Job Description:
Cape Fox and Concentric Methods are seeking a qualified Computed Tomography (CT) Technologist.
The CT Technologist will provide services to service members in an outpatient setting to support the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, CA.
The statements contained in this job description reflect general details as necessary to describe the principal functions of this job, the level of knowledge and skill typically required, and the scope of responsibility. It should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Employee may perform other duties as assigned, including work in other functional areas to cover absences or relief, to equalize peak work periods or otherwise to balance the workload.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities
Core Duties:

• Perform routine diagnostic radiological procedures/services as appropriate.
• Adhere to radiation safety policies and procedures in accordance with Radiology Department policies and procedures. Send appropriate image series to the radiologist for reading according to MTF protocol.
• Correctly position the patient for the examination and make technical adjustments necessary for the required examination. Determine if any special patient preparation is required. Process digital images and submit for interpretation by radiologists.
• Document all procedures and maintain records in accordance with MTF policy. As directed, perform system calibrations and quality control tasks according to the manufacturer and MTF policy. Recognize artifacts and equipment errors and notify designated Government personnel of outlying values.
• Initiate repair call procedures for equipment malfunctions by notifying designated Government personnel. Report problems to the Biomedical Repair Section and record the problem condition in the trouble call logbook and report problem to Government
• supervisor.
• Observe and report to the radiologist any symptoms which have direct bearing on the patient’s condition requiring his/her attention. Recognize the need for and institute the necessary emergency measures for situations where a person requires resuscitation procedures due to cardiac or respiratory arrest.
• Serves as a Computed Tomography (CT) Technologist in a general medical and surgical hospital, independently performing complex and highly specialized CT procedures. Assists in developing, maintaining, and reviewing a quality improvement (QI) and quality control (QC) programs. May provide consultation to other medical treatment facility (MTF departments) that perform radiologic procedures but is not ultimately responsible or accountable for the final results.
• Independently makes examinations after conferring with the radiologist to establish the examination requirements. Schedules, receives, and reviews requests from physicians and other health care providers for examinations. Determines the condition(s) at issue and the procedures and equipment to best meet the needs of the individual case. Explains procedures to patient and family. Starts intravenous fluids and monitors all devices. Recognizes the significance of all structures and the differences between artifact and normal pathology. Comply with accrediting and regulatory requirements such as the American College of Radiology, Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT), Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), etc.
• Performs the full range of diagnostic CT examinations/procedures, including but not limited to: neuro, chest, abdominal, chest, pediatric, extremity, body, muscular skeletal. Selects proper technical settings and scan protocol from computer menu. Administers oral and intravenous contrast material observing Universal Precautions, as indicated by exam protocol, interview and screening process. Prints CT images on an as needed basis and processes films in automatic film processor, archives images onto MOD and with AGFA Archive system. Interviews and screens patients concerning sensitivity to contrast material. Assists radiologist in determining type and volume of I.V. contrast material to be administered. Provides radiation protection in accordance with prescribed safety standards to staff and patients. Evaluates CT images with radiologist to determine use of contrast or additional images. Assists radiologists during CT guided biopsy and aspiration procedures. Responsible for obtaining optimal CT images to provide the Radiologist with information to assure that an accurate diagnosis is rendered. Ensures that all patient records are complete and signed prior to examination or procedures being performed.
• Monitors equipment status indicators to prevent damage and liaisons with GE and MEDRAD for equipment maintenance. Performs daily quality control checks of CT scanner. Checks emergency equipment and drugs for missing and/or expired items.
• Contribute to identifying required improvements, recommends corrective action, works with appropriate personnel to correct deficiencies. Helps Government supervisor to investigate, evaluate, and document all QI/QA problems or actions within the department as having a significant impact on the quality of patient care.
• Assists the Government supervisor in developing quality control procedures for new radiologic examinations as they are introduced into the Radiology Department and modifies existing procedures as the need arises. Assist with formulating and maintaining record keeping in conjunction with the MQM quality assurance system in the Radiology Department. Reviews current literature for improved QI/QA/QC procedures. Participates in evaluating new protocols to determine their suitability for local use. Consults with radiology manager and Chief, Radiology in the development and implementation of the joint MDIS system.
• Observe and contribute to instructing medical, professional, and paraprofessional personnel in the theoretical and practical aspects of quality assurance and quality control in the Radiology Department as it relates to PAC systems. Conducts visits to other departments in the MTF concerning diagnostic radiology.
• Performs highly sophisticated computerized axial tomographic (CT) scanning of heads and/or bodies. More specifically, performs the following: Receives patients, explains methods of procedures, positions patients, and makes exposures necessary for the requested examination. Reviews all request from physicians and other health care providers independently; seeks guidance from a radiologist for difficult non-routine exams.
• Determines technical factors, positioning, number, and thickness cut of scans, etc., to satisfy the requirements. Evaluates the nature of critical and emergency procedures and rearranges patient priorities to accommodate them. Maintains record of examinations performed, scans taken, contrast reactions, contrast usage, etc. Maintains permanent record of scans in PACS. Prepares the scanning room. Assures that sterile supplies, contrast materials, catheters and other required equipment are present and laid out.
• Starts IV’s when required. Prepares and administers contrast material (IV) and limited number of anesthetic or antispasmodic drugs such as lidocaine, epinephrine, and Benadryl under direction of radiologist. Notifies the radiologist in anticipation that extra scans and/or position change may be required. Notifies radiologist of significant scans requiring their immediate attention and visualization while patient is undergoing examination. Performs operator level preventive maintenance and care as required. Notifies appropriate individual/office of equipment malfunction. Provides on-the-job training to new employees, both civilian and military. Independently, continuously evaluates daily schedule to triage patients for the accommodation of add-on, work-in patients.

Job Requirements:
Education and/or Experience
Degree:
Graduate from an academic program accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT).

Certification / Licensure:
Certificate from the American Registry of Radiologic Technology (ARRT).

Experience:
One year of experience as a radiologic technologist.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Thorough technical knowledge of radiation protection standards devices, and techniques including concepts of accumulated dose and genetic changes, effects of radiation on living organisms and the effects of x-ray technique on patients and operator exposure to assure that adequate safeguards are maintained.
• Knowledge of Radiation exposure techniques such as the use of formulas for determining technical factors and the use of collimators, grids, filters, and Bolus Bags.
• Knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, cross-sectional anatomy and a wide range of technical methods, principles, and practices in the field of radiology and skill in applying this knowledge to such assignments as the design and planning of difficult, but well precedent projects involved in the development and maintenance of quality improvement, quality control, and quality assurance programs in Radiology. This includes knowledge required for evaluating the quality of patient care, monitoring, and controlling the quality of materials, methods, instruments and systems, and the reliable reporting of test results, preventive activities, assessment procedures and corrective actions.
  • Skill in evaluating and interpreting results of studies and implementing corrective actions where indicated.
• Knowledge of accrediting and regulatory agency sufficient to ensure Radiology programs follow such requirements. Knowledge of current educational opportunities to coordinate and conduct training and/or demonstrations to comply with accrediting agency requirements and to introduce new or revised procedures and equipment.
• Knowledge of and practical experience in the work performed in all radiological sections to assure compliance with current JCAHO, IRCERT, IG, and OSHA regulations and guidelines.
• Knowledge of PAC system to enable the technologist to review, evaluate image quality, orientate, and align images properly to DIN PCS. Perform system reboots.
  • Window and level as well as manipulate, format, and print images as needed.
  • Thorough technical knowledge of computed tomography
  • Thorough knowledge of varying magnetic field strengths which is directly proportional with distance, which will prevent certain contra indications to enter the 5 gauss borders.
• Knowledge of the effects of continuous radiofrequency (RF) exposure to human tissues, so as not to exceed the source absorption rate (SAR), established by the FDA, while in the clinical mode. Knowledge of cross-sectional anatomy and physiology such as location, appearance, and function of the various major and minor systems and to recognize when additional sequences, scans and different planes or positions are needed to fully illustrate the pathology produced by MRI.
• Ability to recognize scans which illustrate the pathology and develop them through control of TE, TR, and flip angle inversion times, etc., to optimize their clarity for diagnostic use and to recognize when additional scans and different positions are needed to fully demonstrate the pathology. For example, recognizing an unsuspected mass lesion on a head scan and taking additional views, varying certain parameters, and/or administration of MR contrast agents both intravenously and orally; recognizing when difficult to visualize organs have not been properly imaged, changing the patient's position, using various surface coils, body coil and/or cardiac, peripheral and respiratory gating, and swapping of the phase/frequency encodings to alter or minimize any types of artifacts (ghosting, gibbs, respiratory, cardiac, chemical shift, mis-mapping, cross talk, parallel imaging artifacts, etc.).
• Knowledge of basic to advanced MRI physics including the concepts of magnetic fields, resonance, precession, RF energy, gradient coils, and the use of various imaging coils identifying artifacts and its causes and the understanding of the Larmor-equation and fourier transformation in order to understand the operation of an MRI scanner. Ability to monitor the equipment for proper operation, manipulate unit for standard procedures to compensate for any equipment faults and determine when maintenance or repair is needed. Faraday’s Law of Induction is critical to understand in order to help minimize the chance of patient burns.
• Knowledge of Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA), cine studies, kinematic studies, and volume acquisitions. MRA includes phase contrast (PC), flow velocity, and time of flight (TOF) techniques. Cine studies consist of gated scanning techniques that acquire many images throughout the heart cycle to visualize heart and aortic blood flow; kinematic studies to show motion of any joint (TMJ, knee, C-spine, etc.). Volume acquisitions using 3D techniques.
• Knowledge of basic computer programming and operation of super microprocessor-based system. Knowledge of various computer algorithms to select and implement the data collected to obtain diagnostic quality MRI images.
• Knowledge of advanced, technical, imaging options such as FC, SAT, peripheral gating, cardiac gating, respiratory triggering (RT), navigator (NAV), no phase wrap (NPW), extended dynamic range (ED), blood suppression techniques (BSP), parallel imaging (ASSET), Phased array Uniformity Enhancement (PURE), Surface Coil Intensity Correction (SCIC), etc. Knowledge of the trigger window, views per segment, effective TR, cardiac phases, beats per minute and delay after trigger.
• Knowledge of basic nursing practices related to MRI such as emergency cardiac arrest procedures and use of oxygen to assist with breathing difficulties, sterile techniques (infectious control procedures).
• Knowledge of emergency procedure evacuation in case of any severe malfunction of magnet and computer system.

Must be a US Citizen and have authorization to work in the United States as defined by the Immigration Reform Act of 1986.