Senior Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Physiologist

Job overview

Due to the current post holder re-locating, a rare and exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated Exercise Physiologist with a passion for cardiac rehabilitation to join a ‘NACR Green’ accredited cardiac rehabilitation service.

Within a multi-disciplinary team, you will be responsible for the planning, implementation and auditing of high quality, comprehensive and effective phase 2 and phase 3 cardiac rehabilitation exercise programmes for patients following an MI, angina treated with PCI, heart failure, post-cardiac bypass or valve surgery. This can be through formal face-to-face, a telephone-led, home-based or virtual cardiac rehab programme or via a hybrid approach.

This will include patient functional capacity, muscular strength and mobility assessments, leading individual and group exercise and education sessions, modifying individual exercise programmes for co-morbidities and physical limitations and counselling as appropriate.

You will also be responsible for a Band 5 exercise physiologist and this role will require all aspects of the management of this member of staff including yearly appraisals, sickness reviews and performance management and for supervising and mentoring them through their career development.

Candidates must have experience of using the NACR database, especially inputting on the national system and audit of local databases for performance statistics.

(*This post is for an Exercise Physiologist and not a Physiotherapist)

Main duties of the job

To assist in the planning, implementation and auditing of high quality, comprehensive and effective phase 2 and phase 3 cardiac rehabilitation exercise programmes for patients following an MI, angina treated with PCI, heart failure, post-cardiac bypass or valve surgery .  This can be through formal face-to-face, a telephone-led, home-based or virtual cardiac rehab programmes or via a hybrid approach. This will include patient functional capacity, muscular strength and mobility assessments, leading individual and group exercise and education sessions, modifying individual exercise programmes for co-morbidities and physical limitations and counselling as appropriate.

• Supervise and lead exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation sessions in line with current ACPICR & BACPR guidelines. Liaise with other members of the cardiac rehab nursing team and cardiac rehabilitation exercise physiologists to ensure ongoing development in line with NACR. Provide specialist advice regarding exercise to other health professionals Formulate, risk stratify and deliver individual and group exercise plans, programmes and recommendations for patients based on highly developed specialist knowledge, clinical assessments and reasoning skills utilising evidence based practice. Critically appraise areas of clinical practice to be improved and act with colleagues to implement improvements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Deliver, develop and maintain safe and effective group exercise sessions for patients with a wide range of cardiovascular conditions in line with BACPR, ACPICR and NICE MI secondary prevention guidelines.
• Supervise and lead exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation sessions in line with current ACPICR & BACPR guidelines. Liaise with other members of the cardiac rehab nursing team and cardiac rehabilitation exercise physiologists to ensure ongoing development in line with NACR.
• To be responsible for the development and monitoring of specialist prescriptive exercise regimes throughout the cardiac rehabilitation programme.
• Adopt a flexible and dynamic approach to patient care and service planning and development.
• Formulate, risk stratify and deliver individual and group exercise plans, programmes and recommendations for patients based on highly developed specialist knowledge, clinical assessments and reasoning skills utilising evidence based practice.
• Provide leadership for, deliver and develop high quality cardiac rehabilitation exercise programmes. Amongst others, these will include a high intensity circuit based cardio vascular exercise programme and a chair based exercise programme providing low intensity functional exercise.
• As an autonomous practitioner, hold responsibility for a given caseload of patients within a defined area of cardiac rehabilitation.
• Supervise, teach and appraise other junior exercise professionals and students
• Manage and lead a Band 5 Exercise Physiologist including work allocation, performance, appraisal and development.
• Demonstrate the ability to co-ordinate the cardiac rehabilitation service in absence of senior staff.
• Analyse complex medical information (e.g. exercise tolerance tests, echocardiograms, angiograms) and clinical and social information from a variety of sources to guide exercise prescriptions.
• Perform appropriate functional testing assessments both pre and post cardiac rehabilitation and interpret results in order to guide safe individualised exercise prescription and explain results to patients.
• Deliver cardiac rehabilitation exercise as a formal cardiac rehabilitation session and lifestyle education programme in a variety of settings and locations.
• Conduct Phase II Face-to-Face appointments.
• Encourage patient concordance with goal-orientated exercise prescription plans using excellent communication and counselling skills to gain understanding, agreement and the co-operation of patients; discussing barriers and motivational factors to encourage behaviour change and goal-setting.
• Have day-to-day responsibility for assessing the health and health-related needs of patients, their carers and families, primarily focused on assessment of exercise and mobility, health status, risk stratification and activity goals, but also able to offer advice on CHD lifestyle modification.
• Adjust communication style appropriately to motivate, empathise and give reassurance as appropriate to communicate effectively with patients and carers; this will include patients and carers who may have difficulty understanding or communicating.
• To be responsible for assessing the individual exercise needs of patients with CHD.
• To be responsible for the monitoring of patient care and safety throughout the duration of the exercise session and review patient progress at the start, interim and end of the exercise programme.
• Work in collaboration with the multi-disciplinary team and primary and secondary health care colleagues to provide optimum management of patients especially those with complex cardiovascular disease presentations.
• To maintain accurate and comprehensive records of patient care in line with current policies and procedures and provide written reports where appropriate in support of patients treatment plans and progress and discharge from the service.
• Provide specialist advice regarding exercise to other health professionals.
• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of their own work.
• Provide instruction for maintaining a safe environment during facilitation of exercise sessions.
• Ensure patients and fellow team members are taught safe and effective methods of warming up, cooling down and exercise techniques.
• Encourage patients to attend Phase IV on completion of Phase III, or to develop an independent plan of continued exercise options.
• To promote and participate in audit outcomes through NACR.
• Undertake local audit and research and evaluate these to further develop service provision.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of exercise and physical activity prescription using observational methods and outcome measures and adjusting treatment plans appropriately.
• Critically appraise areas of clinical practice to be improved and act with colleagues to implement improvements.
• Act as a professional representative of the cardiac rehabilitation service
• Be able to communicate effectively at all levels of the organisation
• Liaise closely with the other members of the cardiac rehabilitation team to ensure continuity of advice and information.
• To participate in the sharing of knowledge with fellow team members.
• Management of medical emergencies in collaboration with colleagues
• Work closely with the speciality to contribute exercise expertise as and when required and supporting change and development within the speciality.
• To ensure that Trust and departmental policies are carried out correctly at all times e.g. Health and Safety, Data Protection, Manual Handling, Information Governance.
• Be flexible within the designated role and undertake other duties that may be required from time to time in the absence of a fellow team member.
• To demonstrate increased learning and development of all aspects of exercise and CHD prevention through active participation in learning opportunities and through the development of a personal profile.
• Attend mandatory training session in line with Trust policy.
• Ensure ILS training qualification is valid at all times.
• Attend training courses relevant to the speciality needs.
• Any other duties that may be reasonably expected of the post holder.