Radiation Therapist III

Stanford Health Care•Palo Alto, CA

63d•$75 - $99•Onsite

About The Position

Reporting to the Manager-Radiation Therapy, the Radiation Therapist III orients and trains new Radiation Therapists, assigns and reviews the work of therapists, and ensures that they demonstrate clinical competence in adhering to treatment plans and protocols, policies and procedures governing the high quality and compassionate delivery of radiation therapy treatments and simulations to patients in accordance with CICARE principles. In addition, the Radiation Therapist III performs the duties of the Radiation Therapist with increased responsibility and independent clinical judgment, acting as an information/technical resource for radiation therapy staff. The Radiation Therapist III works closely with management, dosimetry, physics, radiation oncologists, and other health care providers to provide high quality patient care. Radiation Therapists use radiation for cancer treatment that may come from (1) a machine outside the body (external-beam radiation therapy) or (2) from radioactive material placed in the body near tumor cells (internal radiation therapy or brachytherapy).

Requirements

Requirement met by License/Certification requirement.
At least Five (5) years of radiation therapy experience.
Five (5) years of radiation therapy experience.
Knowledge of principles, practices and procedures involved in the operation of modern radiation therapy equipment and systems including simulation, imaging and treatment procedures.
Knowledge of the human anatomy and proper positioning of the patient to provide treatment as prescribed.
Knowledge of principles and methods to ensure safety and quality control.
Knowledge of training, coaching and mentoring techniques.
Knowledge of scheduling and billing procedures.
Ability to consistently demonstrate a high level of clinical reasoning and knowledge in the assessment and treatment of patients.
Ability to direct, lead, coach, and instruct Radiation Therapists and support staff as well as plan, assign and review work performed by them.
Ability to keep abreast with current developments in clinical practice.
Ability to assume responsibility for department projects and initiatives, such as safety, training, continuing education, performance and quality improvement.
Ability to communicate effectively and establish and maintain cooperative and productive working relationships with others.
American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS)
ARRT-RTT - and CRTT

Responsibilities

Plans and leads the work of other Radiation Therapists as assigned by the Manager-Radiation Therapy. Lead responsibilities include assisting in the training and orientation of new staff members, communicating instructions, assigning work to others, monitoring progress and work flow, checking work for timeliness and accuracy or completeness, establishing work standards, scheduling work, and providing input into supervisor’s actions, including performance appraisals.
Delivers treatment to patients and/or performs patient simulations according to written prescriptions, treatment plans, and orders provided by the Radiation Oncologist.
Explains treatment procedures to patient and/or family. Refers medical questions to appropriate personnel.
Provides safety in patient care through the consistent practice of department protocols, policies and procedures for treatment administration.
Recognizes deviations from prescribed treatment delivery and reports all deviations to the Operations Manager.
Uses CICARE principles and techniques to provide explanations for treatment-related procedures. Responds effectively to patient concerns.
Observes patients for expected and unexpected reactions to treatments and communicates this to appropriate staff members. Reinforces patient education/side-effect management information and indicates non-compliance to medical/nursing staff.
Assures the quality of treatment delivery through the complete and accurate documentation of treatment records. Displays a thorough understanding of radiation oncology billing and coding.
Reviews treatment/ simulation documentation and billing on a daily basis for accuracy and completeness and works closely with radiation oncology coders.
Anticipates and facilitates patient flow on the treatment/simulation units and adjusts staffing resources and patient flow to optimize patient satisfaction and department efficiency.
Works with Operation Manager to determine adequate staffing on the treatment/simulation units to ensure efficient operations of the department that take into account both patient safety and budgetary requirements.
Assists Operations Manager in the development and review of policies and procedures and updates as needed. Works with radiation therapist staff to ensure that policies and procedures are followed and maintained.
Assists Operations Manager in the development and review of policies and procedures and updates as needed. Works with radiation therapist staff to ensure that policies and procedures are followed and maintained.
Assists in the on-boarding and training of new Radiation Therapists and serves as the technical lead and mentor when implementing new clinical processes and technologies to ensure the highest standards of patient care are implemented and maintained.
Leads and directs the radiation therapists in proper procedures for the simulation and treatment of patients. Provides feedback on individual radiation therapists’ performance to Operations Manager for annual performance evaluations and clinical competencies.
Troubleshoots and problem solves effectively and efficiently using lean methodologies. Communicates appropriate issues to Operations Manager for proper handling and potential escalation.
Acts as liaison between patients, therapists, nurses, physicians, dosimetrists, physicists, and management in investigating and resolving issues related to patient care.
Performs and documents departmental quality/performance improvement activities such as weekly chart rounds, ROQS committee, patient satisfaction committee, etc. Brings feedback from these meetings to the radiation therapy team(s) and works with team(s) on any action items.
Participates in programs to measure and improve the quality of care within the department. Maintains an atmosphere of caring, concern and support for patients and their families, visitors, medical staff and co-workers on a consistent basis.
Maintains a safe and orderly patient treatment room. Assesses potential problems or difficulties with a set-up. Checks safety controls and devices in the treatment room daily and reports problems to the Operations Manager.
Performs warm up and calibration checks of equipment, as necessary.
Performs other related and incidental duties as needed or assigned.