Technical Supv Ctr Sleep Med - Center for Sleep Medicine

It takes a lot of very smart, hard-working and talented people to provide the level of care that we give to our patients. Tufts Medical Center is an internationally respected academic medical center and we pride ourselves not only on the sophistication of the care we deliver, but the compassionate way in which we provide it. And that starts with our employees.

The Technical Supervisor works under the supervision of the Medical Director of The Center for Sleep Medicine & the Business Manager of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine with the Department of Medicine. This individual functions independently, and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the sleep center. Successful completion of the Board of Registered Technologists (BRPT) examination is a requirement.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Supervises the technical operation of clinical and/or research work; directs related clerical activity; supervises, plans and helps develop training programs on a daily basis.
• Plans work schedules including shift work assignments and prioritizes work.
• Supervises, plans, and reviews the work of the technical staff and performs their duties when required.
• Supervises or performs difficult or unusual recording procedures.
• Maintains inventory control and initiates purchasing of lab supplies and equipment.
• Schedules maintenance and repairs of equipment. Reviews routine equipment maintenance logs.
• Ensures appropriate staffing by development and recruitment, training and retention plans. Fills vacancies within a reasonable timeframe. Ensures patient care is not delayed by staffing issues. Provides on-going staff teaching and development.
• Maintains responsibility for on-going performance improvement programs by working with physicians to develop quality measures for patient care. Organizes and participates in conferences and technical meetings
• Markets services internally and externally. Works with physicians to increase activity levels. Collaborates with Public Affairs to develop marketing plans and materials. Provides high quality service that attracts outside referrals. Responsible for coordinating all of the Center for Sleep Medicine's case conferences. Actively participates in the web page design and information sent to outside referral physicians.
• Responsible for the technical billing of the polysomnograms. Generate monthly reports for the sleep center director as well as the administrative manager.
• Responsible for the quality assurance within the Sleep Center at Tufts Medical Center. Assure the proper protocols are followed according to the medical director's guidelines during the actual collection of data as well as the scoring of each polysomnogram.
• Resource for all technologists concerning difficult questions and patient situations.
• Back up for emergencies - specifically in the event of a sick call to prevent the cancellation of patients.
• Availability to perform in-house, portable studies on patients primarily located in the Medical Intensive Care Units.
• Responsible for coordinating all the Pulmonary/Sleep patient's noninvasive ventilation home equipment. The technical director must have the ability to troubleshoot problems relating to the BiLevel equipment.
• Act as a consultant within the Pulmonary Division regarding patients undergoing polysomnograms as part of the research protocol.
• Direct involvement in coordination and the hiring of the staff are part of the duties.
• Assuring the protocols are followed correctly to maintain high quality studies.
• Maintains collaborative, team relationships with peers and colleagues in order to effectively contribute to the working groups achievement of goals, and to help foster a positive work environment
• Performs other similar and related duties as required or directed.

PATIENT AND EQUIPMENT SAFETY

• Recognize and respond appropriately to patient's medical problems and physiological events, especially cardiac dysrhythmias, respiratory events, and seizures.
• When indicated, safely lift and move patient without harm to the patient or self.
• Ensure the safety and welfare of all patients, specifically those with special needs.
• Verify availability and function of emergency equipment.
• Comply with Universal Infection control Procedures.
• Properly disinfect and sterilize appropriate equipment and electrodes.

COMPLEX PROCEDURES AND SPECIAL ACTIVITIES

• The ability to understand indications, contraindications, and adverse effects of nasal continuous and bilevel positive airway pressure (NCPAP, and bilevel ventilation), and oxygen administration.
• Apply and titrate therapy based on physician's order and established protocol.
• Conduct multiple sleep latency testing (MSLT) and score using the MSLT guidelines.
• Prepare report of the MSLT, including number and time of naps, latency from sleep to onset of REM for each nap, and overall mean sleep latency.

MACHINES AND EQUIPMENT

• Computerized digital polysomnographs
• Electrocardiographs
• Airflow and respiratory-effort measuring devices, e.g. thermistors, pressure transducers, strain gauges
• Audio/visual recording system
• Oxygen administration
• Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCAP) and other ventilatory assist devices
• Pulse oximeters and end-tidal CO2 analyzers
• Disinfecting and sterilizing agents

SPECIAL ABILITIES

The technical supervisor must have the ability to integrate basic understanding of anatomy and physiology and with sleep/wake pathology. The individual must have a broad knowledge of all polysomnographic procedures performed in the Sleep Center. The technical supervisor must maintain an interest in current developments in the field and attend seminars and professional meetings to keep knowledge and skills updated. The supervisor must attend formal and informal departmental meetings and provide input. The ability to utilize professional judgment to attain optimal technical results is essential.

The technical supervisor works as a leader with the other technologists within the Center for Sleep Medicine. He/she must possess the ability to assure the duties outlined previously are carried out adequately by all personnel. The ability to perform the administrative duties necessary for the continuing operation of the Center for Sleep Medicine is compulsory. The technical supervisor works closely with other medical staff to develop quality measures for patient care. Administers yearly performance evaluation of the technologists and assures relevancy and accuracy of each position summary.

JOB KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• The technical supervisor must possess knowledge of normal cardiorespiratory, neurological and sleep physiology.
• Complete comprehension of the digital/computerized sleep system is crucial. The ability to troubleshoot and oversee appropriate operation of the sleep system and ancillary equipment is a fundamental part of the duties.
• The technical supervisor must possess complete knowledge of oxygen administration, nasal continuous positive airway pressure, and ventilatory assist devices in accordance with established protocols.
• The ability to perform special procedures such as the multiple sleep latency testing, ambulatory monitoring and patient education is necessary.
• Ensure that all staff members obtain appropriate training and educational resources and ensure compliance with all regulatory agencies.
• Record review/scoring of polysomnograms is an essential part of the job. The identification of normal/abnormal patterns, artifacts, and sleep/wake stages are critical to high quality patient care.
• The technical supervisor is responsible for generating a report that accurately and concisely summarizes the patient's sleep/wake stages, respiratory events, limb movements, and arousal analysis.
• The ability to recognize cardiac arrhythmias is critical.
• The technical supervisor must have the ability to integrate a basic understanding of anatomy and physiology with sleep/wake pathology.

Excellent communication skills are required for ensuring patient education, safety, comfort, as well as for discussing patients and clinical situations with physicians.

• Attention to detail is critical, since the quality of data from the polysomnogram is the responsibility of the technical director.
• The technical supervisor must assist the department manager with the development of the yearly budget. The technical supervisor assures proper cost allocation of funds to maintain accurate records and appropriate funding for the department. The technical supervisor also assists the medical director and the manager with capital equipment requests.

EDUCATION:

• Associate's Degree required.

EXPERIENCE:

• An equivalent combination of education and experience which provides proficiency in the areas of responsibility listed above may be substituted for the above education and experience requirements.

LICENSES, ETC. :

• Certification in Basic Life Support is mandatory.

AGE SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES:

• Possesses and applies the skills and knowledge necessary to provide care to patients throughout the life span, with consideration of aging processes, human development stages and cultural patterns in each step of the care process. This includes:
• Knowledge of growth and development
• Ability to interpret age specific data and response to care
• Provide age specific communication

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• The technical supervisor is subject to stressful clinical situations and professional relationships. The director is in contact with patients on a daily basis and may be exposed to infectious diseases. Lifting or moving equipment and patients may result in muscular strain.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES STATEMENT:

Must be able to perform all essential functions of this position with reasonable accommodation if disabled.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed, as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. Tufts Medical Center reserves the right to modify position duties at any time, to reflect process improvements and business necessity.

COVID-19 POLICY:

Please note that effective October 1, 2021, as a condition of employment at Tufts Medical Center, all employees and new hires must have received their complete dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, unless they have been granted an exemption.