- Complete diagnostic echo studies ordered by and/or in collaboration with the Physicians or Cardiology Fellow without direct supervision of a Cardiologist or Supervisor.
- Requires comprehensive knowledge of cardiac anatomy, disease states and the ability to skillfully use all echo modalities.
- Explains routine and non-routine procedures to patients and other authorized individuals to ally fear of process, relieve anxiety to achieve proper positioning.
- The MITs (Echocardiographer) must be alert to changes in patient’s condition which may necessitate immediate intervention.
- Observe the patient’s condition, making notation of pertinent information, vital signs and other clinical information in accordance with the established practices and in response to physician demand or changes in the patient’s condition.
- Recognizes serious patient abnormalities and individualizes each recording to the needs of the situation to produce reliable tracings of diagnostic quality.
- Performs cardiac ultrasound examinations and quantifies observed abnormalities, including complex calculations of valve areas and alterations in function and ejection fraction.
- Measure pulmonary artery pressures, valve areas, cardiac output, cardiac chambers, gradients and flow assessments.
- Assists Physician during transesophageal echo’s in Cardiology Department and operating room during cardiac valve surgeries.
- Assists Physician with echo-guided peri cardiocentesis.
- Procedure and presence in surgery requires comprehensive knowledge of sterile technique and adheres to VA Handbook/Policy, VHA Directive 2006-041.
- Coordinates verification of medication doses with Registered Nurses as second verifiers on the procedure table
- Observe special precautions for critical care and the operating room areas relating to their specialized equipment.
- Recognize the interrelationship between test results, patient response and patient’s medical condition and immediately communicates critical values on technically observed abnormal findings to the Echo Lab Attending, Echo Fellow or other Cardiology staff per the Echo and the Cardiology Department protocol.
- Maintain records of patient, examinations and digital disc archives in a secured database.
- Provide instruction in diagnostic echo-doppler procedures and assist in the echocardiographic imaging techniques with Cardiology Fellows and Cardiology staff.
- Makes multiple simultaneous changes in settings and adjustments in operation of equipment during an exam to ensure accurate results.
- Evaluate and assess new echocardiographic equipment, or new techniques derived from the equipment.
- Recognize electoral hazards and other outside factors which affect the technical accuracy and quality of the diagnostic imaging of the echo exam.
- Clean echo equipment, maintain, prepare and calibrate the transesophageal echo probes and echo machines.
- Coordination and communication between cardiology unit, patient and MVAHCS to promote teamwork and cooperative efforts to smoothly work together.
- ACLS
- BLS
- ARDMS
- The MIT (Echocardiographers) assigned by the contractor to perform the services covered by this contract must have a current certification in echocardiography imaging by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography ARDMS or by the Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCU).
Must be available for on-call shifts.
