Position overview
Physiotherapy within Allied Health, North Canberra Hospital, provides services to a range of clients in acute inpatients and specialised outpatient settings. Our physiotherapists work closely with patients, carers, referrers, other health professionals and multidisciplinary teams to achieve safe, high quality patient care.
Physiotherapists play a key role in the multidisciplinary management of patients across the care continuum. This position works in collaboration with the physiotherapy and multidisciplinary team to deliver services and maximise outcomes for patients of the North Canberra Hospital Lymphoedema Service.
You will play a key role in delivering high quality patient-centered care and associated functions to support service delivery in clinical areas. You will be required to participate in weekend rosters.
Key responsibilities
Under the limited direction of the Director of Physiotherapy, you will be required to work at North Canberra Hospital and associated outreach services in community health centres. You will:
- Provide high level of clinical expertise and practice across a range of clinical areas, including but not limited to, patients with lymphoedema and/or chronic oedema.
- Facilitate effective communication and work collaboratively with the patients, families, carers, healthcare and service providers to ensure continuum of care.
- Complete case, program and activity records to standards required while ensuring data retention policies are followed.
- Exercise independent professional judgement on moderately complex matters, generating innovative solutions to problems and producing a range of options.
- Provide supervision and education to Health Professional 1 & 2, students, allied health assistants and other non-professional staff, and participate in education programs for area of clinical service delivery.
- Participate in team and program related service activities as required.
- Participate in supervision, credentialing, continuing professional development and performance management.
- Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation.
Competencies
- Manage and prioritise own clinical caseload across a specific or generalised clinical area.
- As appropriate, manage and prioritise own workload and that of the HP1/2s across a specific or generalised area.
- As appropriate, provide close and routine supervision to HP1/2s, AHAs and students in their clinical area.
- Identify opportunities for and lead professional development, quality improvement, and/or participate in research activities.
- Strong organisational skills with a high degree of drive.
- Adaptability and flexibility to accommodate change and provide responsive services to meet clients’ needs.
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
Qualifications
Specific requirements include, but are not limited to, the following.
Essential
- Tertiary qualification in Physiotherapy (or equivalent).
- Be registered or be eligible for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
- Registration or eligibility for registration on the National Lymphoedema Practitioners Register of the Australasian Lymphology Association (ALA).
- Current Australian Driver’s Licence.
Desirable
- Completion of training in the management of head and neck lymphoedema, and/or management of chronic oedema and wounds.
- Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.
Experience
Specific requirements include but are not limited to the following.
Essential
- Experience working in the management of complex lymphoedema and chronic oedema.
- Experience supervising staff or students.
Desirable
- Experience in the management of paediatric, genital, head and neck oedema and chronic oedema with wounds.
- Minimum of three years’ experience working professionally in Physiotherapy.
- Fulfil the responsibilities of this role in alignment to the CHS Exceptional Care Framework and all other related frameworks.
Prior to commencement
Appointment to this position is conditional on being granted and retaining appropriate clearances:
- Pre-employment National Police Check.
- Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.
- Comply with CHS credentialing and scope of clinical practice requirements for allied health professionals.
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 on a roster and shutdown.
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.
Key selection criteria
These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your resumé and experience.
- Demonstrated ability to deliver high-level evidence-based management of complex lymphoedema and chronic oedema, across a range of settings and patient populations (including paediatric, vascular, primary, midline and super bariatric) with a commitment to continuing professional development.
- Highly effective interpersonal, written and oral communication skills, including the ability to establish and maintain relationships with internal and external service providers, stakeholders and the multidisciplinary team.
- Demonstrated ability to meet organisation requirements for clinical services evaluation, and a commitment to and experience in quality improvement activities.
- Demonstrated ability to supervise, mentor and teach staff and students through clinical leadership.
- Demonstrates understanding of, and adherence to, safety and quality standards, Work Health and Safety and the positive patient experience. Displays behavior 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.
| Administrative | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Telephone use | Occasionally |
| General computer use | Frequently |
| Extensive keying/data entry | Occasionally |
| Graphical/analytical based | Occasionally |
| Sitting at a desk | Occasionally |
| Standing for long periods | Frequently |
| Psychosocial demands | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Distressed People e.g. Emergency or grief situations | Occasionally |
| Aggressive & Uncooperative People e.g. drug / alcohol, dementia, mental illness | Occasionally |
| Unpredictable People e.g. Dementia, mental illness, head injuries | Occasionally |
| Restraining e.g. involvement in physical containment of clients/consumers | Never |
| Exposure to Distressing Situations e.g. Child abuse, viewing dead / mutilated bodies; verbal abuse; domestic violence; suicide | Never |
| Physical demands | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Distance walking (large buildings or inter-building transit) | Frequently |
| Working outdoors | Occasionally |
| Manual handling | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Lifting 0 - 9kg | Occasionally |
| Lifting 10 - 15kg | Occasionally |
| Lifting 16kg+ | Occasionally |
| Climbing | Never |
| Running | Never |
| Reaching | Frequently |
| Kneeling | Occasionally |
| Foot and leg movement | Frequently |
| Hand, arm and grasping movements | Frequently |
| Bending/squatting | Frequently |
| Bend/Lean Forward from Waist/Trunk twisting | Occasionally |
| Push/pull | Occasionally |
| Sequential repetitive movements in a short amount of time | Occasionally |
| Travel | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Frequent travel – multiple work sites | Never |
| Frequent travel – driving | Never |
| Specific hazards | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Working at heights | Never |
| Exposure to extreme temperatures | Never |
| Operation of heavy machinery e.g. forklift | Never |
| Confined spaces | Never |
| Excessive noise | Never |
| Low lighting | Never |
| Handling of dangerous goods/equipment e.g. gases; liquids; biological. | Never |
| Slippery or uneven surfaces | Occasionally |
Directorate: CHS
Division: North Canberra Hospital
Business Unit: Physiotherapy
Position number: LP7039 +
Position title: Senior Lymphoedema Physiotherapist
Classification: Health Professional Level 3
Location: North Canberra Hospital
Reporting relationships: Direct Manager: Lymphoedema Service Coordinator and Senior Clinician Manager +1: Director of Physiotherapy