Nuclear Medicine Practitioner

Job overview

We are recruiting for a Nuclear Medicine Practitioner who shares our vision to be trusted to provide consistently outstanding care and exemplary service to our patients.

The Nuclear Medicine Department, part of the Radiation Services group at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, provides a wide range of diagnostic imaging and in-vitro investigations together with molecular radiotherapies.

We have a new imaging suite with SPECT/CT to support the development of dosimetry and deliver research projects within the Cancer Centre. As well as our patient facing clinical service, we operate a radiopharmacy that supplies radiopharmaceuticals to other nuclear medicine departments throughout Northwest London and the Home Counties.

You will need to have a BSc Radiography and a post graduate qualification in Nuclear Medicine together with evidence of working in nuclear medicine or Degree in Clinical Technology or related discipline (or equivalent level of knowledge and experience), backed up by specific training and experience in nuclear medicine. You will also have evidence of current CPD activity.

Radiographers must have registration with the HCPC.

Clinical technologists must be on the Register of Clinical Technologists.

Our Values are Include, Respect and Improve. It is important that you understand and refer to our values during your recruitment process and beyond

Main duties of the job

As an experienced radiographer or clinical technologist with current HCPC/RCT registration you will participate fully in the delivery of the clinical nuclear medicine service undertaking administration of radiopharmaceuticals for imaging, in-vitro studies and therapy.

You will ensure that our high standards of patient care are promoted and maintained at all times.

You should have a good understanding of radiation protection measures and precautions required following diagnostic procedures and be able to communicate these sensitively and clearly to patients.

You will be expected to use your knowledge, skills and experience to actively participate in service improvement programmes with clinical scientists and other healthcare professionals.

On completion of a comprehensive in-house training program in good manufacturing practice you will be involved in all aspects of the radiopharmaceutical manufacture and dispensing in the radiopharmacy.

Working for our organisation

At East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general & specialist services we provide & our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible & innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.

We run the following hospitals:

• The Lister Hospital, Stevenage
• New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City
• Hertford County, Hertford
• Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood

We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation; our staff & patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.

We understand that finding and starting a new job is an important life decision. If you need reasonable adjustments for a disability, or a life event, such as menopause - so that we can consider your application fairly & to get the best out of you during the selection process, please let us know.

We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. Employees are entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns & we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made & considered formally, & will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

ENHT is seeking to maintain and expand the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre staff as we move to an exciting new future.

We welcome applications from those who would relish the opportunity to be part of new and developing cancer service, building on the excellent reputation, research and patient experience the Cancer Centre already delivers.

In addition, you will receive a High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of your basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £4,314 and a maximum payment of £5,436 per annum pro rata.

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification applicant pack for further detailed information regarding this role.

Person specificationQualifications/TrainingEssential criteria

• DCR(R) / BSc Radiography and a post graduate qualification in Nuclear Medicine together with evidence of working in nuclear medicine or Degree in Clinical Technology or related discipline (or equivalent level of knowledge and experience), backed up by specific training and experience in nuclear medicine
• Evidence of current CPD activity
• Radiographers must be a member of the Society of Radiographers and Clinical technologists must be on the Register of Clinical Technologists.
• Training in cannulation / administration of intravenous injections

Desirable criteria

• PgD / MSc in Nuclear Medicine
• Evidence of interest in, or attendance at M Level courses
• Training in radiopharmacy

Previous ExperienceEssential criteria

• Specialised training and practical experience in diagnostic Nuclear Medicine investigations.
• Experience of Radiation Protection sufficient to give advice to patients and members of staff.
• Evidence of some teaching / training / mentoring experience
• Experience of SPECT/CT imaging

Desirable criteria

• Experience in Nuclear Medicine therapy procedures.
• Specialised training and practical experience in Radiopharmacy and cell labelling.

SkillsEssential criteria

• Excellent numeracy – ability to perform calculations for radioactive decay (using decay tables), radioactive concentration, volumes, percentages and other typical calculations required for the preparation / dispensing / checking of patient doses
• Highly developed physical accuracy to achieve precision and speed in radiopharmaceutical dispensing procedure, intravenous injections and the use of sophisticated scientific and technical equipment
• Ability to concentrate for long periods of time whilst working alone in the radiopharmacy
• Good organisational skills
• Good communication skills
• Ability to stand for extended periods of time whilst working
• Demonstrates importance of team working and able to motivate a team
• Good communicator of sensitive information to patients and members of the public
• Ability to analyse and interpret complex data and make judgements from the results
• Good working knowledge of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and use Clinical Applications software
• Ability to teach, train and supervise students and other members of staff within their areas of competence
• Ability to apply their knowledge and experience of practical nuclear medicine and radiation protection in order to implement new procedures and suggest developments to existing ones
• Take an interest in the development and progression of department procedures and techniques
• Experience of auditing clinical practice / procedures

KnowledgeEssential criteria

• Specialised theoretical and practical clinical knowledge in nuclear medicine of diagnostic imaging and therapeutic and palliative treatments
• Knowledge of relevant legislation, national standards, professional and other guidelines (IRR99, IR(ME)R2000, EPR2010 etc)

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of principles and practice of radiopharmacy and in-vitro diagnostic tests
• Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practice as applied to aseptic manufacturing
• Knowledge of current and innovative nuclear medicine investigations and therapeutic procedures
• Knowledge of current professional issues

Other requirementsEssential criteria

• Good interpersonal skills
• Know when to seek advice and assistance
• Ability to be able to cope with moving and handling of patients
• Willingness to attend courses
• Experience and evidence of engagement around equality, diversity and inclusion issues in relation to policy, service development and service delivery in respect of both services to users and the management of staff
• Role model our Trust values every day

Our values

We want our staff to believe in, demonstrate and live our values in everything we do.

Include
We value the diversity and experience of our community colleagues and partners, creating relationships and climates that provide an opportunity to share, collaborate and grow together.

Respect
We create a safe environment where we are curious of the lived experience of others, seek out best practice and are open to listening and hearing new ideas.

Improve
We are committed to consistently delivering excellent services and continuously looking to improve through a creative workforce that feels empowered to act in service of our shared purpose.

Committed to our Community

East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion for all job applicants, staff, patients and the wider community. We want to create a workforce which represents the communities we serve. We are on a journey to become a more inclusive organisation and we welcome applications from everyone regardless of their background. In particular we encourage applications from candidates with disabilities, and candidates from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds who are currently under-represented in various parts of our workforce .

We understand the importance of balancing work and home life. We are committed to support flexible working for our staff wherever possible and all our employees are given the opportunity to discuss potential for flexible working.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and achieved our status in 2019.

We will remove barriers that prospective candidates might face at any stage of our recruitment process. If you have a disability and would like the advert in an alternative format, or would like to talk about how we can adjust the interview process to best support you, please contact us by emailing resourcing.enh-tr@nhs.net

We are also proud to support our UK armed forces by supporting Reservists, Cadet Instructors, Veterans and military spouses/partners into employment and offering supportive policies that value their contribution to the community and to our Trust.

We are committed to being a carer-friendly environment, addressing the complex needs of families with caring responsibilities. In partnership with Carers in Hertfordshire, all our working carers have access to support from recruitment. We are also a member of Carers UK, providing resources to make balancing work and caring easier. Our approach is inclusive, recognizing diverse challenges and creating a supportive environment where carers feel valued.

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