What are the responsibilities and job description for the Cardiac Sonographer III position at County of Santa Clara?
Under general supervision, performs a variety of cardiac sonography procedures, ensures proper functioning of sonography equipment, assists physician in related procedures, and may lead staff.
Please note: All applicants are required to attach proof of valid licenses and/or certificates. Applicants that do not attach proof to their application will be rejected.
The eligible list established from this recruitment will be used for potential vacancies in the Santa Clara Valley Healthcare (SCVH) enterprise. This may include full-time, part-time, and per diem/extra help opportunities. If you are interested in these opportunities, please fill out the appropriate questions.
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Santa Clara Valley Healthcare (SCVH) is the second largest public health care system in California and includes three acute care hospitals, 14 clinics and 60 specialty and sub-specialty services. Our mission is to provide high-quality, accessible healthcare and excellent service to everyone in Santa Clara County.
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center - SCVMC is a full-service tertiary acute care teaching hospital with 699 licensed beds providing a wide range of specialized services, including Rehabilitation, Burn, Trauma, and NICU. SCVMC was ranked by U.S. News and World Report as #6 Rehabilitation Hospital in the nation and #1 in the West and designated as a 2024 High Performing hospital for Maternity Care, Heart Failure, Stroke, Hip Fracture, and Pneumonia.
O'Connor Hospital- O'Connor Hospital (OCH) is a 358 licensed bed acute care facility offering a full range of inpatient and outpatient medical, surgical and specialty programs to residents of Santa Clara County. It was founded in 1889 as one of the first hospitals in the county. OCH has grown significantly over the past five years in both its inpatient volume and its Emergency Department visits. Along with these volume increases other ancillary and clinical departments like imaging, lab, pharmacy, and respiratory have seen growth as well.
St. Louise Regional Hospital- Since 1989, St. Louise Regional Hospital (SLRH) has been caring for the residents in Santa Clara and San Benito Counties, offering a wide range of inpatient and outpatient medical specialties. SLRH has 93 beds, is a Designated Primary Stroke Center, and is the only acute care hospital in the area. Located in Gilroy, SLRH maintains a CALSTAR 2 emergency helicopter base on the premises.
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The following are the duties performed by employees in this classification. However, employees may perform other related duties at an equivalent level. Each individual in the classification does not necessarily perform all duties listed.
- May lead other staff engaged in a variety of work related to cardiac sonography processes;
- Interprets and explains new, current, or revised procedures to staff, clients, and other departments, as appropriate;
- Assists in preparing and adjusting staff schedules;
- Assigns, distributes, and adjusts workloads of team members;
- May be assigned special projects as defined by the department manager;
- Performs intra-cardiac echo in structural heart procedures, such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR);
- Maintains sterilization of area and all equipment according to sterility and radiation safety practices related to TAVR procedures;
- Performs Cardiac Sonography procedures in a dedicated Pediatrics program;
- Orients and assists in the training of student technologists, interns/residents, and Cardiac Sonographers in sonography procedures;
- Performs cardiac ultrasounds, including transthoracic echocardiograms (TTE), transesophageal echocardiograms (TEE), and bubble studies;
- Assists physician with the performance of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) procedures;
- Performs contrast, dobutamine stress, and exercise stress echocardiography procedures;
- Consults with referring physician regarding patient's medical history to determine the type of ultrasonic procedure required and to correlate the clinical history with the test to be performed;
- Selects ultrasound and ancillary equipment for use in ultrasound setup according to specifications/protocol of examination;
- Adjusts equipment controls according to protocol and physician’s orders for the area of the heart to be examined;
- Explains examination process to the patient and instructs and assists patient throughout the procedure;
- Operates diagnostic ultrasound equipment, observes sound wave pattern produced, produces and processes diagnostic images, and presents completed sonograms to physician;
- Prepares, instructs, and positions patient for ultrasound procedures;
- Documents observations made during the procedure for final interpretation by the Cardiologist or other qualified medical professional;
- Performs calibrations to adjust and maintain ultrasonic and ancillary equipment;
- Labels permanent records of scans or identifies images, manipulates images, and sends images via the Picture Archive Communication System (PACS) network;
- Maintains records; tracks and bills each procedure and associated supplies;
- Cleans and stocks procedure rooms and ancillary areas and maintains proper inventory levels;
- Submits work orders and reports equipment issues to Manager in a timely fashion to assure proper working order of all echocardiology equipment;
- May be assigned as a Disaster Service Worker (DSW), as required*;
- Performs other related duties, as required.
Sufficient education, training, and experience to demonstrate the ability to perform the above tasks, plus the possession and direct application of the following knowledge and abilities:
Training and Experience Note: The required knowledge and abilities are attained through graduation from an accredited Cardiac Sonography program.
and
Five (5) years of full-time experience performing cardiac sonography procedures.
Special Requirements
- Possess and maintain one of the following certificates:
- Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS) issued by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS).
- Any Echocardiography related certification issued by the Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI).
- Ability to travel to alternate locations in the course of work. If driving, possession of a valid California driver’s license prior to appointment and the ability to qualify for and maintain a County driver authorization.
- *As a condition of employment, pursuant to California Government Code Sections 3100-3109 and Local Ordinance, all County of Santa Clara employees are designated Disaster Service Workers (DSWs), including extra help. A DSW is required to complete all assigned DSW-related training, and in the event of an emergency, return to work as ordered.
Knowledge of:
- Principles, practices, and techniques of supervision and training;
- Current developments in cardiac sonography techniques, procedures, and equipment;
- Intra-cardiac echo in structural heart procedures, such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR);
- Cardiac Ultrasound diagnostic procedures and equipment/instrumentation in Pediatric or Adult Echocardiography;
- Cardiovascular principles, vascular physical principles, principles of ultrasound physics, and the propagation of ultrasound through tissues;
- Anatomy, physiology, and congenital/acquired pathology as they relate to the use and interpretation of ultrasound diagnostic procedures;
- Safety principles and procedures relating to ultrasound procedures and equipment;
- Quality assurance as it relates to ultrasound scanning/ultrasound equipment;
- Principles of electronic image processing and image development;
- Common computer systems and applications.
Ability to:
- Assign, guide, and review the day-to-day work of staff;
- Operate ultrasound emitters and ancillary equipment in the performance of ultrasound diagnostic procedures;
- Interpret physician instructions and patient medical and clinical records to determine type of ultrasonic procedure to be performed;
- Recognize significance of all structures displayed on the oscilloscope and recognize artifacts and electronic equipment limitations;
- Prepare, instruct, and position patient for ultrasound procedure;
- Provide safe and appropriate care to all patients, even in stressful situations;
- Perform calibrations to adjust and maintain ultrasonic and ancillary equipment;
- Use the PACS network to send images electronically;
- Accurately bill procedures and supplies in a timely manner;
- Troubleshoot, document, and communicate equipment problems;
- Obtain advanced Cardiac Sonographer certifications when qualified, if desired by the employee;
- Adhere to all relevant regulatory, County, hospital, and clinical policies and procedures;
- Follow written and oral instructions;
- Work efficiently and independently with minimal supervision;
- Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures;
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work, at all levels, including colleagues, the public, and representatives of other agencies.
- Willingly be placed on-call, as needed.
Salary : $155,996 - $189,003
