Associate Nurse Specialist in Endocrinology

Job overview

The post holder will be, working under the supervision of the Band 8a Advanced Nurse Practitioners , to provide support to the clinical team in managing the caseload across the care pathway.  The post will enable the individual to develop enhanced knowledge skills and competence in managing the care of children and families within the caseload as well as achieving further development across the range of more generic nurse specialist competencies.

Working under the supervision of the Band 8a Advanced Nurse Practitioners  the post holder will:

Ensure that children with Endocrine disorders across the Trust, mainly working on the Medical Day Case Unit and General Paediatric wards, along with the outpatient department, receive high quality evidence based care through the provision of education and support to patients, their families and staff.

To provide advice and written information as required in response to telephone contact from parents or health professionals and others caring for these children, young people and families in local hospitals and in the community

As an experienced nurse, the Associate Nurse Specialist is a key member of the specialty and medical division nursing team with a responsibility to contribute to wider service delivery.

Main duties of the job

• To assist in delivering specialist nursing advice and support to children and families with growth and endocrine disorders, including children requiring treatment with growth hormone therapy.  Facilitate independent living and maximising the child’s and carer’s participation in the management of their condition
• To act as a specialist resource for Endocrinology and support the specialist nursing team to deliver effective treatment and institute therapy using evidence based practice wherever possible, health promotion and health education
• To assist the specialist nursing team in promoting good practice in paediatric endocrinology and actively participate in the management and co-ordination of patients requiring endocrine investigations and dynamic endocrine function tests
• To help support research and audit to support the development of the endocrine specialty unit
• To contribute toward the continuing development of the service, through guidance and support of the specialist endocrinology team

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

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CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide specialist nursing support and advice to children and families with growth and endocrine disorders •    To be a competent, knowledgeable and visible practitioner within the specialty ensuring the provision of high quality evidence based nursing care for children, young people and their families •    To further develop clinical expertise within endocrinology •    Teaching and support of the child, parent, carer in the management of their endocrine condition, including the teaching, training and education of hormone replacement therapy •    Provide safe and appropriate care and support for all children attending the Medical Day Care Unit who require endocrine investigations using established protocols •    To be a resource to those caring for children, young people and their families with endocrine concerns Trust wide by providing an advisory service to different wards and specialities and to meet with individual young people and their families where appropriate  •    Effectively communicate with colleagues within the Trust and community, ensuring that the ethos of the specialty is maintained with regards to a team approach to care, acting as patient advocate when required •    Assess, plan, implement and evaluate programmes of care including specialist skills required for this role including venepuncture and IV cannulation •    Work with the CNS’s to develop competence in new techniques/treatments to develop practice in line with the Trust framework for advancing practice •    Actively participate in the development of care pathways, patient information and treatment protocols which reflect and endorse latest research findings •    To be competent in the administration of medicines including IV medicines •    In conjunction with the CNS’s and Management Team to set, develop and monitor clinical and non clinical performance standards, taking action as required •    Actively engage with patients through a variety of vehicles to obtain feedback from patient and family experience •    Ensuring that the child, young person and family are given the information necessary for making informed consent about treatment •    Have the ability to problem solve in the clinical and home environment, including the management of endocrine patients requiring telephone advice (the necessary support will be provided by the wider endocrine team including doctors and other allied health care professionals) •    Provide specialist nursing support to the endocrine team in the outpatient department where required •    Communicate effectively, promoting open and trusting relationships

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• Identify learning needs in relation to specialist area of practice •    Develop and evaluate teaching/learning resources •    Assist CNS in the development and delivery of MDT training and education programmes for all professionals, to promote a wider understanding of care for children and their families with growth and endocrine disorders •    Help to develop information packages for training purposes •    Update own personal knowledge and skills by accessing appropriate and relevant seminars, study sessions, conferences and specialist network groups •    Provide mentoring and assessment to nursing and medical students allocated to the endocrine specialty

MANAGEMENT

• Establish and maintain internal and external links in order to promote and develop the service •    Contribute to the development of specialist service in collaboration with specialty team •    Use expert knowledge to order specialist items in order to ensure maximum benefit to the child, young person and family •    Collaborate with other professionals in order to maintain and develop the service •    Support the development of nursing roles within the specialist area of practice •    Contribute to delivering cost improvements/improved efficiency within the service

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Participate in and practice an appropriate model of clinical supervision and reflective practice to meet personal needs •    Continue to network and forge professional links nationally •    Work within KSF to attain the required criteria to meet national and local standards in respect of the Associate Nurse Specialist role •    Support the nurse specialist team in providing innovative solutions to the demand for nursing resource within the endocrine specialty ensuring measurable outcomes including quality and patient satisfaction are maintained

RESEARCH

• Participate at national/local conferences by sharing research, presentations and lecturing •    Support and participate in nursing research within specialist area of practice •    Assist in the co-ordination of trials within specialist area of practice •    Publish results to increase the body of knowledge •    Keep up to date with emerging thinking/findings from other centres •    Participate in the collection of data to support audit of practice – locally, nationally and internationally •    Create and distribute reports as agreed with Service and medical directorate Management Team •    Utilise and evaluate tools to audit practice within specialist area of practice •    Participate in local and Trust wide improvements projects in line with the Trust Transformation programme •    Support and contribute to the collection of data for related local, Trust wide and national quality indicators •    Question, analyse and constructively challenge practice in the spirit of continuous quality improvement •    Assist junior staff and learners to gain insight and skills in research audit and in quality improvement