Ultrasound Technologist - Breast Imaging

MISSION STATEMENT

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission  of The University of Texas  M. D. Anderson  Cancer Center  is to eliminate  cancer  in Texas, the nation, and the world  through  outstanding  programs  that integrate patient care, research and  prevention,  and through education for undergraduate and graduate students, trainees, professionals, employees and the public.

SUMMARY

The primary purpose of this position is to provide technical and specialized skills in the operation of Breast Ultrasound Imaging procedures on UT MDACC patients.

The Breast Ultrasound Technologist is responsible for:

•     Daily  operations  of  the Ultrasound  section,  patient  workflow,  equipment  maintenance,  the report  of equipment failures, and quality assessment (QA).

•     Independent operation of all routine, portable and intraoperative ultrasound equipment.

•     Performing  diagnostic  ultrasound  examinations  in  keeping  with  age  specific  needs,  protocols,  and communication  of results of diagnostic examinations.  Willing to learn new technologies as they become available.

•     Knowledge of ultrasound cross-sectional anatomy, disease processes and evaluation of the resulting data

•     Performing procedures as prescribed by DI Faculty.

•     Ensuring a safe environment for patients and peers. Practices ultrasound safety using ALARA concepts.

•     Effectively communicating and working with patients, their family members, and all UTMDACC staff to ensure high quality diagnostic procedures are performed. Duties and responsibilities are conducted in a manner that effectively supports efficient patient services.

•     Providing education, training, and mentoring to students, technologists, nursing, faculty, and others.

•     Maintaining a high standard of medical ethics at all times and is self-motivated to increase level of understanding and knowledge of the field, disease processes, and new procedures as they evolve.

CORE VALUES

Caring Behaviors

•     Courtesy:

·        Is respectful and courteous to each other at all times

·         Gives full attention to others minimizing distractions

·        Does not gossip or air frustration inappropriately

·        Uses a respectful and professional tone of voice

•   Friendliness/teamwork:

·        Promotes and rewards teamwork

·        Is sensitive to the concerns of our patients and our co-workers

·        Expresses awareness of others' experiences and views

·        Listens to patients and coworkers' needs and empathizes with them

·        Is aware  of and  respects  individual  differences,  such  as age,  gender,  ethnicity,  physical ability, sexual orientation, religion, culture, background, and experiences

·        Demonstrates collegiality  to others  in an effort  to create  a cooperative  and  collaborative environment

Integrity Behaviors

•   Reliability:

•    Promotes and adheres   to M.  D.  Anderson’s Standards   of Conduct in addition   to all applicable institutional policies and procedures.

•    Communicates time  expectations   for  tests,   procedures,   or  service   arrival,  or  project deliverables to patients and coworkers

•    By his/her actions, creates an environment of trust

•    Adheres to attendance policy by timely reporting to work and returning from breaks

•    Admits when wrong, apologizes and takes steps to resolve a situation

•   Safety:

•    Notices a safety concern and follows through to closure via reporting it to the appropriate department, following policy and enforcing safety and health compliance when appropriate.

•    Models  safe  behavior  (wears  badge,  completes  appropriate  safety  training,  and  follows

Safety policies and procedures).

•    Follows safe infection control practices to protect ourselves and our patients (washes hands, participates in employee flu and TB screening programs).

•    Mitigates risk to the institution through sound business practices.

•    Demonstrates ethical and personal responsibility in work and behavior.

Discovery Behaviors

•   Responsiveness:

·       Encourages learning, creativity, and new ideas

·       Responds to requests from others in a timely manner

·       Offers help before being asked

·       Provides help to patients and coworkers that may be outside of job responsibilities (does not say, "It's not my job.")

·       Looks for new and better ways of doing things

•   Personal Leadership/Self-Initiative:

·       Helps others to identify and solve problems

·       Seeks personal growth and enables others to do so

·       Leads by example

·       Actively encourages others to contribute ideas

·       Holds self and others accountable for practicing our values

KEY FUNCTIONS

Technical Skills:

•    Responsible for provision of high quality exams while working in a dynamic, complex team oriented highly productive patient care environment.

•   Performs  studies/procedures  as  outlined  in  the  department  manuals/guidelines  including  routine, immediate care, portable, on-call, biopsy procedures, and intraoperative cases by applying principles of ultrasound in the execution of imaging requirements.

•    Recognizes significant clinical information and historical facts from the medical record that may affect the exam and patient care.

•    Responsible for quality assurance activities on technical equipment and collaborates with appropriate parties to resolve image quality issues.

•    Communicates effectively with  patient care  team members to answer  the associated  clinical  care questions.

•    Responsible for accurately entering data   or  patient demographics into the Radiology Information System,  all  clinical  computer  systems,  and  ultrasound   units.  Ensures  completeness  of  patient information in computer systems and related paperwork.

•    Ensures that patient studies are appropriately coded and charged.

•    Demonstrates flexibility and the ability to work effectively.

·        Must be able to rotate day shift hours to cover the hours of operation in the ACB.

·        Must be able to take rotational call including holidays (the technologist may switch call

·        schedules with another technologist with notification and approval of supervisor/manager).

·              Must be flexible to the demands of patient care by coming in early and/or staying late

•    Practices responsible use of communication tools (whiteboard, paging systems, telephones, email, fax, etc).

•    Corrects problems as they arise and notifies supervisor/manager when assistance is required to do so.

•    Maintain productivity standards as defined in the section.

•    Error rates are minimized to appropriate established levels.

•    Accurately demonstrates anatomy and pathology through proper diagnostic scanning.

·        Uses proper scanning techniques, annotation, anatomical and pathological demonstration, and

correct any errors.

·        Clearly  discusses  with  the  radiologist  ultrasound  findings  of  patient  by  using  cognitive sonographic skills to identify, record, and adapt procedures based on diagnostic information

received.

·        Responsible for  independent operation and  maintains working knowledge of  all  ultrasound

equipment used in the section.

·        Interprets orders such as patient requisition, including special instructions

·        Maintains knowledge of protocols, procedures, and disease processes performed.

•    Ensures completion of all duties and conducts daily verbal hand-off communication to relief technologist at shift end.

•    Other duties as assigned.

Patient Care:

•   Functions within professional scope of practice.

•    Ensures the patient is imaged in a safe environment, free of hazards.

•    Identifies patients using approved identifiers.

•    Provides full attention to the patient and the procedure.

•    Sets up patient studies utilizing approved protocols/procedures and brings questions forward before imaging patients.

•    Follows fall precautions and posts patient updates on the whiteboards or though other communication methods.

•    Ensures appropriate supplies are available for the procedure.

•   Recognizes patient distress signs, initiates and follows emergency procedures: nurse/physician, DIURT, MERIT, and CODE.

•   Utilizes sterile or aseptic technique where applicable.

•   Demonstrates the ability to address and handle patient care concerns, Notifies the radiologist if when gross pathological findings are discovered.

•   Seeks opportunities to assist in overall patient care activities .This may include escorting patients from holding areas to scanner, offering to work over when needed, assisting peers and nursing staff.

•   Recognizes examination findings that may require immediate clinical response and notifies the interpreting radiologist (such as Critical Results)

•   Protect patients from ionizing radiation by following ALARA radiation safety guidelines, providing lead shielding when applicable and by monitoring of technical scanning parameters.

•   Maintains necessary inventory of supplies for all examination rooms.

•   Other duties as assigned.

Compliance Activities:

•   Maintains current required licensure and certifications.

•   Follows Institution, Division and section specific policies, procedures, guidelines and protocol

•   Demonstrates  adherence  to Joint  Commission  standards  and  initiatives  and  to  applicable  state  and federal licensure and guidelines.

•   Attends  mandatory  in-services. Maintains  expectations  for  safety  preparedness,  including  but  not limited to: Orientation to new equipment, Employee Education Event, CPR training, fire dri11s.

•   Attends, contributes and participates in regularly scheduled  departmental meetings.

•   In a self-directed manner and timely manner, satisfies department  in-services and continuing  education requirements for the institution, division, and section.

•   Verifies correct procedures/supplies are entered in RIS for accurate billing.

•   Documents   incidents,   variances, unusual circumstances  or  patient  concern  during   the  ultrasound procedure and notifies the radiologist or supervisor as needed.

•   Assures  all  necessary  patient  documentation   is  complete  and  accurate  by  clearly  writing  required information on all necessary forms (such as biopsy paperwork).

•   Other duties as assigned.

Operations:

•   Actively participates in quality and performance improvement activities.

•   Identifies new ways to improve workflows and the patient experience.

•   Effectively  manages  patient flow  and  minimizes  delays-by  utilizing  critical  thinking  to analyze  and evaluate simple cause and effect outcomes.

•   Takes  appropriate  action  to  categorize   problems  into  high  and  low  priority  levels  and  exerc1ses appropriate action to maintain efficiencies.

•   Coordinates patient flows through the section acting as a resource to the patient care team.

•   Ensures  appropriate  inventory  available  to  ensure  required  resources  are  available  throughout   the day/week.

•   During system failure, performs section down time procedures and immediately reports to supervisor for reassignment of duties.

•   Relays all equipment   malfunctions   to the DI  Engineering   Team,  supervisor   and   manager   with appropriate information readily available.

•   Demonstrates knowledge  of area  specific  processes,  scheduling  capacity,  and applies  knowledge  of work area to maximize efficiencies.

•   Other duties as assigned.

Education:

•   Participates in on-going learning and demonstrates application of it in his/her role.

•    Actively seeks opportunities to develop professionally and personally.

•    Coaches and mentors others relating specific aspects of the job.

•   Provides  leadership  and  training  to students,  technologists,  and other  staff  members  on  an  ongoing basis. Other duties as assigned.

•   Fosters and encourages a receptive and nurturing environment by actively contributing  to the education activities of patients, family members, faculty, radiology residents, coworkers, volunteers and students.

•   Other duties as assigned

Marginal Functions:

•   Able to assume leadership responsibilities in the absence of the area supervisor as needed. This involves maintaining   patient  flow  and  communicating  any  problems  to  the  Diagnostic  Imaging  Manager  or Supervisor.

•   Demonstrates  excellent  interpersonal  skills. Establishes  and maintains  a high level of  professionalism through cooperation, receptiveness, and sensitivity to others.

•    Assists physicians with research  projects in any capacity (scanning patients, retrieving  reports, logging data, and others).

•   Demonstrates, by example, a high-level customer service philosophy, ethical  behavior and institutional core values.

•   Understands and promotes team participation over individual contribution.

•   Able to work without supervision.

•   Performs special projects; volunteers for assignments  both internal and external to department.

•   Performs other duties as assigned.

CORE COMPETENCIES

•    IC - Analytical Thinking:

·        Gather relevant information systematically;

·        Break down problems into simple components; and

·        Make sound decisions.

•   IC - Innovative Thinking:

·        Approach problems with curiosity and open-mindedness; and

·        Offer new ideas, solutions and/or options.

•    IC - Build Relationships:

·        Initiate, develop, and manage relationships and networks; and

·        Show sincere interest in others and their concerns.