Associate Medical Physicist, Radiotherapy, WRH
- Employer
- Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
- Location
- Worcester
- Salary
- £37,350 to £42,618 a year
- Closing date
- 1 Jun 2023
View more
- Profession
- Other Health Profession
- Grade
- Band 6
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Job summary
This post within a friendly Radiotherapy Physics team at Worcester Royal Hospital will primarily be to provide support to the routine and development work undertaken by the clinical scientists. The team consists of 8 clinical scientists, 2 engineers, 6 planning technicians and an IT technician.
Although a relatively small radiotherapy provider (treating ~1000 cancer patients each year), Worcester's Physics team focusses on ensuring we deliver the highest quality treatment for our patients, and as such are heavily involved in several national initiatives aimed at improving how we deliver treatment.
Over the course of this fixed-term post you will gain a wide range of hands-on experience that would be an excellent stepping stone to one of the formal training programmes leading to HCPC registration as a clinical scientist.
Candidates who currently lack healthcare experience may be initially appointed at Band 5 until that experience is obtained.
Main duties of the job
Your day-to-day role will include assuring the performance of the treatment machines (linear accelerators), preparing radiotherapy treatment plans, assisting with patient procedures and taking part in some of our numerous clinical development initiatives.
About us
Our purpose is simple - Putting Patients First. We are looking for exceptional colleagues who can help us achieve this.
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.
The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester
Our workforce is nearly 6,800 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.
We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us to achieve our Vision - working in partnership to provide the best healthcare for our communities, leading and supporting our teams to move 4ward. Our 4ward behaviours, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.
Our objectives are simple:
Better never stops, and our Clinical Services Strategy provides a clear future vision for our Trust, our hospitals, our services and our role in the wider health and care system.
We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.
Job description
Job responsibilities
WORCESTERSHIRE ACUTE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST
JOB DESCRIPTION
Post Title: Associate Medical Physicist
Pay Band: 6
Hours: Typically 8am6pm (rota), but reasonable flexibility expected in support of the needs of the clinical service
Contract: Fixed term (12 months)
Location / Department: Worcester Royal Hospital, Radiotherapy Physics
Accountable to: Head of Radiotherapy Physics
Reports to: Principal Clinical Scientist
Key Working Relationships: Clinical scientists, Radiographers, clinicians, Trust IT, external suppliers, other radiotherapy centres, RPA
Risk Assessment: Use of display screen equipment (DSE), mild / moderate manual handling, safe handling of radioactive sources, patient interaction so possible exposure to distressing circumstances
Job Purpose: To support clinical scientists in the delivery of the radiotherapy service
MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. To provide support to clinical scientists and other staff groups in all aspects of Radiotherapy Physics; treatment planning, dose measurement, Mould Room, machine quality control, technique development and Commissioning of new equipment and techniques.
2. To work independently within standard operating procedures in all areas of work following a period of training. To seek advice from supervisors and experienced colleagues as required. To always ensure accuracy of data and information. To plan own workload to ensure priority tasks are completed when required, raising issues early with supervising staff.
3. Treatment Planning:
3.1. To produce a range of radiotherapy plans as required to support the clinical service
3.2. To check dose predictions, identifying errors and assessing whether the treatment plan achieves the clinical objectives as far as practicable.
3.3. To communicate relevant complex information to the supervising clinical scientist as required.
3.4. To check that adequate records of all outlining, treatment planning and calculations have been made.
4. Dosimetry:
4.1. To undertake all routine dose measurements including patient specific doses and machine calibration doses.
4.2. To highlight treatment machine doses and patient doses which fall outside accepted tolerances, giving accurate and complete information to the responsible clinical scientist as required.
4.3. To participate in the calibration of the Department's dosimeters against the Regional Secondary Standard.
4.4. To carry out quality control checks on dosimetry systems, including safe handling of radioactive Strontium source for quality control purposes.
5. Mould Room:
5.1. To support the manufacture of patient fixation devices, blocking devices and build-up materials for patient treatment.
5.2. To carry out this work according to standard operating procedures, observing required standards of safety, tidiness and cleanliness in this workspace
6. Treatment machine quality control:
6.1. To carry out quality control checks, calibration and equipment tests on highly complex radiotherapy equipment, following agreed protocols.
6.2. To ensure that calibrations and equipment tests that directly affect radiation dose to the patient are carried out with strict reference to procedures and safety tolerance levels set out in the quality system.
6.3. To accurately record machine performance data, communicating relevant complex information to the supervising clinical scientist as required.
7. Duty Physicist: to support the duty physicist in responding to urgent clinical queries.
8. Quality System:
8.1. To support the development of procedures throughout Radiotherapy Physics to enhance the service. These procedures will impact on the work of radiographers and radiotherapy consultant staff.
8.2. To contribute to the development and maintenance of the Radiotherapy Quality System
9. Computing:
9.1. To develop knowledge and expertise in computing software, networks and image processing for radiotherapy.
9.2. To develop radiotherapy physics computing by writing software to meet physics and clinical specifications.
10. Research and Development:
10.1. To independently carry out research work (e.g. data measurement, data analysis), taking initiative to pursue further investigations within the scope agreed by the supervising clinical scientist.
10.2. To contribute to, and where appropriate to present, the results of research at local, national and international scientific meetings and by published papers in refereed journals.
10.3. To provide support for the setup and delivery of radiotherapy clinical trials at WAHT under direction from the Head of Radiotherapy Physics.
11. Training:
11.1. To regularly deliver the training of small groups of staff and students, including both teaching and evaluation, in any aspects of Radiotherapy Physics for which sufficient expertise has been obtained.
12. To minimise financial costs by safe and effective use of high capital value equipment (in excess of �30,000).
13. To work such unsocial hours as are necessary for the safe and effective performance of their duties.
14. To keep abreast of current scientific and technical developments in radiotherapy physics.
15. To undertake any other duties required by the Head of Radiotherapy Physics in accordance with the grade and nature of the post.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
Desirable
Experience
Essential
Desirable
Skills
Essential
Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.
C9365-23-1466-3
This post within a friendly Radiotherapy Physics team at Worcester Royal Hospital will primarily be to provide support to the routine and development work undertaken by the clinical scientists. The team consists of 8 clinical scientists, 2 engineers, 6 planning technicians and an IT technician.
Although a relatively small radiotherapy provider (treating ~1000 cancer patients each year), Worcester's Physics team focusses on ensuring we deliver the highest quality treatment for our patients, and as such are heavily involved in several national initiatives aimed at improving how we deliver treatment.
Over the course of this fixed-term post you will gain a wide range of hands-on experience that would be an excellent stepping stone to one of the formal training programmes leading to HCPC registration as a clinical scientist.
Candidates who currently lack healthcare experience may be initially appointed at Band 5 until that experience is obtained.
Main duties of the job
Your day-to-day role will include assuring the performance of the treatment machines (linear accelerators), preparing radiotherapy treatment plans, assisting with patient procedures and taking part in some of our numerous clinical development initiatives.
About us
Our purpose is simple - Putting Patients First. We are looking for exceptional colleagues who can help us achieve this.
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.
The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester
Our workforce is nearly 6,800 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.
We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us to achieve our Vision - working in partnership to provide the best healthcare for our communities, leading and supporting our teams to move 4ward. Our 4ward behaviours, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.
Our objectives are simple:
- Best services for local people
- Best experience of care and best outcomes for our patients
- Best use of resources
- Best people
Better never stops, and our Clinical Services Strategy provides a clear future vision for our Trust, our hospitals, our services and our role in the wider health and care system.
We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.
Job description
Job responsibilities
WORCESTERSHIRE ACUTE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST
JOB DESCRIPTION
Post Title: Associate Medical Physicist
Pay Band: 6
Hours: Typically 8am6pm (rota), but reasonable flexibility expected in support of the needs of the clinical service
Contract: Fixed term (12 months)
Location / Department: Worcester Royal Hospital, Radiotherapy Physics
Accountable to: Head of Radiotherapy Physics
Reports to: Principal Clinical Scientist
Key Working Relationships: Clinical scientists, Radiographers, clinicians, Trust IT, external suppliers, other radiotherapy centres, RPA
Risk Assessment: Use of display screen equipment (DSE), mild / moderate manual handling, safe handling of radioactive sources, patient interaction so possible exposure to distressing circumstances
Job Purpose: To support clinical scientists in the delivery of the radiotherapy service
MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. To provide support to clinical scientists and other staff groups in all aspects of Radiotherapy Physics; treatment planning, dose measurement, Mould Room, machine quality control, technique development and Commissioning of new equipment and techniques.
2. To work independently within standard operating procedures in all areas of work following a period of training. To seek advice from supervisors and experienced colleagues as required. To always ensure accuracy of data and information. To plan own workload to ensure priority tasks are completed when required, raising issues early with supervising staff.
3. Treatment Planning:
3.1. To produce a range of radiotherapy plans as required to support the clinical service
3.2. To check dose predictions, identifying errors and assessing whether the treatment plan achieves the clinical objectives as far as practicable.
3.3. To communicate relevant complex information to the supervising clinical scientist as required.
3.4. To check that adequate records of all outlining, treatment planning and calculations have been made.
4. Dosimetry:
4.1. To undertake all routine dose measurements including patient specific doses and machine calibration doses.
4.2. To highlight treatment machine doses and patient doses which fall outside accepted tolerances, giving accurate and complete information to the responsible clinical scientist as required.
4.3. To participate in the calibration of the Department's dosimeters against the Regional Secondary Standard.
4.4. To carry out quality control checks on dosimetry systems, including safe handling of radioactive Strontium source for quality control purposes.
5. Mould Room:
5.1. To support the manufacture of patient fixation devices, blocking devices and build-up materials for patient treatment.
5.2. To carry out this work according to standard operating procedures, observing required standards of safety, tidiness and cleanliness in this workspace
6. Treatment machine quality control:
6.1. To carry out quality control checks, calibration and equipment tests on highly complex radiotherapy equipment, following agreed protocols.
6.2. To ensure that calibrations and equipment tests that directly affect radiation dose to the patient are carried out with strict reference to procedures and safety tolerance levels set out in the quality system.
6.3. To accurately record machine performance data, communicating relevant complex information to the supervising clinical scientist as required.
7. Duty Physicist: to support the duty physicist in responding to urgent clinical queries.
8. Quality System:
8.1. To support the development of procedures throughout Radiotherapy Physics to enhance the service. These procedures will impact on the work of radiographers and radiotherapy consultant staff.
8.2. To contribute to the development and maintenance of the Radiotherapy Quality System
9. Computing:
9.1. To develop knowledge and expertise in computing software, networks and image processing for radiotherapy.
9.2. To develop radiotherapy physics computing by writing software to meet physics and clinical specifications.
10. Research and Development:
10.1. To independently carry out research work (e.g. data measurement, data analysis), taking initiative to pursue further investigations within the scope agreed by the supervising clinical scientist.
10.2. To contribute to, and where appropriate to present, the results of research at local, national and international scientific meetings and by published papers in refereed journals.
10.3. To provide support for the setup and delivery of radiotherapy clinical trials at WAHT under direction from the Head of Radiotherapy Physics.
11. Training:
11.1. To regularly deliver the training of small groups of staff and students, including both teaching and evaluation, in any aspects of Radiotherapy Physics for which sufficient expertise has been obtained.
12. To minimise financial costs by safe and effective use of high capital value equipment (in excess of �30,000).
13. To work such unsocial hours as are necessary for the safe and effective performance of their duties.
14. To keep abreast of current scientific and technical developments in radiotherapy physics.
15. To undertake any other duties required by the Head of Radiotherapy Physics in accordance with the grade and nature of the post.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Honours degree in Physics (2.2 or higher)
Desirable
- Evidence of research experience (e.g. MSc or PhD)
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working within a healthcare science discipline
- Able to demonstrate experience in designing, carrying out, analysing and reporting scientific investigations and experiments
Desirable
- Understands the role of radiotherapy physics within healthcare
Skills
Essential
- Good IT skills, including use of advanced use of word processing, spreadsheet and presentation applications
Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.
C9365-23-1466-3
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