Senior Perfusionist

Job overview

The role comes with a pro rata Recruitment and Retention Payment of up to £2500 divided over 12 months (currently payable to 31/3/27) and the opportunity to move to Band 8B once all competencies are met. There is also a payment towards relocation expenses subject to the relocation policy.

We are looking for a motivated UK qualified Senior Perfusion Scientist to join our friendly team of around 20 colleagues of Perfusionists and Surgical Care Practitioners. We are one of the few Centres in the UK to deliver Adult, Paediatric and ECMO services, which will provide you with an excellent opportunity to expand your range of skills and experiences.

Our Centre is busy, exciting and dynamic and we are proud to be the recipients of the 2022 Society of Cardiothoracic Surgery of Great Britain and Ireland best Perfusion Team of the year award.

You will be a qualified, autonomous practitioner who is keen to participate in all aspects of the service and able to deliver a wide–ranging and comprehensive extra-corporeal life support service to patients undergoing open heart surgery and/or other related procedures. You will use a broad range of vital, complex and specialised procedures requiring skilled performance with a high level of individual responsibility applied to a variety of situations.

Experience in Adult and Paediatric cardiopulmonary bypass and ECMO is required.

Training will be given where needed and participation in an on call rota is essential.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will be a qualified and autonomous practitioner required to deliver a wide–ranging and comprehensive extra-corporeal and life support service, including Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (in-house and transport), IABP support and cell salvage to patients undergoing open heart surgery and/or other related procedures in Operating Theatres, Adult, Paediatric and General Intensive Care Units, Cardiac Investigation Laboratories, and Coronary Care and High Dependency Units.

You will use a broad range of vital, complex and specialised techniques requiring skilled performance with a high level of individual responsibility applied to a variety of situations, and within the overall responsibility of the Manager, Clinical Perfusion. You will participate fully in the development of the protocols and techniques to enable the clinical group to meet its contractual and professional targets.

You must be accredited by the Society of Perfusionists of Great Britain & Ireland and registered with the College of Clinical Perfusionists of Great Britain & Ireland. It would be an advantage to be conversant with all relevant perfusion techniques. Past experience in paediatrics and ECMO is not mandatory but beneficial towards the application.

The department currently undertakes 800 adult and 160 neonatal/paediatric cases, along with 50 neonatal, paediatric and adult ECMO’s and IABP support.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

In conjunction with the Deputy Manager, Clinical Perfusion, ensure the provision of extracorporeal circulation, life support systems, ventricular assist devices, haemoconcentration, cell salvage, and autonomous assessment and maintenance of physiological parameters.

Assists in formulating policies for the smooth running of the Clinical Perfusion Department and makes recommendations for improvement and development.

The post-holder will provide clinical and scientific advice, and provide interpretation of results to clinicians throughout the Trust and to external agencies.

Draw on knowledge of a range of theories to inform practice.

Assist in developing strategies for the management and delivery of care for the patient group.

Setting up, priming and running cardiopulmonary bypass equipment for cardiac surgery procedures, according to the perfusion procedures and protocols and to play a full role in the routine cardiac surgery programme

Ensure quality control, calibration and maintenance of expensive and complex medical equipment, ensuring accurate and safe use during clinical procedures.

Assess the patient for relevant medical history, pathology and diagnosis and make appropriate clinical decisions concerning the conduct of the procedure i.e. type of cannulation, size and type of equipment, type of priming solution.

Administer fluids and drugs according to local policy and as necessitated by the clinical situation i.e. priming solutions, anticoagulants, inhalational anaesthetic agents, potassium, and cardioplegic solution.

Be conversant with specialist techniques and perfusion procedures as required by individual patients such as left-heart bypass, cerebral perfusion, and vacuum assisted venous drainage, ventricular assist devices and blood conservation techniques.

Assist surgical and cardiology staff in the insertion and management of intra-aortic balloon pumps as required by individual patients.

Take a full role in departmental and individual projects, with a commitment to research based clinical practice.

Contribute to evidence based clinical practice to maximise clinical effectiveness.

The post-holder is required to participate in ‘out of hours/on-call’ arrangements and to ensure continued co-operation, flexibility and reasonable cover during absence of colleagues and operational demands of the Directorate.

Participate in the training of Perfusionists, and other staff as directed, and the supervision of staff in lower grades as appropriate.

Consolidate specialist skills, knowledge and expertise in clinical practice. Applying these skills to the supervision and training of others in the department and the multidisciplinary team.

Ensure communication is upheld between all disciplines throughout the directorate

Liaison with all relevant staff in research projects related to Perfusion Science.

Any other reasonable duty which may be delegated.

Assists in formulating policies for the smooth running of the Clinical Perfusion Department and makes recommendations for improvement and development. The post-holder will provide clinical and scientific advice, and provide interpretation of results to clinicians throughout the Trust and to external agencies. Draw on knowledge of a range of theories to inform practice. Assist in developing strategies for the management and delivery of care for the patient group.

Setting up, priming and running cardiopulmonary bypass equipment for cardiac surgery procedures, according to the perfusion procedures and protocols and to play a full role in the routine cardiac surgery programme.

Assess the patient for relevant medical history, pathology and diagnosis and make appropriate clinical decisions concerning the conduct of the procedure i.e. type of cannulation, size and type of equipment, type of priming solution. 6

Be conversant with specialist techniques and perfusion procedures as required by individual patients such as left-heart bypass, cerebral perfusion, vacuum assisted venous drainage, ventricular assist devices and blood conservation techniques.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.