FT Registered Mammo Interventional Tech

Facility: Paulding Hospital

Wellstar Paulding in Hiram, Georgia is seeking a FT Registered Mammography Interventional Technologist. The days and hours for the position are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 6:30a - 7:00p - this position will receive evening shift differentials. The Registered Mammography Interventional Technologist must be flexible with work hours to meet department needs. Must be dependable, accountable and cooperative. Assists with providing safe, age appropriate care to the patient by performing all exams provided by the department according to department procedures. Has the knowledge and ability to properly and safely obtain a quality diagnostic study. Responsible for performing a wide variety of technical procedures requiring independent judgement, ingenuity and initiative in the utilization of the equipment for the diagnosis and/or treatment of diseases. Able to independently perform job functions. Sets up the equipment to provide imaging service and positions patient for the procedure. Must maintain minimum FDA/MQSA requirements for continuing education, experience and equipment.

Core Responsibilities and Essential Functions:

Equipment
- Demonstrates the ability to adjust technique so that patient receives the best study possible and that image quality is maintained.
- Reports problems regarding malfunctioning equipment to supervisor or service provider, so that problem can be corrected in a timely manner.
- Cleans, disinfects and maintains equipment in accordance with infection control policy and department cleaning schedule.
- Ability to properly operate all radiographic equipment in a safe and competent manner. Assuring that equipment is not abused and is left in good working order.
Patient care
- Obtains complete clinical history, gathers examination data and assesses for contraindicating conditions.
- Ensures that all studies have proper patient identification and right and left marker are utilized appropriately.
- Reviews radiographic images for clinically acceptable results and releases patients.
- Responds to emergency situations.
- Uses critical thinking skills.
- Seeks clarification on ambiguous orders.
- Assists other technologists in all modalities when needed.
- Observes patient condition and properly evaluates situations when physician intervention is necessary so that no patient condition deteriorates as the result of misjudgment.
- Verifies two unique patient identifiers per policy and verifies proper clinician order prior to performing a procedure.
- Ensures patient's privacy and comfort is accommodated.
- Demonstrates competence in the determination and application of appropriate procedures, equipment, supplies and techniques based on the age of patients.
- Organizes schedule, time and priorities so that required activities are accomplished within designated time frames.
- Follows physicians instructions when assisting with procedures and exams.
- Practices RBAC (Read Back and Confirm) when taking verbal orders.
Education and communication
- Patiently and clearly explains purpose and nature of exam to patient prior to starting of procedure, to minimize anxiety and facilitate cooperation using AIDET; Acknowledge, Introduce, Discuss, Explain, and Thank you of all patients and family members.
- Ensures that patient's questions, concerns or contraindications are satisfactorily addressed, notifying physician when this cannot be accomplished, prior to the initiation of the procedure.
- Participates in the orientation and training of departmental employees.
- Provides patients with preparatory instruction and explanation of procedures.
- Required documentation is concise, legible and includes precise terminology.
- Reads email each day scheduled to work and follows through with assignment.
- Completes mandatory departmental and Hospital-wide education without prompting.
Quality control
- Produces acceptable images, as evidenced by maintaining a first-time acceptance rate of 95 percent.
- Ensures that equipment is fully operational prior to each use, by checking for proper calibration and operating deficiencies.
- Completes all studies in RIS, images are oriented, marked, labeled, and noted correctly prior to sending all studies to PACS; prints CDs as necessary.
- When submitting procedures for interpretation comparative studies are digitized if necessary and the preliminary sheet is filled out in its entirety, if applicable.
- Maintain all documentation so that the facility meets ACR Accreditation standards.
- Technologist is knowledgeable in completing and documenting the following ACR/MQSA QC test: Phantom, Visual checklist, Repeat analysis, Compression-pressure, compression thickness, flat filed test, calibration, Dicom printer test.
Operations
- Restocks linens and supplies, and maintains Mammography Department in clean and orderly condition.
- Transports patients, positions patients, and helps them on and off procedure table.
- Performs patient charging activities on the day the service is rendered.
- Applies shielding.
- Prepares and maintains patient follow-up data.
- Willingly lends knowledge and assistance to others upon request as needed and routinely as time is available, without prompting, so that all working time is used for departmental advantage.
- Performs routine duties of clerical and support personnel in accordance with procedure when warranted to ensure continuity and quality of services.
- Keeps supervisor informed on all responsibilities on an ongoing basis, ensuring prompt notification in the event of problems or potential problems.
- Maintains an individual productivity rate equal to other co-workers.
- Familiar with Mammography Tracking System.
- Maintains Joint Commission standards and any other regulatory agency standards.
- Familiar with FDA/MQSA EQUIP program.
- Any other duties as assigned. Interventional (Stereo)
- Review approach and discuss each case with the radiologist in advance of procedure.
- Discuss any medicine reconciliation with radiologist and communicate with MI nursing.
- Understand, Demonstrate, and document Pre-procedure verification and Time- out process with each interventional procedure.
- Demonstrate and understand pre and post procedural care.
- Demonstrates clean/sterile technique and prepare interventional room to follow infection prevention policy and procedures.
- Locate areas of architectural distortion and amorphous calcifications seen only on tomosynthesis images for target.
- Position and target the asymmetries avoiding vessels or consulting with radiologist.
- Demonstrate clinical competence with vasovagal reactions and other known complications.
- Process specimen accordingly and send to pathology with proper documentation.
- Discard biohazard and sharps according to policy and JC guidelines.
- Perform QA/QC on the Stereotactic unit per OEM recommendations and document results.

Required Minimum Education:
•    Graduate of AMA approved School of Radiology Technology Required

Required Minimum License(s) and Certification(s):
All certifications are required upon hire unless otherwise stated.
•    Basic Life Support (BLS) through American Heart Association (AHA) Required
•    ARRT Radiography
•    ARRT Mammography

Additional License(s) and Certification(s): n/a

Required Minimum Experience:
•    Minimum 1 year experience as a Mammography Technologist Required and
•    Minimum 1 year experience with Stereotactic Breast Biopsy procedures Preferred

Required Minimum Skills:
•    Must exhibit excellent communication skills because this position requires frequent verbal and written communications with: physicians, patients, visitors, departmental staff and nursing staff.
•    The employee obtains, presents and discusses clinical information regarding job responsibilities on a routine basis.
•    Candidate must be able to explain or give directions to maintain goodwill, and obtain cooperation with all contacts.
•    Must possess the ability to function independently and under pressure while still actively participating in a team environment.
•    Position requires the employee to exhibit excellent customer service skills at all times.
•    Must be able to position the patient for the stereotactic breast biopsy so that the lesion is clearly visualized and can be targeted in 2 views.
•    Have a clear understanding of geometric considerations and how targeting accuracy affects accuracy in lesion localization.
•    Understand compensatory strategies.
•    Able to evaluate both pre-fire and post-fire images.
•    Must be able to perform effectively in a stressful and fast paced work environment.
•    Must have the ability to prioritize appropriately.
•    Must be detail oriented and have the capacity to effectively multitask throughout the work shift.
•    Must have excellent communication skills and the capacity to interact professionally with a variety of customers, including but not limited to patients, families, co-workers, volunteers, and physicians throughout the work shift.
•    Must possess the ability to function independently, yet productively as a cooperative team member with various work teams associated with the position.
•    Must be compliant, with a willingness to follow all Hospital policies as well as the established practices, protocols and procedures of the position, department and applicable professional standards Competent in all aspects of Mammography, patient positioning, exposure factors and radiation protection.
•    Must have an understanding of anatomy and pathology as to how they affect the quality of a procedure.