Chief 1 Respiratory Physiologist

As part of Ireland's largest private hospital group, Bon Secours Health System operates across the country, with over 4,000 staff members and a commitment to delivering compassionate, world-class healthcare. This new hospital in Limerick forms a key part of our ongoing investment in healthcare infrastructure, supporting our mission to provide advanced medicine and exceptional care to our patients. The hospital offers a wide range of specialist services, from cardiology to ophthalmology, and will play a pivotal role in enhancing healthcare provision in the Mid-West. We are still recruiting exceptional people to join our team as we continue to expand our services at our new state-of-the-art hospital.

Exciting Career Opportunity Chief I Respiratory Physiologist Full-time 35 hours per week

Opportunity Bon Secours Hospital Limerick is seeking an experienced and motivated Respiratory Physiologist to take a leading role in the development of a dynamic, rapidly expanding Respiratory and Sleep service. This is an opportunity to join a developing Respiratory Department at an important stage of growth and to work closely with the Respiratory Consultant, hospital management and the wider multidisciplinary team in shaping the future delivery of respiratory physiology and sleep services. The successful candidate will combine hands-on clinical work with service leadership, staff development, quality improvement and operational management. They will have a significant role in designing new patient pathways, developing new diagnostic and therapeutic services, supporting future workforce growth and ensuring that the department develops in a safe, efficient and sustainable manner.

Purpose of the Role

• Develop and expand pulmonary function testing services.
• Develop inpatient and outpatient sleep diagnostic pathways.
• Develop and support CPAP initiation, education and follow-up clinics.
• Support the development of limited and full sleep study pathways.
• Lead quality assurance, calibration and clinical governance processes.
• Develop efficient patient scheduling, reporting and departmental workflows.
• Support the introduction of new respiratory diagnostic services.
• Contribute to workforce planning and future expansion of the Respiratory Physiology team.
• Develop educational links with relevant training institutions and support the development of Respiratory Physiology student placements.
• Promote teaching, supervision and professional development for student, basic, senior and future respiratory physiology staff.
• Work with management to develop the service in a clinically effective and financially sustainable manner.

Clinical Responsibilities

• Spirometry.
• Bronchodilator reversibility testing.
• Static lung volumes.
• Gas transfer/DLCO measurement.
• Respiratory muscle assessment.
• Full pulmonary function testing.
• Full polysomnography.
• Limited sleep studies.
• Sleep study analysis and scoring.
• CPAP initiation, patient education.
• Development of physiologist-led CPAP clinics.
• Routine equipment calibration, quality control and preventative maintenance.
• Development and implementation of evidence-based clinical protocols.
• Review and development of diagnostic reporting standards.

Service Development and Innovation

• Develop and expand Respiratory Physiology capacity in response to clinical demand.
• Establish efficient pathways for both private and publicly funded patients.
• Develop Full and Limited Sleep Study pathways based on appropriate clinical selection.
• Develop physiologist-led CPAP education, setup and follow-up pathways.
• Support the development of home and ambulatory sleep diagnostic services where appropriate.
• Participate in the evaluation and introduction of new respiratory and sleep technologies.
• Identify opportunities for service innovation, improved patient access and more efficient use of hospital resources.
• Develop audit programmes assessing service quality, patient outcomes, turnaround times and capacity.
• Participate in future planning for additional Respiratory Physiology staffing and infrastructure.

Education, Training and Student Development

• Developing links with universities and relevant Clinical Measurement/Respiratory Physiology training programmes.
• Supporting the establishment of Respiratory Physiology student placements within Bon Secours Hospital Limerick.
• Providing supervision, teaching and mentorship to students undertaking clinical placements.
• Supporting structured induction and competency development for new staff.
• Promoting continuing professional development within the Respiratory Physiology team.
• Supporting teaching and training for nursing, medical and allied health professional colleagues where appropriate.
• Contributing to the development of a department with a strong teaching, learning and quality-improvement culture.

Leadership and Departmental Management

• Managing the department to ensure the delivery of an effective, efficient and patient-centred service.
• Leading, supporting and motivating Respiratory Physiology staff.
• Supervising and line-managing physiologists working within the department.
• Supporting staff induction, competency assessment, performance development and continuing professional development.
• Ensuring appropriate allocation of staff and resources across pulmonary function testing, sleep diagnostics and CPAP services.
• Working closely with Respiratory Consultants, the Business Partner, Operations Manager and other Heads of Department.
• Developing departmental policies, procedures and clinical protocols.
• Ensuring appropriate governance of patient reporting, scheduling and clinical prioritisation.
• Supporting accreditation requirements and continuous quality-improvement programmes.
• Monitoring departmental activity, capacity, waiting lists and service performance.

Business and Operational Responsibilities

• Contributing to annual service and departmental planning.
• Participating in preparation of financial estimates for pay and non-pay resources.
• Monitoring utilisation of departmental resources and identifying opportunities for efficiency.
• Supporting business cases for additional equipment, staffing and service development.
• Advising on equipment selection, procurement, replacement and upgrading.
• Monitoring activity, capacity, demand and service utilisation.
• Working with hospital management to identify opportunities for service growth and improved patient access.
• Supporting the development of efficient referral, scheduling and reporting pathways.
• Contributing to evaluation of new service opportunities within Respiratory Physiology and Sleep Medicine.

Quality, Governance and Accreditation

• Ensure that modern standards of respiratory and sleep clinical practice are maintained.
• Develop and monitor departmental quality-control processes.
• Participate in audit and quality-improvement programmes.
• Monitor patient safety and ensure appropriate reporting of incidents and risks.
• Work closely with multidisciplinary teams to support hospital accreditation requirements.
• Maintain appropriate standards relating to equipment hygiene, infection prevention, documentation and clinical reporting.
• Work with Respiratory Consultants on audits of patient outcomes, diagnostic reports and service performance.

Why Join Our Respiratory Team? Respiratory services at Bon Secours Hospital Limerick are entering a significant period of development. The successful candidate will join a dynamic and rapidly developing Respiratory Department and will have the opportunity to play a central role in shaping how Respiratory Physiology and Sleep services are delivered.

• A significant opportunity to influence the design and growth of a developing respiratory service.
• Close working relationships with the Respiratory Consultant and hospital management.
• A combination of clinical practice, leadership, education and service development.
• Opportunities to develop new PFT, sleep and CPAP pathways.
• The opportunity to develop a Respiratory Physiology student training and placement programme.
• Involvement in equipment selection, service planning and future departmental expansion.
• The opportunity to help establish a strong culture of clinical excellence, education, innovation and continuous improvement.

Essential Requirements

• Appropriate recognised qualification in Clinical Measurement/Respiratory Physiology in accordance with relevant Irish professional requirements.
• Minimum experience appropriate to appointment at Chief I level.
• Strong experience in pulmonary function testing.
• Experience in sleep diagnostics and/or willingness to develop expertise in sleep physiology.
• Demonstrated leadership, organisational and communication skills.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Commitment to patient-centred care, quality improvement and service development.
• Management experience and/or a relevant management qualification would be desirable.

Essential Qualifications

• Possess the BSc in Clinical Measurement from Dublin Institute of Technology.
• Possess the BSc in Clinical Measurement from Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin).
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