Physiotherapist, Senior (Practice Tutor & ICU / Respiratory)
Job Specification & Terms and Conditions
Job Title and Grade / Physiotherapist, Senior (Practice Tutor & ICU / Respiratory)(Grade Code 3158)
Campaign Reference / NRS02828
Closing Date / Wednesday 9th December 2015 at 12 noon
Proposed Interview Date (s) / Week commencing 18th January 2016
Taking up Appointment / A start date will be indicated at job offer stage.
Location of Post / Physiotherapy Department, South Tipperary General Hospital, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary
SSW Hospital Group
There is currently one permanent vacancy available at this location.
This is a combined full-time post which will be 0.5 WTE Senior Physiotherapist Practice Tutor and 0.5 WTE Senior Physiotherapist ICU/Respiratory.
A panel may be created for South Tipperary General Hospital from which current and future permanent and specified purpose vacancies of full time or part time duration may be filled.
Informal enquiries to:
Barbara Long - Physiotherapy Manager
Tel: 052 6177969
Email:
Details of Service / South Tipperary General Hospital (STGH) is a 193 bed (168 Inpatient and 25 Day) Level III Acute General Hospital providing services to the catchment area of South Tipperary, West Waterford and part of North Tipperary. Thus individual specialty catchment populations vary from 92,000 to 134,000.
The Physiotherapy Department at South Tipperary General Hospital (STGH) provides inpatient services to all departments within STGH including ICU, CCU, surgical patients, general medicine patients, stroke care, care of the elderly, cardio-respiratory, respiratory, neurology, paediatric, maternity and gynaecology patients.
The department also provides outpatient physiotherapy services to the Clonmel catchment area including specialised programmes. There is also an On-Call commitment attached to this position.
The structure of the Physiotherapy Department team currently comprises 1 WTE (whole time equivalent) Physiotherapy Manager, 6.1 WTE Senior Physiotherapists and 4.85 WTE Basic Grade Physiotherapists.
Reporting Relationship / The Senior Physiotherapist appointed will:
· Report to the Physiotherapy Manager and through him/her to the General Manager or other such designated officer.
The post holder will also work closely and maintain relationships with the following:
· Department of Clinical Therapies, University of Limerick and other third level institutions when their physiotherapy students are on placement at STGH.
· Physiotherapists of all grades
· Students
· The wider multidisciplinary team
Purpose of the Post / · To be responsible for the education and clinical supervision of students while on clinical placement in South Tipperary General Hospital. The post holder will develop the capacity and quality of the practice education programme and support both students and Practice Educators.
· To provide high quality physiotherapy and respiratory care to patients in ICU and within the acute hospital setting.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities / Professional / Clinical
The Senior Physiotherapist will:
· Be the lead clinician and carry a clinical caseload appropriate to the post; be the lead manager in the day to day provision of a high quality physiotherapy service to the client group, ensuring that all referrals for physiotherapy are appropriately met.
· Supervise and contribute to the development and training of physiotherapy students and other ancillary staff assigned to his/her area.
· Carry out periodic reviews on the operational functioning of the physiotherapy services in his/her assigned area with a view to maximising effectiveness, efficiency and quality.
· Develop an awareness of resource management in the context of changes in health service delivery.
· Advise the Physiotherapy Manager on matters relevant to the optimal functioning of the physiotherapy service in his/her area.
· Where appropriate, introduce changes in work practices, procedures techniques and technologies having regard to the development of best practice in the field of physiotherapy.
· Deputise for the Physiotherapy Manager when required.
· Serve on and advise such committees that may be set up by the Executive to examine the physiotherapy services.
· Build and maintain good relationships with other services in the area and with agencies, both statutory and voluntary.
· Undertake such duties and responsibilities as agreed from time to time with the Physiotherapy Manager, or such other person to whom he/she may be accountable.
· Be responsible for client assessment, development and implementation of individualised treatment plans that are client centred and in line with best practice.
· Be responsible for goal setting in partnership with client, family and other team members as appropriate.
· Be responsible for standards of practice of self and staff appointed to clinical / designated area(s).
· Communicate and work in co-operation with other team members in providing an integrated quality service, taking the lead role as required.
· Develop effective communication with and provide instruction, guidance and support to staff, clients, family, carers etc.
· Document client records in accordance with professional standards and departmental policies.
· Provide a service in varied locations in line with local policy / guidelines and within appropriate time allocation.
· Participate and be a lead clinician as appropriate in review meetings, case conferences, ward rounds etc.
· Develop and promote professional standards of practice.
· Work within own scope of professional competence in line with principles of best practice, professional conduct and clinical governance.
· Seek advice of relevant personnel when appropriate / as required.
· Operate within the scope of practice of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists.
· Participate in weekend and bank holiday on-call rotas.
· Provide outpatient physiotherapy services, as required.
Practice Education
The Senior Physiotherapist will:
· Liaise with Practice Education Co-ordinator(s) to ensure optimum practice education learning experience.
· Organise and co-ordinate placements in the healthcare agency/agencies in liaison with the university.
· Provide induction to students on practice education, site policies and procedures relevant to their placements.
· Ensure student learning contracts/placement objectives are agreed at the start of each placement, in conjunction with the Practice Educator(s).
· Participate in the clinical supervision of students during client intervention in collaboration with Practice Educator(s).
· Organise relevant tutorial, group and peer learning activities for students while on placement.
· Provide advice, support and assistance to the Practice Educator(s) in the assessment of student performance in collaboration with relevant university staff.
· Collaborate with Practice Education Co-ordinator(s) in providing support to Practice Educator(s) through mentoring and the organisation, design and delivery of CPD workshops and courses related to education and evidence-based practice.
· Contribute to teaching of specific practice education modules for students at the University prior to their commencement of practice education.
· Participate in the development and integration of practice education within the curriculum in alignment with accreditation standards of the university.
· Prepare practice education schedules and co-ordinate students assigned to practice education site(s).
· Contribute to ongoing feedback to students about their performance, in conjunction with the Practice Educator(s).
· Contribute to and attend practice education workshops and training days and any relevant committees organised by the University.
· Actively seek and develop practice education opportunities in liaison with key stakeholders including a range of environments not previously explored within the agency/agencies.
· Facilitate communication and effective working relationships between clinical/non-clinical colleagues and the university based staff.
· Promote inter-professional learning across disciplines in the health care setting.
· Participate in the quality assurance mechanism of the student learning environment.
· Contribute to the development and promotion of multi-professional working in the delivery of patient care for the benefit of patients.
Practice Teaching
The Senior Physiotherapist will:
· Facilitate effective learning within practice for physiotherapy students.
· Contribute to a professional practice education network. This may include the development and roll out of innovative learning methodologies, common assessment criteria, benchmarking standards for practice education, supervision models, practice teaching skills, and the use of information technology.
· Evaluate the student learning experience within practice and its contribution to the whole learning experience in conjunction with the Practice Educator(s).
· Promote and develop communication and links with a range of local services in order to develop practice education placement learning experiences.
Education & Training
The Senior Physiotherapist will:· Participate in mandatory training programmes.
· Take responsibility for, and keep up to date with Physiotherapy practice by participating in continuing professional development such as reflective practice, in service, self directed learning, research, clinical audit etc.
· Engage in information technology developments as they apply to patient and service administration.
· Be responsible for the induction and clinical supervision of staff in the designated area(s).
· Co-ordinate and deliver clinical placements in partnership with universities and clinical educators.
· Manage, participate and play a key role in the practice education of student therapists. Take part in teaching / training / supervision / evaluation of staff / students / overseas physiotherapists while on their period of adaptation and attend practice educator / tutor courses as relevant to role and needs.
· Engage in personal development planning and performance review for self and others as required.
Service & Standards
The Senior Physiotherapist will:
· Set and maintain a high standard of clinical/non-clinical practice within healthcare and other settings.
· Keep abreast of research and practice developments in relevant clinical/non-clinical areas by attending seminars, conferences and post graduate courses and maintain clinical/other relevant competency.
· Ensure that privacy and dignity of the patient is respected at all times.
· Liaise with patients, carers and other health care professional to ensure a holistic approach to patient care.
· Provide for the completion of patient’s treatment, when student placement ends, as appropriate.
· Co-operate in the provision of clinical service as part of the therapy team when placements are not being undertaken.
· Participate in the in-service training programme at clinical/non-clinical sites.
· Duties while students are not on placement may include maintaining clinical competency through service provision, participating in research activities, audits and quality initiatives, preparing and updating Practice Educator(s) for upcoming placements, completing CPD activities and contributing to practice education within the university.
Quality, Safety & Risk
The Senior Physiotherapist will:
· Be familiar with, develop and ensure implementation of agreed policies, procedures and safe professional practice by adhering to relevant legislation, regulations and standards, Physiotherapy Department Safety Statement etc.
· Ensure the safety of self and others, and the maintenance of safe environments and equipment used in Physiotherapy in accordance with legislation.
· Assess and manage risk in their assigned area(s) of responsibility.
· Take the appropriate timely action to manage any incidents or near misses within their assigned area(s).
· Report any danger/deficiency in any aspect of the physiotherapy service to the Physiotherapy Manager.
· Be responsible for the safe and competent use of all equipment, aids and appliances both by clients and staff under their supervision.
· Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the role for example, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, Hygiene Standards etc and comply with associated HSE protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.
· Support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.
Administrative
The Senior Physiotherapist will:
· Be responsible for the co-ordination and delivery of a quality service in line with best practice.
· Oversee and monitor the standards of best practice within their physiotherapy team.
· Contribute to the service planning process.
· Assist the Physiotherapy Manager in service development encompassing policy development and implementation.
· Review and evaluate the physiotherapy service regularly, identifying changing needs and opportunities to improve services.
· Develop and promote quality standards of work and co-operate with quality assurance programmes.
· Collect and evaluate data about the service area as identified in service plans and demonstrate the achievement of the objectives of the service.
· Oversee the upkeep of accurate records in line with best practice.
· Collate and maintain accurate statistics and render reports as required.
· Represent the department at meetings and conferences as appropriate.
· Inform the Physiotherapy Manager of staff issues (needs, interests, views) as appropriate.
· Promote a culture that values diversity and respect in the workplace.
· Participate in the control and ordering of physiotherapy stock and equipment in conjunction with the Physiotherapy Manager.
· Be accountable for the budget, where relevant.
· Keep up to date with organisational developments within the Irish health service.
· Engage in IT developments as they apply to clients and service administration.
· Perform such other duties appropriate to the role as may be assigned by the Physiotherapy Manager.
The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.
Eligibility Criteria
Qualifications and/ or experience / Candidates must, at the latest date for receipt of completed application forms for the post, possess:
1. Professional Qualifications, Experience etc.
A. (i) The B.SC (Honours) degree in Physiotherapy from the University of Dublin
or
(ii) The Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
or
(iii) The Bachelor in Physiotherapy (Honours) Degree from the National University of Ireland
or
(iv) The Diploma in Physiotherapy of the University of Dublin or the National University of Ireland
or
(v) The BSc (Hons) Degree in Physiotherapy from the University of Limerick
or
(vi) An equivalent physiotherapy qualification validated by the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists
and
B. Have a minimum of three years' satisfactory post qualification clinical experience
and
C. Have the clinical and administrative capacity to fulfil the functions of the role
2. Age
Age restrictions shall only apply to a candidate where he/she is not classified as a new entrant (within the meaning of the Public Service Superannuation Act, 2004). A candidate who is not classified as a new entrant must be under 65 years of age on the first day of the month in which the latest date for receiving completed application forms for the office occurs.