Purpose of Job
- Coordinates and performs vascular/echo procedures.
Job Requirements
- Education
  - American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) registered or board eligible required.
  - Requires successful completion of an accredited ultrasound technical 2 year program.
  - Participates in mandatory in-services and continuing education programs as mandate by policies and procedures/ external agencies and as directed by Manager.
- Experience
  - Two years of clinical experience (student and/or professional) in echo/vascular required.
- License/Certifications
  - Current American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) strongly preferred at time of hire, required within 3 months of hire.
  - American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) registered or board eligible required.
  - RVT (Registered Vascular Tech) and/or RDCS (Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer) through the ARDMS required upon employment. With both being required after six months of employment.
- Skills/Knowledge/Abilities
  - Ability to effectively communicate and interact with patients and family members as well as hospital personnel and coworkers required.
  - Ability to effectively organize work in order to perform several tasks at once required.
  - Computer skills required.
Physical Requirements
- Weight Demands
  - Medium Work - Exerting up to 50 pounds of force.
- Physical Activity
  - Not necessary for the position (0%):
    - Climbing
    - Crawling
  - Occasionally Performed (1%-33%):
    - Distinguish colors
    - Kneeling
    - Sitting
  - Frequently Performed (34%-66%):
    - Balancing
    - Carrying
    - Crouching
    - Fingering/Touching
    - Grasping
    - Keyboarding/typing
    - Lifting
    - Pulling/Pushing
    - Reaching
    - Repetitive Motions
    - Speaking/talking
    - Standing
    - Stooping/bending
    - Twisting
    - Walking
  - Constantly Performed (67%-100%):
    - Hearing
    - Seeing/visual
- Job Hazards
  - Not Related:
    - Chemical agents (Toxic, Corrosive, Flammable, Latex)
    - Explosives (pressurized gas)
    - Electrical Shock/Static
    - Radiation Alpha, Beta and Gamma (particles such as X-ray, Cat Scan, Gamma Knife, etc)
    - Radiation Non-Ionizing (Ultraviolet, visible light, infrared and microwaves that causes injuries to tissue or thermal or photochemical means)
    - Mechanical moving parts/vibrations
  - Rare (1-33%):
    - Biological agents (primary air born and blood born viruses) (Jobs with Patient contact) Blood or Body Fluid (BBF)
    - Physical hazards (noise, temperature, lighting, wet floors, outdoors, sharps) (more than ordinary office environment)
  - Occasionally (34%-66%):
    - Equipment/Machinery/Tools
Essential Job Functions
- Essential Functions I
  - Exam performance/quality.
    - Identifies each patient by ID band verification and birth date.
    - Ensures patient understanding of pending procedure.
    - Cover appropriate body parts and position patient correctly.
    - Follows appropriate guidelines and departmental protocols.
    - Performs exams as priority dictates and as directed.
    - Critiques each exam for technical and positional accuracy and makes appropriate corrections if necessary.
  - Workflow management.
    - Review orders for clinical and demographic consistency and verifies accuracy prior to exam.
    - Willfully assists physicians, patients, and coworkers as needed and seeks opportunities to provide patient care.
    - Understand and support the direction and workflow of the department.
    - Maintain awareness of ongoing exams and assist co-workers as needed.
    - Provide exam information and status updates to pertinent staff members.
    - Relieves co-workers from procedures/exams as necessary.
    - Be in the department and ready to work at the start of scheduled shift.
    - Have processes set in place to allow for leaving at the end of scheduled shift.
    - Obtain and consolidate all images, reports and history with completed exam information for review.
    - Take call. Coordinates inpatient procedure flow. (Hospital Only)
  - Systems/Cerner.
    - Maintain a working knowledge of Cerner.
    - Starts and completes own exams correctly and in a timely manner.
    - Consistently uses the Online Worklist to monitor orders and order status.
    - Verify correct images matched with order.
    - Able to perform clean up functions on PACS workstation.
  - Department Policy/Procedures.
    - Ensures proper patient identification on all images to comply with department policies and procedures.
    - Willingly seeks opportunity to provide patient care, or assist others as needed.
    - Demonstrates knowledge of department guidelines through responsible behavior/actions.
    - Maintains updated ARDMS license.
    - Ensures that call reports and/or other specifications are followed through.
    - Report issues/concerns as soon as possible and provide assistance with resolution/follow-up.
  - Clinical Enrichment.
    - Provides and monitors “on the job training” per Methodist College standards.
    - Maintains professional and courteous relationship with students and instructors.
    - Provide leadership and guidance for students' education clinical experience.
  - Confidentiality.
    - Maintains patient confidentiality coinciding with HIPAA.
    - Maintain student/co-worker confidentiality coinciding with FERPA.
  - Provides appropriate care specific to the age of the patient to ensure understanding and comfort level of treatment as outlined in the “Age Specific Criteria”.
    - Provides appropriate patient care.
    - Shows confidence and competency in all age specific categories.
    - Ensures patient comfort and understanding of ordered exam.
  - Coordinates and performs echo/vascular procedures according to the department policy and procedures approved by the Medical Director's and Intersocietal Accreditation Commission Echocardiography (ICAEL)/Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL) governing body using digital imaging.
    - Selects from work list 100% of the time or follows the correct down time guidelines for patient demographic information in order to pass the information to medical records.
    - Works closely with IT when the work list is not working. IT feedback and notification of manual scanning of finalized results for medical records.
    - Competency check list on each procedure by technical director (echo/vascular).
  - Obtains accurate patient history, appropriate indications for the study and critical measurements for physician interpretation.
    - Measure feedback from Cardiologist/Vascular Surgeon, peers, business office and medical records.
  - Acquires all images digitally in Xcelera and assigned the images to a Cardiologist/Vascular Surgeon for final interpretation and report.
    - All studies sent and edited within 24 hours of procedure.
  - Educates patient on procedure and confirms understanding PRIOR to beginning the procedure.
    - Patient inquiry of education review prior to exam by supervisor on a prn basis. Rounding for outcomes.
    - Patient inquiry if educational material were provided by ordering physician's office.
  - Log each patient on log sheet and bill appropriately in Cerner following the procedure.
    - Feedback from Business office and Medical Records.
  - Provide critical lab results to the ordering department and provide instruction to repeat back the results for clarification and understanding per department policy.
    - Document on log sheet who the critical lab result was provided to with confirmation the results were read back to the sonographer. Initial log sheet after results are read back.
    - Round for outcomes on positive results.
    - Peer observation and feedback.
  - Collaborates in maintaining proper inventory and works with IT and Bio-Med when equipment or system goes down.
    - Keeps manager informed of maintenance issues and IT system issues.
    - Feedback from IT (PACS project manager).
    - Feedback from Bio-Med on ultrasound and SAP equipment issues.
  - Works the monthly assignments fairly and in the best interest of the department.
    - Managers observation.
    - Feedback from peers.
- Essential Functions II
  - Participates in mandatory in-services and/or CE programs as mandated by policies and procedures/external agencies and as directed by management.
  - Follows and understands the mission, vision, core values, Employee Standards of Behavior and company policies/procedures.
  - Other duties as assigned.