Sonographer at Beaconhealth Diagnostics

Overview

• The ultrasound unit is one of the important segments required to offer quality services to patients in our clinic.
• We expect our sonographer to treat our patients with utmost professionalism, attend to patients promptly, and relate with them with respect and kindness.
• Ultimately, our goal at Beaconhealth Diagnostics is to provide the best patient experience and the most accurate and timely clinical results.

Responsibilities
The day to day routine of BeaconHealth Sonographer includes six key responsibilities which are:

• Treat all patients with absolute care and courtesy irrespective of their age.
• Answering the telephone and handling paperwork.
• Carry out the required and appropriate test procedures for every patient with optimum concentration as instructed.
• Ensure safety and sanitary procedures are performed after each test on the patients and equipment.
• Make necessary consultations with the manager.
• Interpret images captured during the test, record, and document the result.

Below are the guidelines to the job expectations and responsibilities associated with these key tasks:

• Treat all patients with courtesy
• Ultrasound assistants should have excellent oral and written communication skills and be able to interact with all levels of hospital staff.
• Welcome each patient with a warm smile and make them feel relaxed.
• Welcome them with courteous greetings like “Good day sir/ma, how do you feel? Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”
• Observe and care for patients throughout the examination period to ensure their safety and comfort.
• If the result of the test shows a bad result, never make the patient feel scared or sad about it.
• There must be a sense of compassion and you must be able to maintain patient confidentiality.
• Carry out all tests with optimum concentration
• The well-being of our patients is highly dependent on obtaining accurate results from every test carried out from our clinic which is one of our priorities in being recognized as one of the best diagnostic centres.
• Also, close attention should be paid to the fact that a wrong diagnosis will lead to a wrong treatment and this can cause more harm to the patient, therefore all procedures verified before being carried out by you and should be done with uninterrupted concentration.
• Try as much as possible to maintain a good state of mind before work starts -- all personal concerns that can cause distractions should be laid on hold.
• Give maximum support, cooperation and assistance to the sonographer while carrying out examinations.
• Calculations and measurements of images and the test result should be re-checked for verification before being handed over to the patient or forwarded to the physician for diagnosis and treatment.
• Provide sonogram and written summary of technical findings to physician for use in medical diagnosis.
• Select appropriate equipment setting and adjust patient position to obtain the best sites and angles.
• Process and code film from procedures and compute appropriate documentation.
• Record and store suitable images using the camera unit connected to the ultrasound equipment.
• Perform legal and ethical duties including preparing safety and accident reports, obtaining written consent from patient to perform invasive procedures, and reporting symptoms of abuse and neglect.
• Give an accurate documentation of the sonogram and other results derived from the test.
• Ensure safety and sanitary procedures on patients and equipment
• Perform routine maintenance on equipment.
• Always prepare the ultrasound examination room for every procedure to be carried out on each patient.
• High standards of professional cleanliness such as good hand hygiene before and after every patient contact are essential.
• Thorough decontamination of ultrasound transducers and any equipment in direct patient contact before and after every patient, to the level required for specific procedures and in compliance with manufacturer specifications to avoid transducer surface damage, should be carried out. This includes regular decontamination of the ultrasound keyboard/console and any cables.
• Where possible, single use disposable equipment is preferable (biopsy needles, needle guides, etc.), eliminating the risk of inadequate cleaning and disinfection/sterilisation.
• Damaged ultrasound transducers should not be used as the risk of inadequate decontamination increases.
• Regular deep cleaning of the entire ultrasound equipment and the surrounding environment should be carried out.
• Use protective transducer covers dependent on the type of procedure. The use of transducer covers does not replace thorough decontamination, but merely reduces the contamination load.
• Adequate use of personal protective equipment as required by the procedure (non-invasive versus invasive) is mandatory.
• Use sterile ultrasound gel depending on procedure and patient’s risk of acquiring infections.
• Appropriate waste disposal is compulsory.
• Make necessary consultations with physicians and supervisor/manager
• If there is any issue of concern, call the manager’s attention to it as the case may be.
• If unclear about the referring doctor’s recommendation, put a call through to him and verify the right procedure to be carried out.
• Do not carry out any test without the consent of the sonographer.
• Interpret images captured during the test, record, and document the result
• There must be a proper interpretation of the images,derived from the tests
• A proper calculation of the measurements gotten should be verified and error free.
• All patient details must be well documented and recorded as required.

Requirements

• Candidates should possess a B.Sc in Medical Radiography from a recognized tertiary institution
• Must possess 2 - 3 years of post qualification practicing experience
• Must possess a Diploma in Ultrasonography
• Must have completed the mandatory NYSC
• Must be registered with the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria and possess a valid/current license to practice.

Other Requirements:

• Outstanding thinking and reasoning skills
• Proficiency in the use of computers and the most popular software packages
• Ability to work independently, but also as a part of a healthcare team
• Sensitivity and understanding towards patients during procedures
• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to perform well under pressure
• Physical strength to assist with the lifting or moving of patients to ensure their positioning is correct for the specific procedure.