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Job overview

We are looking to recruit a degree level apprentice in radiotherapy engineering. This will involve enrolling an the apprentice degree in radiation engineering at the University of the West of England as well as on the job training. Radiotherapy is used to treat cancer with high energy radiation. The job of a radiotherapy engineer is to look after the machines that produce this radiation. As a degree apprentice you will be trained in all aspects of this job. We will pay the university tuition fees as well as traveling expenses. This is a temporary post, initially for 3 years, but may be extended to a fourth year.

Main duties of the job

The Radiotherapy Engineering Section provides linac engineering services on behalf of Radiotherapy Physics in the Medical Physics and Clinical engineering Department. The primary role of the team is to provide specialist, patient-focussed support and immediate response for the radiotherapy and radiotherapy physics services. This takes the form of pre-treatment maintenance, diagnostic testing and decisions about the clinical status of treatment machines on a daily basis. The team carries out preventative maintenance tasks, calibration of patient critical equipment parameters, safety testing, and prompt fault diagnosis and repair on a wide range of highly complex and patient critical therapeutic and associated ancillary equipment with the aim of maintaining patient treatment targets. The clinical equipment covered incorporates electrical, electronic, mechanical, computer hardware/software and networking, medical gas, high vacuum, laser, high voltage, water-cooling and safety systems.

Working for our organisation

Nottingham Radiotherapy Centre is the largest radiotherapy provider in the East Midlands treating around 3,500 patient per year. We have 6 Elekta Versa HD linear accelerators and 2 Canon Aquillion Exceed LB CT scanners. We carry our a wide range of advanced radiotherapy treatments including stereotactic radiotherapy (SRS). We also treat children.

With more than 18,000 colleagues, we are the largest employer in Nottinghamshire and one of the biggest and busiest NHS Trusts in the country, serving more than 2.5m residents of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire and a further four million people across the East Midlands and beyond.

We provide a range of national and internationally renowned specialist services and we are at the forefront of new surgical procedures and research programmes. We are home to the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre, the Nottingham Children's Hospital and in partnership with the University of Nottingham we host a Biomedical Research Centre carrying out vital research into hearing, digestive diseases, respiratory, musculoskeletal disease, mental health and imaging.

As a teaching hospital, we are instrumental in the education and training of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. We are proud of our strong relationships with universities across the East Midlands, including the University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University and Loughborough University.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KEY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Clinical Technical
a. Participate in the provision specialised clinical technical services to the Oncology and Radiotherapy Physics Departments as a major job requirement. As this is a training role, then this work will be directly supervised by fully qualified members of the team. These services include:
i. Start-up Linear Accelerators (advanced radiotherapy treatment machines) and perform daily pre-clinical maintenance to decide upon the clinical status. Ensuring that they operate safely and remain within recommended tolerances and clinically defined parameters.
ii. Interpret treatment machine standby & running values, to identify possible deterioration of specific components, predict useful life remaining and be proactive in the acquisition of replacement items prior to machine failure.
iii. Communicate with treatment radiographers, physicists and clinical staff to gain a clear understanding of any problematic equipment symptoms. Use initiative and sound judgment to assess the seriousness and implications of any problems, and dictate the clinical status of the equipment accordingly.
iv. Perform immediate rectification tasks, where possible, to allow the continuation of interrupted patient treatment. Consult with treatment radiographers, where patient contact is imminent, in order to ensure the privacy and modesty of patients is protected.
v. Undertake advanced fault-finding on complex electronic systems to component level. Apply proven fault-finding techniques to diagnose problems promptly, including those beyond the scope of manufacturer-supplied information. Use all available resources to positively identify defective item, particularly high-cost, non-returnable goods and use judgment to approximate machine downtime.
vi. Perform scheduled Quality Assurance checks on treatment machines, to ensure the correct operation of primary and secondary electronic, mechanical and software driven safety devices, software limits and calibrated settings.
vii. Be aware of the responsibilities of an IR(ME)R 2000 operator. As a trainee all operator duties need to be performed under the direct supervision of a suitably qualified operator. The responsibility for the correct completion of the duties resides with the supervisor.
viii. Perform safety related checks and embody performance-enhancing modifications to treatment equipment, in accordance with manufacturers directives and instructions.
ix. Provide support on the maintenance and repair of the complete range of radiotherapy and radiation dosimetry/monitoring equipment.

b. In conjunction with Radiotherapy Physicists and under the supervision of a qualified technologist:
i. Provide specialist knowledge and assistance in the adjustment of patient critical equipment, to optimise performance and obtain the required clinical parameters..
c. Participate in all general radiotherapy engineering duties as required.
d. Keep relevant scientific, technical, and QA documentation for all tasks performed.
e. Take responsibility for all tools and equipment within the post holder’s care. Ensure electronic workshop facility is kept clear and well-ordered and that all equipment is maintained and safe to use. Ensure adequate safety devices and signs are in place prior to live working on lethal voltages.
f. Assist with evaluation, commissioning and safety testing of intricate and complex equipment.

2. Managerial
a. Prioritise and manage own work in accordance with section policies and competing service demands.
b. Participate in regular meetings with the Radiotherapy Engineering Manager and other technical staff in the Section.
c. Keep accurate records of all work performed and complete appropriate records.

3. Teaching, Training and Research
a. Attend an appropriate degree course in Radiation Engineering.
b. Comply with all course requirements as defined by the education provider
c. Carry out study as directed by work-place supervisor.

4. Professional
a. Keep abreast of technical developments. Enrol in appropriate Continuing Professional development programmes. Attend suitable seminars and courses as part of personal development and to further the work of the Department.
b. Ensure all activities are carried out within a quality framework and meet regulatory requirements, professional standards and acceptable guidelines.

5. Miscellaneous
a. Other appropriate duties, as required, for which the post holder has adequate training.