Senior Physicist in Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance | Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
| Posting date: | 09 September 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £58,698 - £65,095 Per annum |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 09 October 2024 |
| Location: | London, SW3 6NP |
| Company: | Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 6603089/196-LIS8841 |
Summary
The main purpose of this post is to provide Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) Physics support to Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT) which includes Royal Brompton & Harefield sites - world-renowned leaders in CMR and specialist hospitals known throughout the world for their expertise, standard of care and research success in heart and lung disease.
The main requirements of this post will be to provide CMR physics support across all GSTT sites. The post-holder will undertake clinically applied MRI research activities and be responsible for the provision of physics support for MR imaging and spectroscopy for clinically applied research and service development within GSTT and KCL.
An integral part of the role is to engage in, generate and undertake formal research, development and clinical trials within both the Trust and Medical School supporting the translation of basic research findings into clinical practice. The Trust and Medical School perform internationally leading research in Magnetic Resonance, and the post holder’s work in this area will have impact throughout the NHS and beyond, both within the UK and internationally. The post involves liaison with a wide range of staff and students across the Trust, King’s College London, and other hospital and academic institutions. Additionally, the post will provide MR Physics support to external organisations according to service level agreements.
The post requires a highly specialist knowledge of the scientific, technical, and safety aspects of MRI/MRS and their clinical applications. The post holder must be able to act on his/her own initiative to develop scientific and technical solutions to meet the diverse requirements of a constantly evolving, specialist CMR service.
Key Relationships
The post holder will have regular contact with a range of staff groups, particularly other clinical scientists and technologists, radiologists and other medical specialists, radiographers, service managers and research and academic staff of KCL.
The Department of Medical Physics at Guy’s and St Thomas’ provides a comprehensive range of scientific and technical services to the Trust and external organisations.
As part of the King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre, the Department has close links to the School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences and other groups at King’s College London and to Medical Physics and Engineering colleagues at King’s College Hospital, for service delivery, teaching and research. The Department aims to provide its 140 staff with interesting and worthwhile careers.
There are currently 20 MR systems across the Guy’s and St Thomas’ sites (including a 7T, a PET-MR, an MR-guided HIFU, two XMR suites, low and ultra-low field systems. This is an excellent opportunity to gain a diverse CMR experience at a major clinical and academic centre.
Duties and Responsibilities
1. Clinical Scientific/Technical
1.1 Develop, implement and manage an auditable Quality Assurance programme for the highly complex, patient-critical MRI systems to ensure optimum quality for conventional and advanced CMR. Perform any other checks as may be necessary. Participate in acceptance testing on new or upgraded MR installations. Create and develop systems and software solutions for the archiving and enhanced analysis of QA data. Specify, perform, interpret and advise on routine QA procedures and advise on action to address inadequate performance.
• Contribute to the provision of comprehensive, accessible and relevant MR safety advice to the Trusts, KCL and all relevant staff. Propose changes to policies and procedures in MR facilities in the light of complex legislation, guidelines, standards and practices, taking account of clinical experience and highly specialist scientific knowledge. Perform periodic review and update of Local Rules to ensure compliance with current national and international guidelines (NRPB, IEC, European Directives) and relevance to current service requirements. Co-ordinate and perform staff training on these safety requirements including practicing of emergency procedures in the MRI Unit. Work with staff locally to ensure adherence to safe systems of work within areas to which Local Rules apply.
• Supervise investigations on individual patients using advanced CMR techniques. Ensure that written and verbal scientific information given to patients regarding the technique is accurate and appropriate and that all necessary ethics approval has been obtained. Perform post-processing and analysis of complicated CMR patient data and assist in their clinical interpretation.
• In consultation with radiological and radiographic staff use highly specialist knowledge of MR physics to progressively optimise scanning techniques and protocols relevant to current clinical service needs and maintain records of results. Advise on image quality.
• Provide physics support for the translation of innovative research techniques into clinical practice, including the implementation of new imaging and spectroscopy techniques, writing and adaptation of relevant software, performance of measurements, developing and executing appropriate quality control procedures and complex data analysis. Bring new physics research developments into clinical use in a “user friendly” form. Provide scientific and technical support for other clinical and scientific R&D programmes within the Trusts and Medical School. This may involve an on-call, out of hours commitment.
• Evaluate complex MR artefacts in clinical patient data. Analyse and identify possible causes and provide immediate advice on their reduction or elimination.
• Perform first line troubleshooting for faults, which may be complex, non-reproducible and subtle, on highly-complex patient-critical MRI systems and extensive complicated auxiliary equipment (e.g. chilled water plant, air conditioning/handling units) and make decisions on whether faults require immediate remedial action. Work/liaise with manufacturer’s engineering and technical staff to identify and rectify equipment faults to minimise system down time. In conjunction with the Trust’s technical staff and outside contractors implement and supervise preventative maintenance systems. Train radiographic staff in aspects of fault finding and rectification and ensure that written procedures are available for dealing with common fault situations. Maintain an overview of the proper operation of supporting plant, particularly with respect to functioning of indicators, proper setting of control parameters, maintenance of appropriate environmental conditions within the Unit.
• Maintain an overview of the proper operation of supporting plant, particularly with respect to functioning of indicators, proper setting of control parameters, maintenance of appropriate environmental conditions within the Unit.
• Provide support and expert advice for the procurement of major items of new or replacement MR equipment (hardware and software) and associated site requirements for the Trust.
• Initiate and develop software solutions for specific clinical and research goals, eg image analysis. Use spreadsheet and database software to manage data and extract information. Administrate small scale computer systems.
1. Managerial
• Prioritise own work in accordance with Departmental and Trust priorities and external demands, adapting as required to the demands of an unpredictable work pattern. Meet expected results by using own initiative and following general principles and applicable regulations, standards and guidelines. Instigate and manage scientific and service development projects involving changes to practices.
• Supervise and take responsibility for the work of other Medical Physicists and staff when they are performing work under the post holder’s direction.
• Keep careful records of all work performed and complete other appropriate records.
• Provide written work-place procedures, Local Rules and documentation for the department and Trust/KCL as required.
• Prepare applications to Local Research Ethics Committees and NHS Research Authorisation Committee.
• Supervise report-writing of students and trainees
3. Teaching, training and research
• Deliver substantial teaching input to MR teaching programmes at the Trust and KCL. Undertake student assessment.
• Supervise individual BSc and MSc research projects.
• Undertake and supervise the practical training of supernumerary Medical Physicists in Magnetic Resonance, as part of the Kings, Guy’s & St Thomas’ training centre, including responsibility for delivery of theoretical and practical training of trainee and junior clinical scientists in magnetic resonance.
• Organise and deliver comprehensive, accessible and relevant physics training in highly complex Magnetic Resonance theory, practice and safety to radiographic, technical and other staff and students using MR scanners or working in the MR environment.
• Organise, deliver and record relevant training in Magnetic Resonance safety to all Trust and non-Trust personnel where required
• Engage in local and national R&D programmes in collaboration with the Medical School, other Trust and KCL Departments and external organisations as a major job requirement, to meet strategic objectives of the Trust. The Trust and Medical School perform internationally leading research in MR, and the post holder’s work in this area will have impact throughout the NHS and beyond, both within the UK and internationally.
• Initiate, generate and undertake research, development and clinical trials as a major job requirement to support the translation of basic research findings into clinical practice.
• Coordinate and project manage research and development projects.
• Ensure dissemination of R&D results. Publish and present scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and at scientific conferences.
4. Professional
• Keep abreast of the latest technical and scientific developments and their applications in medical and associated fields. Attend suitable seminars, courses and scientific and medical meetings as part of personal development and to further the work of the Department and Trust.
• Actively participate in Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme.
• Attend suitable seminars and courses as part of personal development.
• Contribute to national and international developments in MR Physics and MR safety.
• Participate in the affairs of the medical physics profession at a national level.
• Ensure all activities meet regulatory requirements.
This advert closes on Monday 23 Sep 2024