Echocardiographic Technologist - Pediatric and Fetal

Global Dynamics is currently seeking a Echocardiographic Technologist to join our team and work at a state of the art government facility.   

 Duties: 

• Maintain a level of productivity comparable with that of other individuals performing similar services.  
• Participate in peer review and performance improvement activities.
•  Practice aseptic techniques as necessary.  Comply with infection control guidelines to include the proper handling, storage, and disposal of infectious wastes, and the use of universal precautions to prevent the spread of infection.  
•  Function with an awareness and application of safety procedures.
• Perform efficiently in emergency patient situations following established protocols, remaining calm, informing appropriate persons, and documenting events.  Anticipate potential problems/emergencies and make appropriate interventions.  Notify supervisor, director, or other designated person regarding problems that the HCW is unable to manage.
•  Apply an awareness of legal issues in all aspects of patient care and strive to manage situations in a reduced risk manner.
•  Participate in the implementation of the Family Advocacy Program as directed.  Participation shall include, but not be limited to, appropriate medical examination, documentation, and reporting.
• Exercise awareness and sensitivity to patient/significant others' rights, as identified within the MTF.
• Maintain an awareness of responsibility and accountability for own professional practice.
•  Participate in continuing education to meet own professional growth.
• Attend and/or comply with all annual training classes required by the Command, to include but not limited to online annual training provided by the MTF: disaster training, infection control, Sexual Harassment, Bloodborne Pathogens, Fire and Safety, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE), and all other required training.
•  Actively participate in the command’s Performance Improvement Program.  Participate in meetings to review and evaluate the care provided to patients, identify opportunities to improve the care delivered, and recommend corrective action when problems exist.
•  Participate in the provision of in-service training to clinic staff members.  Provide training and/or clinical direction as applicable to supporting government employe¬es (e.g., hospital corpsmen, students, etc.).
• Attend and participate in various meetings as directed.
• Perform timely, accurate, and concise documentation of patient care.
•  Operate and manipulate automated systems such as CHCS, AHLTA, ADS, Essentris, MHS Genesis and Clinical Information System (CIS), participate in clinical staff Performance Improvement (PI) and Risk Management (RM) functions, as prescribed by the Commander. Maintain DOD email account as directed. The HCW shall be responsive to all email and voicemail communications.
•  Exercise appropriate clinical delegation of tasks and duties in the direction and coordination of health care team members, patient care, and clinic activities.
•  Maintain documentation of all treatment provided in accordance with clinic directives and prepare such records and reports as may be required. All records and reports must be legible. Abbreviations must be only those listed in local instructions.
• Provides diagnostic, cardiac ultrasound examinations, using an ultrasound scanning system.
• Obtains the preliminary information to provide an accurate study, including diagnosis, symptoms, history, and surgical information, from records and from patient or parents. 
• Receive patients and explain procedures, providing humane and appropriate care and communication to alleviate fear of examination. Correctly position the patient for the examination and adjust necessary for the required examination.
• Operates a highly technical, computerized ultrasonographic scanning machine, including control console, single and multi-planar transducers, and high-frequency transducers to produce real-time images of the internal and external structures of the heart and major thoracic blood vessels.
•  Independently performs and completes initial reporting of comprehensive cardiac sonography (echocardiography) on a wide variety of patients utilizing the ultrasonic scanner with all necessary modalities.  
•  Use Two-dimensional, M-mode, three-dimensional, spectral Doppler, and color flow Doppler imagining to obtain complete or focused echocardiographic studies.
• Make necessary mathematical calculations and measurements within software packages on the ultrasound cart and reporting software.  
• Perform protocol driven studies as directed by the pediatric cardiologist(s). 
• Store all images (including cine), calculations, and measurements on a computerized image archiving system for interpretation by the pediatric cardiologist(s). 
• Transfers ultrasound studies to a permanent storage system.
• Assists with the education of medical students, interns, residents, cardiology fellows and student cardiac sonographers in the fundamentals of congenital heart disease and pediatric cardiac ultrasound.
• Assists in the preparation of the technical reports and maintains a computerized record of studies.
• Notifies pediatric cardiologist(s) when studies are complete and ready for review.
• Notifies pediatric cardiologist(s) immediately when critical findings are discovered.
• Anticipate all possible anomalies and complications based on the information provided and when an anomaly is found, must know how to provide the additional information, and deviate from the standardized views to provide all necessary information.
• Must be able to move ultrasonic scanning system throughout the facility without assistance.
• Maintain and clean ultrasonic scanning system equipment on a regular basis in accordance with MTF policy. Stock and maintain an adequate level of supplies required for diagnostic procedures. Recommend necessary repairs when diagnostic quality is degraded.
• Maintain compliance with applicable MTF patient care policies.
• Pediatric Cardiac Sonograms - Inpatient and outpatient populations.
• Perform studies on children and young adults with known or suspected simple or complex congenital or acquired heart diseases, including premature infants. Customize each study, diverging from standardized protocol when necessary and will provide all important additional information and calculations. Obtain detailed images of the heart and all of its internal and external parts using real-time 2-dimensional imagining, as well as m-mode, 3-dimensional imaging, and spectral and color flow Doppler.
• Perform echocardiography on sedated patients managed by qualified sedation staff in various locations within NMCSD.
• Fetal Cardiac Sonograms - Perform Fetal Cardiac Sonograms to evaluate obstetrical patients at risk for fetal cardiac anomalies. Obtain relevant history from the patient and explain the procedure. Perform comprehensive fetal imaging to evaluate fetal cardiac structural abnormalities, cardiac function, and rhythm disturbances. Measure cardiac structures. Notify Physicians immediately of any anomalies.
• Adult Cardiac Sonograms – Perform diagnostic echocardiography studies on adult patients with congenital heart disease who continue care with pediatric cardiology. Obtain detailed images of the heart and all of its internal and external parts using real-time 2-dimensional imaging, as well as m-mode, 3-dimensional imaging, and spectral and color flow Doppler.
• Transesophageal Echocardiograms - Assists the pediatric cardiologist and operates the machine and makes necessary measurements and calculations while the cardiologist acquires images of the heart with an internal probe.

Qualifications:   

• Possess American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) certification in diagnostic cardiac sonography with ARDMS certifications in pediatric echocardiography and fetal echocardiography. Certification must be maintained throughout the term of the contract
• 2 years experience in independently performing diagnostic pediatric and fetal echocardiography.
• Specialized training for Pediatric Echocardiography 
• Must have an in depth understanding of the ultrasound scanning machine with all the modalities specific to cardiology, including two-dimensional imaging, three-dimensional imaging, m-mode, spectral Doppler, color flow Doppler. Must have knowledge of standard measurements and calculations used in pediatric echocardiography. Understanding of the interactions of the application modalities, in order to obtain diagnostic quality images on the most difficult to image patients.
• Be familiar with cardiac anatomy and physiology and how these relate to ultrasound imaging.
• Be familiar with knowledge of all aspects of pediatric cardiology.
• Be familiar with congenital and acquired heart diseases, ranging from fetuses and premature infants to adults.
• Must have a comprehensive understanding of the physics of ultra-sound and basic mathematics in order to do the required calculations and measurements of blood flow and other cardiac parameters.
• Able to analyze and provide preliminary report. 
•  Understand the unique physiologic complications of premature and term infants, such as pulmonary hypertension, ductus arteriosus, and problems with cardiac function, cardiomyopathies, and central venous catheter infections.
• Understand the surgical repairs for congenital heart disease and the imaging needs for ongoing management.
• Understand non-cardiac diseases that affect the heart.
• Be familiar with a broad range of syndromes and their associated cardiac anomalies.
• Able to communicate with physicians in medical terminology, in order to understand requests, to have dialogue about the ultrasound examination and to discuss results. 
• Specialized training in Fetal Echocardiography
• Knowledge of fetal cardiac structural and rhythm abnormalities, as well as extra-cardiac abnormalities related to the heart.
• Must have the skills to apply all modalities of echocardiography to fetal studies.
• Must have a thorough understanding of maternal-fetal physiology as well as maternal conditions that may affect the heart of the developing fetus.
• Must be able to recognize the full spectrum of simple and complex, acquired, and congenital, heart disease and its manifestations and natural history throughout gestation, and important associated lesions.
• Must have knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the fetal cardiovascular system throughout the stages of pregnancy.
• Must have a thorough understanding of the spectrum of fetal arrhythmias and the ability to utilize the echocardiographic modalities for their assessment.
• Must be knowledgeable in the principles of biological ultrasound instrumentation and its application in human pregnancy.
• Specialized training in Adult Echocardiography for Congenital Heart Disease
• Must be able to translate all knowledge of pediatric echocardiography to adults.
• Must have an in depth understanding of all echocardiographic modalities as they pertain to adults. 
• Must have in depth knowledge of adult echocardiographic views. Must have an in depth understanding of acquired heart disease in adults.
• Must have in depth knowledge of congenital heart disease in adults, including presentation, effect, surgical repairs, and long-term sequelae of repairs.
• Familiarization with Transesophageal Echocardiography
• Must be able to assist cardiologists in obtaining transesophageal views through manipulation of the control console including recording, applying Doppler modalities, and performing measurements and calculations to those views.