Position overview

ACT Pathology is a division of the Canberra Health Services with laboratories located at both the Canberra Hospital and the North Canberra Hospital operating 24 hours, 7 days a week all year round, and Collection Centre’s located at several community sites. Pathology provides diagnostic and consultative services to medical specialists and general practitioners and their patients in hospital and in the community.

As physical infrastructure programs are progressing across both the Canberra and North Canberra Hospital campuses, pathology is in the early planning stages for a new laboratory which will offer the opportunity to design a workspace to promote both excellence in pathology services and the working environment.

The Anatomical Pathology Department encompasses Histology, Cytology, Electron Microscopy, Mortuary and Administration (medical secretaries). The successful candidate may be required to participate in the on-call roster.

The Mortuary is routinely staffed from Monday to Friday excluding public holidays. There may be the occasional need to work out of hours, including weekends and public holidays, as required.

The successful applicant will:

• Provide leadership and promote a commitment to high quality customer service principles, practices, and attributes.
• Actively work in a team environment to support and promote CHS values and promote our ongoing work to sustain a vibrant and engaged workplace culture.
• Ability to work  autonomously and in a team environment with a high-level of attention to  detail.
• Be self-motivated.
• Have good written  and oral communication skills and the ability to liaise with a diverse range  of clients with sensitivity and discretion.
• Show adaptability  and flexibility to accommodate change and provide responsive services to meet  clients’ needs.

Key Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following.

Under limited direction of the Supervising Scientist, Electron Microscopy and Mortuary Services, you will undertake procedures in the Mortuary and other duties within various sections of Anatomical Pathology.

• Undertake review of existing and development of new mortuary services documentation to ensure compliance with relevant standards.  Develop and monitor Key Performance Indicators for the mortuary service utilising various IT systems.
• Provide technical and knowledge-based support to CHS operated mortuaries as required within scope of practice. Manage/supervise the day-to-day operations of the mortuary, including stock inventory, equipment maintenance, preparing and maintaining tissue museum specimens and staff training.
• Lead routine work of the mortuary as well as assist the pathologists with autopsies and all aspects of Coronial and Hospital post-mortem work. Ensure that ANU medical school teaching, museum specimens and website are maintained as required for teaching.
• Ensure the maintenance of a clean and safe work environment in accordance with Workplace Health and Safety regulations.
• Promote a commitment to high quality customer service principles, practices, and attributes while supporting the leadership of the department.
• Commitment to participate in out of hours rosters as required.
• Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation and Anatomical Pathology.

Competencies

Specific competencies include but are not limited to the following.

• Understanding of Document Control and Quality Assurance as applied in the mortuary setting. Collate relevant statistics for mortuary and related services.
• Policy and forms review and development of methods to meet mortuary needs.
• Mortuary daily duties – including answering phone calls, and monitoring and responding to emails, stock inventory, equipment maintenance, and general cleaning.
• Deceased body releases to authorised people. Assist CHS staff with deceased admissions into the mortuary. Facilitating family viewings and ritual washings.
• Assist with post-mortem procedures and all aspects of Coronial and Hospital post-mortem work.
• Preparing and maintaining tissue museum specimens and all aspects of museum maintenance.
• Preparing and maintaining tissue specimens for ANU teaching.
• Maintain patient confidentiality and specimen security.

Qualifications

Specific qualifications include, but are not limited to, the following.

Essential

• A minimum of 3 years’ work experience in a similar role and role environment.

Desirable

• Understand the accreditation and legislative requirements relevant to mortuary services and a NATA accredited service.
• Relevant Tertiary Qualification
• The Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council (AHMAC) (2002), The National Code of Ethical Autopsy Practice
• World Health Organization (WHO) (1999), Ethical Practice in Laboratory Medicine and Forensic Pathology. WHO, Alexandria, Egypt
• Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.
• Experience or knowledge of the CHS Exceptional Care Framework, and all other related frameworks.

Experience

Specific experience includes but is not limited to the following.

Essential

• A minimum of 3 years’ work experience in a similar role and role environment.

Desirable

• Prior experience working in an Anatomical Laboratory will be highly desirable

Prior to commencement

Appointment to this position is conditional on being granted and retaining appropriate clearances:

• Undergo a pre-employment National Police Check.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.

Important information

All employees are required to:

• Adhere to the Canberra Health Services Values and the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct.
• Act in accordance and comply with all relevant Safety and Quality policies and procedures.
• Comply with all relevant clinical and/or competency standards.
• Be available for weekend and/or after-hours work.

CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role as you will be responsible for completing required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates and contingencies.

What you Require (Key Selection Criteria)

These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your resumé and experience.

1. Demonstrated capability to lead a team in mortuary services. Knowledge, understanding and experience of accreditation and legislative requirements relevant to mortuary services and a NATA accredited service, including confidentiality. Develop and monitor KPI’s for mortuary services.
2. Professional and in-depth knowledge, experience, and technical expertise in mortuary services including assisting in post-mortem procedures, potting of museum specimens, and specimen maintenance. Demonstrated ability to train staff in relevant skills for mortuary services.
3. Demonstrated effective communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to liaise appropriately with a broad range of stakeholders (internal and external) providing guidance on mortuary services.
4. Demonstrated ability to effectively and productively lead a team for the benefit of Anatomical Pathology. Participation in all aspects of Coronial and Hospital post-mortem work including limited histology.
5. Demonstrates understanding of, and adherence to, safety and quality standards, Work Health and Safety (WH&S) and the positive patient experience. Displays behaviour consistent with CHS’s values of reliable, progressive, respectful, and kind.

Work environment description

The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the ACT Public Service is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace.