Section Head

A Section Head in High Dependency 2 covers; Theatres, Neo-natal Unit and Women’s & Children’s areas)

This role entails managing a small team of Clinical Technicians that look after the majority of medical equipment in the areas. The equipment ranges from highly complex devices right down to simple devices. This covers everything from Servicing, repairing and even training in some situations.

Entry Requirements

• Relevant Degree

• Higher National Certificate

• Experience with maintaining highly complex medical equipment

• Knowledge of current legislation, protocols and standards which are relevant to the safe use of renal medical equipment

• High level of understanding of the clinical application of highly complex, specialist medical devices used in high dependency services

• Experience in training & development of technical staff

Proven experience in managing a team

Senior Clinical Technician

Clinical technologists (sometimes known as medical technologists) are responsible for maintaining, monitoring and operating complex, specialised equipment used in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.

You are likely to specialise in one of a number of areas:

• nuclear medicine - you’ll be responsible for preparing and purifying radioactive materials, calculating doses and safe disposal whilst measuring and testing equipment safety levels.

• medical engineering - you'll usually have expertise in electronic or mechanical engineering. In this area, you could be helping in the design, construction and maintenance of specialist clinical equipment for an entire hospital.

• radiotherapy technology – you’ll be undertaking the quality control of radiotherapy dosimetry equipment and treatment units, (such as linear accelerators and brachytherapy equipment), and computing radiation treatment plans. You might also maintain and service radiation therapy equipment and construct patient fixation/immobilisation devices.

• renal technology – you’ll be responsible for the safe and efficient working of renal dialysis equipment (haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and water treatment) both in hospital and at the patient’s home.

• vascular technology – you’ll be performing and interpreting non-invasive diagnostic studies on patients with arterial and venous disease. These studies include ultrasound imaging and blood-flow waveform analysis, and blood pressure measurement at rest and after exercise.

Entry Requirements

There are two routes into this area of work:

• with appropriate A-levels including at least one science (or equivalent level-3 qualifications) and a good range of A-C grade GCSEs as a healthcare science practitioner, through the NHS Practitioner Training Programme (PTP).

• as a clinical scientist, through the graduate entry NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP), for which you must have a 1st or 2.1 either in an undergraduate honours degree or an integrated master’s degree in a pure or applied science subject relevant to the specialism for which you are applying.

• If you have a 2.2 honours degree or better in any subject, you will also be considered if you have a higher degree* that is relevant to the specialism for which you are applying.

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Senior Clinical Technician

As a clinical technologist, you are most likely to be based in a medical physics department within a hospital. However, you could work in almost any part of the hospital.

Based in High Dependency 1 section, Medical Physics & Clinical Engineering, providing specialist technical support to all areas of the Cardiac Services, you will be completing maintenance and repair of highly complex medical devices e.g. infusion devices, patient monitors, ultrasound machines, Ventilators & Anaesthetic machines, X-ray equipment associated with ICCU, Cath Lab & Theatre Departments.

You would be expected to demonstrate knowledge and skills in electronic, pneumatic, hydraulic and mechanical engineering, enabling you to repair and service medical devices.

Entry Requirements

There are two routes into this area of work:

with appropriate A-levels including at least one science (or equivalent level-3 qualifications) and a good range of A-C grade GCSEs as a healthcare science practitioner, through the NHS Practitioner Training Programme (PTP).

as a clinical scientist, through the graduate entry NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP), for which you must have a 1st or 2.1 either in an undergraduate honours degree or an integrated master’s degree in a pure or applied science subject relevant to the specialism for which you are applying.

If you have a 2.2 honours degree or better in any subject, you will also be considered if you have a higher degree* that is relevant to the specialism for which you are applying.

Clinical Technologist

As a clinical technologist, you are most likely to be based in a medical physics department within a hospital. However, you could work in almost any part of the hospital.

The technicians in the High Dependency 2 section look after the majority of medical equipment in the areas Theatres, Neo Natal and Women & Children’s.

The equipment ranges from highly complex devices right down to simple devices. This covers everything from servicing, repairing and even training in some situations.

Entry Requirements

There are two routes into this area of work:

• If you have a 2.2 honours degree or better in any subject, you will also be considered if you have a higher degree* that is relevant to the specialism for which you are applying.

Section Head

A Section Head in High Dependency 1 covers; Cardiac Services.

This role entails managing a small team of Clinical Technicians that look after the majority of medical equipment in this section. The equipment ranges from highly complex devices right down to simple devices. This covers everything from Servicing, repairing and even training in some situations.

Entry Requirements

• Relevant Degree

• Higher National Certificate

• Experience with maintaining highly complex medical equipment

• Knowledge of current legislation, protocols and standards which are relevant to the safe use of renal medical equipment

• High level of understanding of the clinical application of highly complex, specialist medical devices used in high dependency services

• Experience in training & development of technical staff

• Proven experience in managing a team

Clinical Scientist

As a clinical scientist working in medical physics, you'll research, develop, test and maintain specialist equipment used to help prevent, diagnose and treat many kinds of diseases and health conditions.

Working closely with other healthcare professionals, such as doctors and radiotherapists, you'll play a central role in developing, planning and implementing patient treatment programmes. You'll also help to protect patients and healthcare staff from hazards such as radiation.

Depending on the area in which you work, you may need to:

• commission, assess and ensure the safe operation of specialist equipment used by medical staff in areas such as radiotherapy, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, laser technology and physiological monitoring

• plan and supervise radiotherapy treatment in discussion with medical and other staff

• speak with patients to explain treatment procedures and possible side effects

• liaise closely with doctors to add technical results to patient reports

• negotiate and agree changes to patient diagnosis techniques in response to new procedures

• process complex patient image data

• oversee the quality control of equipment to ensure that correct and consistent results or outputs are achieved and ensure that ongoing maintenance routines are followed

• train and advise medical physics technicians on new equipment and protocols

Entry Requirements

Training to become a clinical scientist working in medical physics is done via the NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP), a three-year, full-time, work-based learning and training programme that also includes academic study at Masters level.

To apply to the programme you'll need either a first or 2:1 undergraduate degree or an integrated Masters degree in a subject that contains a high level of physics. You can also apply if you have a 2:2 undergraduate degree in any subject and have a higher degree in a relevant subject.

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