specialist Radiotherapy equipment is used safely and accurately within the tolerances defined for the technique/ procedure and in accordance with manufacturers guidance and departmental protocols

3.    Approve and clinically justify any deviation from department protocols or predetermined tolerances keeping appropriate records and calling on senior staff for further advice / action as necessary.

4.    Undertake treatment localisation and verification using Simulator, virtual simulator and CT scanner Ensure that the most appropriate technique/modality is selected to meet the needs of the patient and the requirements of their treatment plan.

5.    Schedule patients for planning / treatment, prioritising in accordance with clinical need, operational objectives and the requirements of multimodality treatment programmes.

6.    Identify and undertake appropriate pre-treatment processes for both simple and complex treatments ensuring that they are completed in a safe and timely fashion.

7.    Undertake final check of all treatment parameters and processes to ensure that they are correct, complete and compliant with department protocols prior to the initiation of treatment. Take appropriate corrective action in the event of an error or non-conformance ensuring that any process failures or training needs are identified and addressed.

For further details please see the attached job description.