Genetic Technologist

Job summary

An opportunity has arisen for a full time, permanent Genetic Technologist to join the team in the Oxford Genetics Laboratories (OGL), a part of the Central & South Genomic Laboratory Hub (GLH). The OGL operates across both the John Radcliffe and Churchill hospitals and staff may be required to work at either or both sites.

The post-holder will be expected to perform a range of genetic tests in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures. The role will include workflow management of a specific area under the supervision of Senior Genetic Technologists or Clinical Scientists, which may also include some supervision of the workload of junior staff, training and troubleshooting. While a large proportion of work is wet-lab based, Genetic Technologists also undertake both the analysis of test data and the reporting of routine results.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate good communication, organisational and practical laboratory skills along with flexibility, efficiency and attention to detail in their work.

A reasonable amount of workplace-based experience in a UKAS accredited Genetics Laboratory (or similarly regulated environment) with direct practical experience of post-extraction molecular genetic techniques ( PCR setup, Sanger sequencing, NGS, MLPA, Pyrosequencing) is essential, though full training in local procedures will be given.

Candidates may be expected to work across the whole range of services offered in the future.

Main duties of the job

Genetic Technologists undertake technical, analytical and administrative duties that support the clinical scientists in the department. They take personal responsibility for their own work on a daily basis subject to the supervision of the section head. They participate in various rotational duties within the department including monitoring of work areas for health and safety and process a wide range of pathological specimens for a broad range of inherited conditions according to standard operating procedures, and are competent in the use of patient databases, state of the art technologies and a variety of software packages, some of which are complex, for the analysis of perform highly accurate and skilled analysis, with often unpredictable outcomes and requiring periods of are expected to communicate complex technical, scientific and confidential information to colleagues within their department in electronic, written and verbal forms.Technologists participate in the teaching and training load of the department through demonstration of own performance of appropriate standard operating procedures to other genetic technologists and trainee Clinical Scientists within the limits of their experience. They are also required to attend and participate in appropriate training seminars, and regular section and departmental meetings.

About us

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. Find out more here

The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence. These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via theOUH YouTube channel.

The Oxford Genetics laboratories are part of the Central & South Genomic Laboratory Hub (C&S GLH), one of 7 GLHs recently established to deliver NHS England's National Genomic Medicine Service. We provide a comprehensive range of cytogenetic, molecular cytogenetic and moleculargenetic investigations for both rare disease and acquired disorders (solid tumour and haematological malignancy).

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical Service

1. Deliver the technical service of a section/subsection or designated area of work to nationally accepted standards (UKAS or equivalent) with appropriate support to include the following:a. Follow standard operating procedures for the receipt, booking in, processing and analysis of samplesb. Review appropriate risk and COSHH assessments in areas relevant to own practise and abide by laboratory health and safety policiesc. Undertake basic troubleshooting for failed analysesd. Validate quality of technical analysis, repeat and perform subsequent investigations following discussions with more senior technologists or clinical scientists according to defined criteriae. Draft routine reports on the patient database according to defined templatesf. Arrange dispatch of different types of samples. Deal with queries relating to the receipt and dispatch of samples, including products of conception (received for post-mortem examination), and other tissues.

2. Perform laboratory processes from a variety of biological specimens received which may be high risk (eg HIV, Hep C) and/ or derived from recognisable human or fetal parts, by all methods currently employed in the laboratory and to work safely under exposure to toxic substances which are hazardous to health.

3. Identify unusual or failed results and bring them to the attention of Senior technologists or scientists for further discussion

4. Liaise with senior technical or scientific colleagues over availability of equipment, sample prioritisation, or requirement for supplementary laboratory processes, when planning work schedules in designated areas of work, in accordance with laboratory protocols and under the supervision of the Section Head and/or Laboratory Director.

5. Supply a high level of technical expertise in the investigative procedures involved and take a daily responsibility for their own work, subject to the supervision and direction of section head or other senior staff. Be adaptable to changing diagnostic workload pressures, by making independent day-to-day decisions about workload in designated area. The post holder must communicate all problems with, and when necessary obtain help/advice from, appropriate senior staff

6. Attend, and actively participate in, team and laboratory meetings with opportunity to propose improvements in efficiency and changes to scientific and technical protocols and to contribute to the development and implementation of departmental policies within the limits of experience.

Laboratory Management 7. Prepare reagents and media used in the processing and testing of samples, and safely handle toxic substances that are hazardous to health.

8. Undertake appropriate duties to fulfil quality control programs, including (but not limited to) recording of appropriate data according to operating procedures, validation and verification of new reagents and protocols.

9. Identify biological materials for safe disposal or storage, according to departmental protocols. Dispose of hazardous chemicals and biohazard waste

10. Undertake stock-control and ordering of routine reagents and consumables as required

11. Take day to day responsibility for use of, daily maintenance, monitoring and care of instrumentation within the laboratory (to include safety, performance and temperature of equipment biological safety cabinets, incubators, fridges and freezers).

Staff 12. Participate in the teaching and training of new members of staff or less experienced employees in own work area by demonstrating own work activities and routine practice.

13. Advise other technologists and less experienced staff in areas such as sample processing, basic troubleshooting, organisation of work, setting up of instrumentation.

Research and Service Development 14. Assist clinical scientists in research and development projects which meet the overall objectives of the department.

Personal Development 15. Participate in and attend in house training at postgraduate level for the development and maintenance of skills, knowledge and expertise required for the post (eg scientific and technical literature reviews, seminars, presents own work on relevant topics)

Informatics/Bioinformatics 16. Be proficient in the use of Microsoft office applications to prepare occasional written and oral presentations (eg powerpoint presentations, word documents). Design and manipulate excel spread sheets to analyse and present data.

17. Be proficient in the use of state-of-the-art software packages for the analysis of genetic test results.

18. Collate results from a range of tests and enter complex analytical data onto computer databases, including the laboratory information management system (LIMS).

General 19. Abide by all Operational Policies applicable to the Department

20. Co-operate with management and safety representatives in matters connected with the Health and Safety at Work Act of Practice for safety in laboratories

21. Take responsibility for the accuracy of their own work, and undertake an appropriate proportion of the total workload of the Department. The post holder will collaborate with all other staff, to be an effective team member, and achieve optimal use of resources

22. Participate in internal quality control and internal and external quality assessment procedures

23. Work within the section/subsection to ensure achievement of and adherence to the standards required of an accredited laboratory, in close liaison with the Quality manager and under the direction of the section head and laboratory director.

24. Participate in the preparation of the department for accreditation.

25. Implement laboratory record keeping processes and assist with retrieval and presentation of data as required

26. Take responsibility with others for the maintenance of stocks of reagents and consumables to ensure the proper functioning of the laboratory and efficient use of resources. Ensure that all equipment is used appropriately and safely and that any faults are reported for immediate rectification

27. Take responsibility with others for the daily maintenance of complex instrumentation systems within the laboratory

28. Participate in regular performance review and personal development planning

29. Maintain confidentiality of information about patients, staff and other health service business in accordance with Data Protection Act of 1984.

30. Participate in out of hours duties, if required, in line with the Department Out of Hours Policy

31. Work such hours as required for the effective and timely performance of their duties, as specified in the terms of the contract of employment

32. Undertake any other duties commensurate with experience and job role as a result of changes to the service as agreed by the Consultant Head of Laboratory or Trust and reviewed as part of the annual staff appraisal

RISK MANAGEMENT The management of risk is the responsibility of everyone and will be achieved within a progressive, honest and open will be provided with the necessary education, training and support to enable them to meet this should be familiar with the: Major Incident Policy, Fire Policy, Incident Reporting Policy, and should make themselves familiar with the local response plan and their role within that response.

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY The post holder is responsible for ensuring that all duties and responsibilities of this post are carried out in compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Statutory Regulations and Trust Policies and Procedures. This will be supported by the provision of training and specialist advice where required.

INFECTION CONTROL Infection Control is everyones responsibility. All staff, both clinical and non-clinical, are required to adhere to the Trusts Infection Prevention and Control Policies and make every effort to maintain high standards of infection control at all times thereby reducing the burden of Healthcare Associated Infections including staff employed by the ORH Trust have the following key responsibilities:Staff must wash their hands or use alcohol gel on entry and exit from all clinical areas and/or between each patient contact.

Staff members have a duty to attend mandatory infection control training provided for them by the members who develop an infection (other than common colds and illness) that may be transmittable to patients have a duty to contact Occupational Health.

CHILD PROTECTION The post holder will endeavour at all times to uphold the rights of children and young people in accordance with the UN Convention Rights of the Child.

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND VULNERABLE ADULTS The Trust is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults throughout the organisation. As a member of the trust there is a duty to assist in protecting patients and their families from any form of harm when they are vulnerable.

INFORMATION GOVERNANCE All staff must complete annual information governance training. If you have a Trust email account this can be completed on-line, otherwise you must attend a classroom session. For further details, go to the Information Governance intranet site.

DATA QUALITY Data quality is a vital element of every member of staffs job role. The Oxford University Hospitals recognises the importance of information in the provision of patient care and in reporting on its performance. Data quality is therefore crucial in ensuring complete, timely and accurate information is available in support of patient care, clinical governance, performance management, service planning, and financial and resource planning and staff should ensure that they have read and understood the Trusts Data Quality Policy

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

BSc (Hons) in a relevant biological science ( including a human genetics component).

Desirable

Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS) registered as a genetic technologist or working towards registration. ACC/CMGS Certificate of Competence in Genetic Technology.

Experience

Essential

A reasonable amount of workplace-based, practical laboratory experience either in a diagnostic environment or a forensic DNA testing laboratory or commercial/research laboratory. Practical experience of a range of molecular biology and/or cytogenetic techniques. Post-graduate practical experience of results analysis, Sanger Sequencing, PCR-based fragment analysis, aCGH, Chromosome analysis, etc. Post-graduate use and maintenance of equipment for PCR set up, sequencing etc. Experience of Microsoft office and spreadsheets.

Desirable

Previous experience in a NHS Genetics diagnostic laboratory. Experience of working towards UKAS accreditation and ISO:15189 standards. Experience of using laboratory databases and LIMS. Experience of analytical procedures, automated equipment and automated systems of work.

Special knowledge

Essential

Theoretical and practical knowledge of molecular genetic techniques including PCR, sequencing and/or fragment analysis and/or cell culture and cytogenetic techniques.

Desirable

Undergraduate level knowledge of human genetics simple patterns of inheritance, genome organisation, molecular basis of inherited disease. Knowledge and experience of IT systems and software packages relating to complex automated diagnostic equipment and processes.

Skills

Essential

Ability to work according to good laboratory practice. Ability to follow standard operating procedures accurately. Ability to keep accurate written and computerised records. Good level of attention to detail Good planning and organisational skills Good co-ordination skills and manual dexterity Good interpersonal and written and verbal communication skills.

Special attributes

Essential

Interested in laboratory technology. Ability to cope with pressures of work; demonstrates personal resilience Good team player. Flexible approach to work. Able to cope with distressing situations ( receipt/handling of abnormal fetus)

Desirable

Capable of prolonged concentration and attention to detail in carrying out microscopic chromosome analysis

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