position description
position title: Research Nurse Coordinator
portfolio/service:Burnet Clinical Research Unit
location: 3 North, Royal Melbourne Hospital, City Campus
reports to: Principal Investigators (Prof Len Harrison &Prof Peter Colman)
award: #526 Nurses and Midwives (Victorian Health Services)
classification:3B Fixed Term Part Time, 0.6 EFT
date: October 2015
Melbourne Health is Victoria’s second largest public health service. We provide comprehensive acute, sub-acute, general, specialist medical and mental health services through both inpatient and community based facilities through the following services: The Royal Melbourne Hospital – City Campus, The Royal Melbourne Hospital – Royal Park Campus, North Western Mental Health, North West Dialysis Service and Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory.
Melbourne Health provides services to the culturally and linguistically diverse communities of northern and western metropolitan Melbourne, as well as providing general and specialist services to regional and rural Victorians as a tertiary referral service.
Melbourne Health employs over 8,000 staff across our services and manages over 1,400 beds. It provides one of the two adult major trauma services to the state of Victoria. In 2009 – 2010, Melbourne Health provided 713,000 occasions of service (acute, mental health and aged), 53,912 Emergency presentations and 92,265 admitted patients (acute, Mental health and aged).
Our Strategic Directions 2010 – 2015 is underpinned by our organisational values and behaviours ‘passion for caring – Achieving the Extraordinary’ and incorporates five key goals: Developour Workforce, Improve the Quality & Safety of Services, Develop and encourage Strategic Relationships, Foster a Culture of Research and Innovation; and Build a Sustainable Organisation.
Further information on Melbourne Health is available at
Melbourne Health’s Vision
Passion for Caring – Achieving the Extraordinary
Our Mission
Melbourne Health’s mission is to provide World class healthcare for our community.
We will embrace discovery and learning, build collaborative relationships and engage our patients in their care.
Our Goals
Supporting us to achieve, guiding our direction.
- Develop our workforce
- Improve quality and safety of our services
- Develop and encourage strategic relationships
- Foster a culture of research and innovation
- Build a sustainable organisation
Securing the health of our communities through research and innovation, to deliver effective services and educate future generations.
Melbourne Health’s Values
Respect for the dignity, beliefs and abilities of every individual
Caring and Compassion
Integrity by being open honest and fair
Unity as a team and in embracing our communities
Discovery through passion for innovation
Melbourne Health’s behaviours can be viewed on our website.
Occupational Health & Wellbeing
Melbourne Health endeavours to provide a working environment for its employees that is safe and without risk to health. Employees are required to:
Take reasonable care for their own safety and that of anyone else who could be affected by their actions;
Responsible for ensuring the implementation of health and safety policies and procedures; and
Fully co-operate with MH in any action it considers necessary to maintain a working environment which is safe and without risk to health.
Melbourne Health is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing for its employees a work environment which is free of harassment or discrimination.
MH promotes cultural diversity and awareness in the workplace
Melbourne Health reserves the right to modify position descriptions as required. Staff will be consulted when this occurs.
Melbourne Health is a smoke free environment.
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Position Summary for Research Nurse Coordinator
Role Summary – Specific
Work with a group of researchers conducting the ‘Early environmental determinants of pancreatic islet autoimmunity (ENDIA) Study:
- Recruit expectant mothers with a family history of type 1 diabetes
- Arrange and conduct study visits for mothers and their children
- Collect blood and other samples from mothers and their children during study visits
- Perform administrative tasks, including documenting visits and reporting to trial monitors and ethics committees
In addition, the successful applicant may be asked to assist with other research studies within the Burnet Clinical Research Unit
Background
Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common childhood-onset chronic diseases, and is associated with substantial human and economic costs. The incidence of T1D is increasing worldwide with a younger age of onset described in European and Australian populations.
The objective of the ENDIA study is to follow 1400 children (approximately 350 at Melbourne Health) over 5 sites within Australia who have a first degree relative with T1D, initially during pregnancy and then the first 3 years of life, to determine how genotype and changes in weight, insulin sensitivity, metabalome, lipidome, microbiome, vitamin D, omega 3 fatty acid and nutritional status, and the timing and frequency of viral infections, relate to the development of islet autoimmunity.
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Strategic Goals influencing key result areas
Develop our Workforce
Melbourne Health acknowledges that it is our people who make us a truly great organisation and that strong and effective leadership engages, unites and motivates staff. Investing in our workforce and providing them with a supportive environment, the necessary skills for them to confidently do their job and a culture where they can excel and feel valued creates a workplace of choice. It also enables us to attract and retain the most talented and brightest people.
Major Accountabilities for this position that relate to the above strategic goal are:
- Care for self and others in the workplace
- Cooperate with the employer in the interest of health and safety
- Report hazards to employer
- Report claims promptly to their employer
- Participate in rehabilitation and injury management plans
Improve the Quality and Safety of our Services
Melbourne health strives to continuously improve the quality and safety of our services and actively involve and inform patients and their carers in the healthcare they receive. This allows us to deliver the best care for our community.
Major Accountabilities for this position that relate to the above strategic goal are:
- Comply with Quality Management policies and procedures, and participate in Quality Management activities for Burnet Clinical Research Unit
- Support and participate in the Health Service OH&S Procedures and implement (where appropriate) at unit/service area level
- Assist in maintaining a safe work environment by reporting any incidents of unsafe work practices, sites/areas or equipment
- Be responsible for observing and practicing the principles and obligations of Equal Employment Opportunity, which include:
a workplace free from harassment
activities and practices to prevent and eliminate unlawful discrimination
promotion of Melbourne Health values and fairness in the workplace
contribution to the successful management of diversity in the workplace
- Comply with Health Service and Divisional specific Regulations, Melbourne Health Policy and Procedures (available on MH intranet site and the By-laws and Policies as apply from time to time
Develop and encourage Strategic Relationships
Our relationships with our key partners in health, research, education and foremost with our community are crucial to achieving our mission to deliver world class care. Continuing to develop and encourage these strategic relationships is a key priority for Melbourne Health.
Major Accountabilities for this position that relate to the above strategic goal are:
Key Relationships/Interactions:
Internal
Principal investigators (Prof. Len Harrison, Prof. Peter Colman, Dr John Wentworth)
All other BCRU staff
Laboratory staff at Melbourne Health and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Research Directorate
External
Project Management Team at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Adelaide
Research nurses and other staff atEnDIA sites within the region
Pathology Staff
Diabetes organisations (e.g. Diabetes Australia, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation)
Foster a culture of Research and Innovation
Melbourne Health’s strong commitment to research and innovation is underpinned by our value of ‘discovery’ and a legacy of experience, determination and challenging the expected. Fostering a culture that strives for continuous improvement underpins our mission to deliver world class care for our community. At any one time there are at least 600 active research projects underway at Melbourne Health, across all disciplines with multi-disciplinary collaboration fostered and encouraged.
Major Accountabilities for this position that relate to the above strategic goal are:
ENDIA coordination
Recruitment
- Recruit participants which will require liaison with health care professionals in other institutions
- Enrol and follow up participants in accordance with study protocol
- Obtain Informed consent with participants
Protocol Specific
- Conduct participant trial visits according to protocol
- Venipuncture pregnant women and their offspring up to 3yrs of age
- Obtain samples of various types at 3-6monthly intervals including blood, urine, stool, buccal, gingival and throat swabs from mother then child
- Liaise with birthing suites re obtaining cord blood samples
- Administer study questionnaires
- Process and ship participant samples
Data Management
- Document maternal age, parity, socio-economic class, height, weight, BMI, and pregnancy details
- Set up and maintain trial documentation and database
Communication
- Feedback study results via mail and/or phone
- Submit reports to the Human Research Ethics Committee
- Coordinate HREC liaisons
- Ensure that ethics approval and reporting is current
- Effectively communicate with Trial Coordinating Centre (University of S.A.) staff
- Along with the Principal Investigators, represent RMH at meetings and on teleconferences
Build a Sustainable Organisation
Building a sustainable organisation provides the foundation for Melbourne Health’s continued ability to deliver on our vision and mission and encourages us to look to the future in our day to day business.
Major Accountabilities for this position that relate to the above strategic goal are:
- Understand how own role influences hospital issues, processes and outcomes
- Weigh up alternatives to find the most effective way of improving organisational results
- Regularly demonstrate an approach to assigned tasks which produces quality outcomes
- Willingly go beyond job expectations
- Deliver high standards of performance even when working under pressure
Knowledge & Experience required to fulfil this position
Essential:
- Current Division 1 nursing registration
- Extensive experience in venipuncture
- Ability to work both independently and as a team member
- Excellent inter-personal skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Well-developed problem-solving skills
- Highly-developed computer literacy
- Meticulous attention to detail
- Willingness to work flexible hours when required.
Desirable:
- Concurrent appointment or strong experience working in a maternity hospital
- Experience in paediatric nursing
- Previous experience in clinical trial research
- Midwifery qualifications
- Experience in data management
- Diabetes Education certificate
- Current driver’s licence
Position Description approved …………………………………………………… …../……./201*
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I acknowledge and accept that this position description represents the duties, responsibilities and accountabilities that are expected of me in my employment in the position.
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