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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key duties and responsibilities

1.    To be responsible for the calibration of equipment and continual quality control of measurements.

2.    To obtain accurate and clinically valuable measures at rest and during simple exercise tests of patient’s lung function.

3.    To undertake any new procedures that may be adopted in the future within competencies

4.    To be responsible for testing urgent patients without delay and at their convenience, scheduling and prioritising work as appropriate.

5.    To record workload data via iPM and/or spreadsheets and assist with service audit.

6.    To undertake and report (where appropriate) routine and specialist tests

7.    To share responsibility for the therapeutic aspect of the OSA Service with colleagues.

8.    To represent the Sleep and Lung Function Services to other departments and interdepartmental projects and groups as required.

9.    To provide efficient and coherent guidance to colleagues within the immediate team and Trust when required.

10.  To undertake training (if required) to report overnight pulse oximetry results

11.  To undertake CPAP set-up and reviews

12.  To support service improvement and service document reviews

13.  Successfully complete HCS practitioner program, PTP equivalence, ARTP practitioner level III RCCP registration if not already obtained

Clinical

1.    To lead, instruct and coach patients in the required techniques and the need for full co-operation and maximum effort in performing lung function, by demonstrating the same physical effort and enthusiasm in order to obtain reproducible and meaningful results.

2.    To measure static lung volumes by body plethysmography and nitrogen washout.

3.    To measure dynamic lung volumes by volume time spirometry and flow-volume loop.

4.    To assess bronchodilator response with short-acting drugs.

5.    To undertake gas exchange studies such as measurement of transfer factor for carbon monoxide by the single breath method.

6.    To be responsible for the investigation of respiratory muscle function defects by postural spirometry and maximal inspiratory and expiratory mouth pressures.

7.    To measure exercise limitation by the 6-minute walk with oximetry.

8.    To assess bronchial challenge with inhaled mannitol or other agents as per agreed protocols after appropriate training

9.    To be responsible for the assessment of hypoxic challenge (Flight Assessment test)after appropriate training

10.  To undertake spot pulse oximetry measurements where appropriate..

11.  To undertake overnight pulse oximetry assessments as required.

12.  To be involved in the investigation of sleep disordered breathing by domiciliary oximetry and part polysomnography sleep studies, inpatient sleep studies including transcutaneous pO2 and pCO2 measurements.

13.  To initiate continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in suitable patients, as directed by Consultant Physicians.

14.  To provide clinical support for patients established on CPAP therapy (e.g. assessing equipment and interface functionality, monitoring progress and efficacy).

Education, Training and Development

1.    Act as an effective role model at all times.

2.    Support the senior respiratory physiologists in developing and delivering a training programme for student clinical physiologists, assistant practitioners, and other staff groups as required

3.    Facilitate a good learning environment. 

4.    Provide training for other health care professionals e.g. training of nursing or medical staff in lung function techniques and interpretation of results, especially Spirometry.

5.    To be pro-active in awareness of current issues/research, updating colleagues as appropriate.

6.    Identify and subject to funding attend relevant courses as part of your personal development plan and that of others.

7.    Undertake PG diploma in sleep & lung function if not already obtained

8.    Undertake ARTP level III qualification, ARTP certification and become AHCS registered if not already obtained