Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist (PACS/CT)

PLEASE NOTE - This position may require temporarily relocation to other TONHC Facilities: Sells Hospital, Santa Rosa Health Center, San Simon Health Center, Casa Grande, and San Xavier Health Center.

Position Summary:

The incumbent provides imaging studies for doctors to diagnose and treat various accident traumas and a wide variety of defects and diseases as an important part of each patient's care plan.

Scope of Work: The position is located within the Tohono O'odham Nation Sells Hospital. The incumbent analyzes and evaluates major administrative aspects of TONHC Image Archive and PACS Systems. Evaluates and recommends for Contracts and Acquisitions major projects involving significant expense for TONHC.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: (Depending on the area of assignment, an incumbent may not be required to perform some of the duties listed below):

• Independently performs digital radiographic examinations of the head, trunk, and extremities to diagnose illness or injuries. Positions patient and makes the required exposure for examinations.
• Receives patients and explains examinations to be performed and methods. Assures that patients are appropriately attired and prepared for requested examination.
• May periodically be called upon as a support resource for Medical Imaging staff, radiologists, and other medical officers to produce radiographic studies used to diagnose medical conditions.
• Advises Medical Imaging staff, radiologists, and referring physicians regarding patients and imaging examinations about which they may have some concerns and provide them with the relevant information.
• Prepare quality control and hard copy diagnostic quality images from clinical data; ensures strict precision and reliability of results and maintains accurate and complete records.
• Managers and operates a local area and extended data communications network, including installing and testing Image Archive and PACS, CR and DR hardware, multiple modality connections, components, cable, and software.
• Consult with physicians, surgeons, and other professional staff to maintain, implement and operate software to process and combine data from all medical modalities in differing dimensions and domains to provide clinically meaningful presentations of images.
• Manage day-to-day systems operations of both centralized and peripheral equipment. An incumbent's primary responsibility is to support electronic data communications services between Hospital Information System (HIS), Radiology Information System (RIS), hospital PACS, Image Archive, and Voice Recognition software applications. Analyze error logs and messages.
• Develops and executes imaging system operating, support, data backup, and security processes and procedures. Performs operational tasks from the system consoles, including load balancing, assigning/changing job priorities, file placement, backup to tape or disk, journalizing, shutdown/reboot, restoration of part or all of the standard system interconnects after power or equipment failure, initiation of system utility jobs.
• Monitors imaging systems status and performance. Executes imaging systems utility programs to measure performance, isolate problem conditions, and evaluate system configurations. Execute archiving and error recovery procedures, including restoration from backup media.
• Manages multi-node multi-protocol heterogeneous Local Area Network (LAN). Assists in the management, support, and troubleshooting of Wide Area Network (WAN) utilized to transmit medical images and reports to other TONHC sites and teleradiology resources.
• Identifies and determines training priorities, conducts and administers training programs, develops and Improves training guidance. The incumbent is primarily responsible for training new radiologists, physicians, and other clinical providers and other technologists with the efficient and safe operation of the hospital PACS and Image Archive and Voice Recognition hardware and software applications.
• Participates in planning and recommending systems software and hardware related to PACS, Image Archive, Voice Recognition, and Multi-Media.
• Provide customer service to patients and their families, radiologists, facility physicians, and other clinical providers and support staff. Customer service is provided to all contacts during the planning and performance of clinical diagnostic imaging examinations and while operating, supporting, and giving Image Archive and PACS training.
• Reviews new developments in both the field of clinical radiology and medical imaging, and technical field of Image Archiving and PACS and recommends to Medical Imaging Supervisory Technologist those factors which would improve the operation of the Medical Imaging Department.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of the Tohono O'odham culture, customs, and traditions.
• Knowledge of anatomy and physiology, including location, appearance, and functioning of the major and minor systems susceptible to radiologic examination and understanding of changes to systems and organs caused by standard medical and surgical diseases and injuries.
• Knowledge of complex radiographic exposure techniques such as determination of technical factors and machine geometry of radiographic and fluoroscopic equipment, tomographic X-ray machines, or equipment of similar complexity.
• Must have a thorough knowledge of radiation protection standards, devices, and techniques, including concepts of accumulated dosage and genetic changes, effects of radiation on living organisms, and x-ray techniques on patient and operator exposure to assure that adequate safeguards are maintained.
• Skill and judgment are employed sufficiently to determine scheduling priorities based on service or hospital standards to meet the needs of referring physicians providing direct patient care and determine whether to use various preset exposure factors and protocols.
• Knowledge of pertinent aspects of basic physics, including the concepts of energy, electric power, and types of electrical circuits, construction and use of x-ray tubes, and the properties of x-rays; to understand the operation of x-ray equipment, monitor the equipment for proper operation, make changes to standard procedures to compensate for equipment aging, and determine when maintenance or repair is needed.
• Knowledge of first aid and standard medical practices such as emergency cardiac or respiratory arrest procedures, use of oxygen apparatus to assist with breathing difficulties, suction apparatus to help with vomiting or choking during imaging procedures, assist radiologist when starting IVs, prep techniques required before advanced imaging procedures, and monitoring of vital signs during examinations.
• Knowledge of hospital MIS/RIS hardware such as server and desktop computers, FDA certified diagnostic computer monitors, and network hubs, switches and bridges; and software such as RPMS, Electronic Health Record (EHR), Image Archive and PACS, computer Operating Systems (OS} such as MS Windows 2003 Server and Windows XP Professional, computers Remote Access software such as PCAnywhere, Internet Protocols (TCP/IP), business and data management and communications software such as MS Word, Excel, Access and Outlook.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of all applicable software applications and systems as new products, including upgraded or new computer Operating Systems and Applications, are developed and available for hospitals and healthcare facilities.
• Knowledge required includes monitoring and controlling hardware and software applications and diagnosing the nature of device problems, reset hardware and software switches, and other controls.
• Knowledge of appropriate Hospital clinical and technical policies, procedures, rules, and regulations such as JCAHO and HIPM with which hospital facilities must comply concerning clinical practice and communications with patients and patient's families.
• Knowledge of operating procedures, information flow, and prevailing IT practices in government agencies and the private sector sufficient to ensure applications are consistent with the current and planned infrastructure and data environments.
• Ability to read and understand clinical journals, textbooks, and reference manuals to obtain information required to obtain diagnostic examinations while protecting patient safety accurately.
• Ability to maintain and troubleshoot computer equipment associated with the TONHC Image Archive and PACS.
• Ability to communicate in a clear, logical, and concise manner orally and in writing to
• Diagnostic Imaging Service radiologists and staff, clinical providers, information technology, technical staff, and patients and their families.
• Knowledge of HIPAA-related rules and regulations.
• Skill in providing superior customer service to external and internal customers.
• Ability to be compassionate and have good communication skills.
• Ability to maintain privileged, confidential information.
• Ability to establish and maintain positive and effective working relationships with other employees and the general public.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Registered Radiologic Technologist: Must complete at least two years of formal education in an accredited hospital-based program or a two- or four-year educational program at an academic institution and pass a national certification examination.
• Two years of experience as a Registered Radiologic Technologist performing Computed Tomography.

Licenses, Certifications, Special Requirements:

• Certification in Basic Life Support for Healthcare.
• ARRT Registered Radiologic Technologist; Computed Tomography certification preferred.
• Upon recommendation for hire, a criminal background and a National FBI fingerprint check are required to determine suitability for employment, including a 39-month driving record.
• May require possessing and maintaining a valid driver's license (no DUIs or major traffic citations within the last three years).
• If required, must meet the Tohono O'odham Nation tribal employer's insurance requirements to receive a driver's permit to operate program vehicles.
• Based on the department's needs, incumbents may be required to demonstrate fluency in both the Tohono O'odham language and English as employment conditions.