Clinical Engineer

Job Title: Clinical Engineer

Department: Engineering

Blackrock Health provides efficient and timely access to expert healthcare throughout Ireland. Our modern hospitals are located at Blackrock and Hermitage Clinics in Dublin, Galway Clinic, and we also have a diagnostic facility in Limerick. Blackrock Health has a roster of over 600 consultants with expertise in over 50 medical specialties. Our healthcare teams aim to give you an informed diagnosis, less invasive procedures, and a fully comprehensive and personalised approach to care.

Blackrock Clinic is a leading high technology and a long established private Irish hospital. Since it opened in the mid-1980s, the clinic has consistently built an unparalleled reputation in new high-tech surgical procedures, medical treatments, and ground-breaking diagnostics.

Blackrock Clinic is an acute care hospital with over 150 inpatient beds, 5 wards, multiple operating theatres, an ICU, an Emergency Department, many outpatient services, and a wide range of modern technically complex medical diagnostic and treatment facilities, providing high quality patient care. To deliver these services to patients there are roughly 1000 staff, plus hundreds of consultants that all work in Blackrock Clinic.

Role Purpose:

The Clinical Engineer will be responsible for the provision of a professional clinical engineering service to the hospital. As a key member of the frontline team, the Clinical Engineer will demonstrate strong technical and professional skills and facilitate effective and collaborative communication and engagement with colleagues in the hospital.

The position requires a systematic approach to the development of services and structures, embracing continuous quality improvement and the delivery of changes necessary to achieve organisational objectives.

The Clinical Engineer role is pivotal in ensuring the following:

• Cost effective service delivery and oversight of annual budgets.
• Provision of technical support to clinical staff in the technological understanding and application of the equipment in use.
• Installation, inspection, calibration, testing, and repair where appropriate support systems, and advice on theory of operation.
• Understanding of underlying physiological principles and safe clinical application of medical devices.
• Supervision of bio-medical equipment maintenance activities and data management systems.
• To organise and provide 24 hours, 7 days a week cover for medical equipment by participation in on-call rota.
• Maintenance of all equipment within 30 days of due service date.
• Participation in projects (refurbishments/rebuilds).

Qualifications / Experience:

Hold a recognised first or second class, level 7 or higher degree in one of the following engineering disciplines:

• Biomedical Engineering / Clinical Engineering,
• Electronic,
• Medical Physics

or

• Hold a recognised qualification at least equivalent to one of the above
• Hold a postgraduate degree in Clinical Engineering/ Medical Physics
• Have at least five years satisfactory experience, in one or more of the following fields: -Clinical Engineering, Medical Physics
• Experience in the operation and function of clinical equipment
• Healthcare/Hospital Experience
• Experience with Change Management and Project Management
• Expertise with the application of technology, especially on the management of electro-medical equipment

Key Responsibilities:

Operations

• Focus on procurement, maintenance, and repair of medical devices
• Establish and implement a medical equipment programme providing a quality service of clinical systems regarding equipment performance and safety.
• Be responsible for strategic and business planning for Clinical Engineering services, with a focus on sustainability as well as core clinical engineering services.
• Ensure maximum benefit from medical technology whilst minimising risks
• Develop and maintain effective working partnerships with clinical staff and managers in other departments.
• Review service provision and produce a service strategy
• Provide leadership for Medical Device User Training and ensure training records meet hospital policy.
• Prioritise service work in accordance with departmental requirements. Formulate and adjust plans and strategies for delivering and developing services in response to emerging clinical, technical and business requirements
• Manage comprehensive maintenance on all clinical equipment ensuring that equipment is inspected and tested in line with manufacturer's recommendations.
• Contribute to clinical justification and system specification prior to purchase.
• Maintain close cooperation with internal stakeholders and staff of commercial companies.
• Maintain good communications throughout the hospital where equipment issues impact on the provision of a service.
• Provide the Department's administration with such records of his/her work as deemed to be necessary.
• Development, approve and authorise of policies, procedures and protocols for the provision of Clinical Engineering.
• Provide as required, Systems Administration of all clinical network systems.
• Provide the Hospital with a proactively managed program that lowers annual maintenance cost, increases equipment uptime and provides the highest level of customer service.
• Assists and oversees technology assessment, capital purchasing, capital replacement projections and medical equipment management that meets or exceeds Hospital needs.
• Manage maintenance services for all clinical equipment in respect of its functional, electronic, optical, electrical and mechanical aspects to a standard of safety, accuracy and reliability consistent with its function and with professional standards.
• Assist with the coordination and implementation of preventative maintenance schedules and safety programmes.
• Oversee quality assurance on the hospital's electronic infrastructure.
• Contribute as required, to the processes for specification, purchase, installation, acceptance testing and commissioning of equipment and services by the hospital.
• Ensure the hospital has a system for monitoring and acting on clinical equipment and implantable device hazard notices, recalls, reportable incidents, problems and failures.
• Contribute to the development and use of the department's equipment management database.
• Support the nursing, medical and technical staff in the implementation of patient care involving technology.
• Participate in the maintenance and inventory of proper stock levels of spare parts and accessories as required to ensure minimum equipment downtime.
• Contribute to the support of research activities of the various departments.
• Responsible for reporting abnormal or unusual results or measurements lying outside the tolerance limits to the relevant stakeholders.
• Oversee the effective utilisation of direct reporting staff and ensure their compliance with all hospital policies
• Instigate and contribute to seminar programmes, in-service lectures, scientific and clinical Engineering meetings.

People Management

• Provide clinical and management leadership for staff and ensure an effective learning environment for the multidisciplinary team and taking an active part in the delivery of care as appropriate.
• Promote an environment that is conducive to the development of best practice, enhances staff retention and promotes good industrial relations.
• Maintain a high level of staff morale, promoting good communication, team spirit and job satisfaction among members of the multidisciplinary team. Strive to ensure that staff are accountable, responsible and have authority to practice and manage within their remit.
• Recruit, train and develop staff to achieve an appropriate skill-mix for meeting current and future service demand
• Ensure that all new staff in the Department receive an adequate orientation and induction programme, have a clear understanding of their duties, responsibilities and standards of performance at all times.
• Ensure that staff are effectively supported with annual reviews and the development of personal development plans.
• Provide a duty roster that ensures resources are deployed effectively and efficiently to cope with fluctuations in workload, case complexity, adequate skills mix, planned Unit/Ward activity or staff absence difficulties.
• Comply with all HR system and policy requirements including recording of relevant data
• Establish a formal mechanism for communication among the team including schedules for staff meetings.

Learning and Education

• Take personal responsibility for own professional development and keep up to date with evidence-based practice and research.
• Develop specialist fields of interest within the field of Clinical Engineering.
• Attend and participate in staff development programmes on an ongoing basis.
• Assist with the orientation and induction of new staff and be available to provide orientation as necessary, helping them to integrate as members of the team.
• Identify and inform the Learning and Education Team of any training and professional development requirements.
• Contribute and participate in education and training programmes relevant to the Department.
• Attend all mandatory training days and ensure that all mandatary training is in date.
• Maintain accurate records of all study leave and education resources used.
• Develop and implement an enhanced staff competence assessment relevant to the Department.
• Facilitate study days and leave for staff, in accordance with the HMC Study Leave Policy and within budgeted allowances.
• Comply with all HR system and policy requirements.

Quality Improvement and Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with all relevant Blackrock Clinic guidelines, policies, procedures and relevant legislation and regulatory requirements.
• Encourage continuous review and evaluation of policies, guidelines and existing practices through regular audit programmes and review engaging with the multi-disciplinary team where required.
• Promote a culture of continuous quality improvement across the department involving the team in continuous improvement initiatives and encouraging innovation.
• Set and monitor core objectives, standards and key performance indicators for the service and monitor performance against these standards through internal and external audits.
• Participate in the requirements of the clinic's accreditation process.
• Participate fully in the requirements of the clinic's risk management programme.
• Promote the delivery of a high standard of care to all patients.
• Work with members of the team in devising Standard Operating procedures for the development of the Department.
• Develop a culture of safety, promoting positive reporting of incidents and near misses according to hospital policies, protocols and guidelines.

Please Note:

Job descriptions are a reflection of the present service requirements and may be subject to review and amendments to meet the changing needs of the service. Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient applications are received.

Blackrock Clinic is an Equal Opportunities employer, and we are committed to creating an environment that promotes equality and dignity at work.

Blackrock Clinic is committed to providing reasonable accommodation when needed. Please advise if you have particular requirements, so that we can look into arranging reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process. You can contact us at [email protected]

It is essential that you have valid work permission for the Republic of Ireland to take up employment for this position, or in the case of critical skills, you must be eligible for a work permit.