Fellowship - Imaging and Echocardiography -Senior Registrar

Canberra Health Services (CHS) is focussed on the delivery of high quality, effective, person-centred care. We provide acute, sub-acute, primary, and community‐based health services, to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and surrounding regions. More information can be found on the CHS website.

Our Vision: creating exceptional health care together

Our Role: to be a health service that is trusted by our community

Our Values: Reliable, Progressive, Respectful and Kind

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Department of Cardiology is a well-established service with 14 consultant medical staff positions, four Accredited Cardiology Advanced Trainees, and two Unaccredited Cardiology Advanced Trainees, in addition to Basic Physician Trainees and other Junior Medial Officers.  They work as part of a large multidisciplinary team including specialist nursing staff, cardiac physiologists, cardiac sonographers, administrative staff and the cardiac rehabilitation team. Patients accessing the services include adults of all ages, acuity, frailty and disability, who present for diagnosis and treatment of a range of acute and chronic cardiac conditions.  Our Cardiology Team strives to deliver an exceptional and caring service for our patients, our community and each other.

The coronary care unit is a 19-bed unit which has over 2000 admissions annually.  The cardiology outpatient service provides up to 4,500 episodes of care annually with increasing demand each year. There is a close working relationship with our cardiothoracic surgical unit.

The Interventional Cardiology Service includes two dedicated cardiac catheter laboratories which undertake over 950 coronary interventional procedures and over 1,800 angiography procedures annually.  It provides a 24/7 service for primary PCI for acute ST elevation myocardial infarction for the region. A structural heart disease program developed with TAVI and PFO/ASD closures performed. The service also provides simple and complex cardiac device implantation service and follow up. Clinical cardiac electrophysiology services were commenced in April 2019 with complex ablation procedures.

The echocardiography service performs over 4,000 procedures per year.  Regular transoesophageal echocardiography service and stress echocardiography is provided, with additional emergency cover. Cardiac CT program commenced in 2017 in collaboration with the Department of Radiology.  Cardiac MRI is part of the proposed development plan for the department.

There is a dedicated heart failure clinic coordinated by a Heart Function Advanced Practice Nurse.   These clinics provide ready access to phone advice, education on self-management, avoid recurrent presentations and to assist with reducing length of hospitalisation by early bridging to outpatient care or closer to home care program.  The Department also provides a nurse led cardiac rehabilitation service supported by cardiologists, with strong engagement from patients and their families.

Construction is underway for a new state-of-the-art Acute Cardiac Care Unit (ACCU), Interventional Cardiology Laboratories (ICL) and a dedicated procedure room for TOE as part of the Canberra Hospital Expansion Project 2024.

DUTIES

Under limited direction of the Cardiology Unit Director and Director of Training you will:

·         Provide appropriate evidenced based clinical care in the specialty of cardiology and Echocardiography for both inpatients and outpatients.

·         Provide support for outpatient cardiology clinic (one session (4 hours) of cardiology clinic per week).

·         Perform and report transoesophageal echocardiogram under supervision.

·         Perform and report transthoracic echocardiogram under supervision.

·         Supervise the day to day running of the stress echocardiogram service (Exercise and Dobutamine under supervision).

·         Have the opportunity to attend CTCA sessions with experienced reporting staff.

·         Provide support to clinical scientist in delivering and acquisition of Definity contrast and agitated saline studies.

·         Contribute to Advanced Trainee cardiology on-call service (1 in 14 shared roster at 26 days per year and 4 weekends a year).

·         Have an expected exposure to 500 transthoracic echocardiography reports, 150 transoesophageal echocardiography performance and reports, 300 stress echocardiography reports, 50 Definity contrast studies and 50 Agitated saline studies.

·         Partake in clinical research associated with echocardiography.

·         Supervise training registrars and junior medical staff to ensure appropriate provision of patient care.

·         Contribute to the delivery of teaching medical students, registrars and sonographers within the hospital through guidance, seminars, and tutorials.

·         Actively participate in clinical research where possible.

·         Contribute to divisional quality programs and safety.

·         Follow Health Service policies and procedures and ensure that clinical practices align to ensure the safest possible environment for patients and staff.

·         Commitment to continuing professional development by attending relevant seminars and conferences to maintain up to date knowledge and practices and to maintain current college mandated requirements.

·         Report operationally and professionally to the Clinical Lead in Echocardiography.

·         Commitment to own ongoing professional development and actively contributes to professional memberships and networks.

·         Display honesty, integrity, and respect for all patients, carers and staff.

·         Effective communication skills by actively listening, providing relevant and timely information, and adapting your style to suit others.

 
ABOUT YOU

CHS is committed to workforce diversity and to creating an inclusive workplace. As part of this commitment, we welcome applications from all diversity groups. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability and people who identify as LGBTQIA+ are particularly encouraged to apply.

Position Requirements / Qualifications

·         Be registered or be eligible for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

·         Hold a Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) in Cardiology or an equivalent higher specialist qualification).

• CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role as you will be responsible for completing required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates and contingencies.

·         Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.

·         Fulfil the responsibilities of this role in alignment to the CHS Exceptional Care Framework, Clinical Governance Framework, Partnering With Consumers Framework and all other related frameworks.

Please note prior to commencement successful candidates will be required to:

·         Undergo a pre-employment National Police Check.

·         Prior to commencing this role, a current registration issued under the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011 is required.

·         Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.

·         Comply with Canberra Health Services Credentialing and scope of clinical practice requirements for medical professionals.

Additional Information:

·         Requirements for fractional on-call will be subject to clinical operational requirements and will be negotiated at the time of appointment on an individual basis.

• Approval for second job will need to be submitted annually. Commitment to second job must not impact on the agreed clinical duties of the specialist at Canberra Hospital.
• Adherence to agreed attendance hours including agreement to annual job planning for clinical operational requirements.

·         It is expected that approximately 80% of attendance time will be focused on substantive clinical service delivery role, and approximately 20% to non-clinical duties.

• Experience and proficient skills in all aspects of clinical cardiology is required including emergency, inpatient and ambulatory care.

·         It is expected that the successful applicant will have a track record as a successful member of a clinical team and demonstrate a strong commitment to teaching at all levels including medical, nursing and allied health professional staff.

WHAT YOU REQUIRE

These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your resumé and experience. 

1.        Extensive clinical experience in the practice of General Cardiology and a demonstrated interest in Cardiac Imaging with ability to manage the varied caseloads and case mix, and to practice evidence‑based person-centred care, along with a demonstrated commitment to the maintenance and further development of these skills.

2.       Demonstrated understanding of, and commitment to, all aspects of clinical governance relevant to the specialty.

3.       Demonstrated high-level communication and interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to provide leadership and work as a team member in a multidisciplinary environment.

4.      Demonstrated interest and experience in teaching and research.

5.       Demonstrates understanding of, and adherence to, safety and quality standards, work, health and safety (WH&S) and the positive patient experience. Displays behaviour consistent with CHS’s values of reliable, progressive, respectful and kind.