Senior Respiratory Physiologist

Job overview

An excellent opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated, hardworking and enthusiastic Senior Respiratory Physiologist to join our busy, well-equipped department.

You must be proficient in a range of comprehensive procedures in adults including spirometry, lung function testing, reversibility studies, blood gas analysis, sleep and ventilation services.

The successful candidate will need excellent interpersonal skills, be able to motivate and develop others. They should enjoy working as part of a team but also be able to work autonomously with some degree of responsibility. They will be encouraged to develop their skills to become a lead person within one of the specialist areas.

The department is committed to the PTP and STP training programmes and you would be expected to contribute your knowledge and skills towards the delivery of these.

You must ideally hold a BSc in Clinical Physiology or equivalent with a minimum of 2 years experience. Ideally you should have passed the ARTP Practitioners Professional Examination or are working towards it and ideally be on the RCCP voluntary register.

Main duties of the job

The candidate will be proficient in performing and interpreting all respiratory investigations performed within the department.

These include;

• Full pulmonary function tests with administration of bronchodilator therapy
• Assess airways hyper-reactivity and respiratory tract inflammation
• Supervise, perform and interpret medically unsupervised Cardio-Pulmonary Exercise Tests (CPETs), on both congenital cardiac and respiratory patients with assessment of exercise-induced airways obstruction if indicated
• Simulate and assess patients’ oxygen requirements during a flight and advise the patient and clinician their results and requirements.
• Interpret and perform complex sleep investigations, for clinicians on the patient’s condition and advise appropriate therapy
• To be able to initiate, review and adjust treatment for patients with sleep-related disorders for both Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV) and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
• They will be able to perform blood gas analysis to assess for patients respiratory status and titration of oxygen or NIV requirements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Involved with maintaining clinical standards, evidence based practice within the speciality.
• Assist with clinical supervision and training of technical staff and other professionals, across disciplines.
• Undertake an active role in developing and promoting Physiology within the specialty.
• Be actively involved in the training and development of staff within the Physiology Team.
• To participate in the development of the specialist services.
• To assist with implementation and dissemination policies and promote changes to working practice.
• Demonstrate appropriate expert practice and specialist advice in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of patient care.
• To be actively involved with the maintenance and quality control (QC) of all equipment used in the respiratory function, outpatients and exercise testing areas.
• To ensure all equipment and resources are maintained to regulated standards and adhere to both health and safety and infection control policies.
• To adhere to professional codes of practice and perform the role to national and local standards.
• To promote regular quality assurance (QA).
• To evaluate and develop clinical practice within a specialty ensuring compliance with national and local guidelines and frameworks.
• To have an in-depth knowledge of specialist equipment operation and to use it to its maximum capability.
• To troubleshoot equipment faults and, if required, to organise equipment repair in order to maintain an efficient service.
• Ability to multi-task and cope with constant change and interruptions.
• Act accordingly when exposed to distressing or emotional circumstances when dealing directly with patients and/or their relative

Please see job de4scription/person specification for further details on the role.

Applicant requirements

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.