Clinical Scientist (Protons)

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust; Manchester; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

The Christie in Manchester invites applications for a Clinical Scientist to join the proton therapy physics team. A HCPC registration and experience in a radiotherapy physics department are essential for this 1-year fixed-term post.

The successful candidate will contribute to the proton therapy service, undertake treatment planning, QC, and peer review within a multidisciplinary team, with opportunities for research collaboration and professional development.

Qualifications

• HCPC registration is required.
• Experience in a radiotherapy physics department is required.
• 1-year fixed-term post.

Responsibilities

• Involvement in treatment planning and checking for proton and photon treatments.
• Perform machine QC and patient-specific verification.
• Peer review of proton therapy cases with the wider MDT.
• Opportunity for self-directed project work aligned with group objectives.
• Collaborate with University of Manchester proton research groups.

Skills

HCPC registration

Radiotherapy physics experience

Job description

Applications are invited for a Clinical Scientist to join the proton therapy physics team at The Christie for a 1-year fixed term post. The applicant should have HCPC registration and experience of working in a radiotherapy physics department.

The successful applicant will join a team of clinical scientists and practitioners involved with the delivery and development of the national proton beam therapy service which has been treating patients at The Christie since December 2018. The proton therapy team is required to support the development of new treatment sites, including clinical trials, whilst maintaining a treatment planning and dosimetry service for increasing patient numbers. All members of the team are encouraged to present new ideas to improve the service and will be supported to develop them by the whole team.

Though previous proton experience is more than welcome we appreciate that as a highly specialised service in the UK, applicants may not have much experience in this area. Training and development will be provided for those looking for a new challenge and to build on existing radiotherapy experience.

Main duties of the job

Physicists in the proton therapy physics team are involved with all aspects of the service including treatment planning and checking, machine QC, patient-specific verification and peer review of proton therapy cases with the wider multi‑disciplinary team. Treatment planning is performed for both proton and photon treatments to be used in contingency scenarios. In addition there is the opportunity to undertake self‑directed project work in alignment with the group’s overall objectives. We have a close working relationship with the University of Manchester’s proton research groups and other centres which provide opportunity for academic collaboration. Everyone in the team is encouraged to undertake further development and education and time will be protected within the work schedule to enable this.

The proton therapy physics team includes physicists, radiographers and technologists who all play an active role in supporting and developing the proton service. We work very closely with other clinical teams such as treatment and pre‑treatment radiographers and clinical oncologists to deliver the routine service and to collaborate on project work leading to presentation and publication. We have an active education programme to deliver teaching and training locally, nationally and globally. The team’s duties include early and late working, but flexible working and homeworking arrangements are supported to promote a healthy work‑life balance for all team members.

Working for our organisation

The Christie is one of Europe's leading cancer centres, looking after more than 64,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 25% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.

We are the largest radiotherapy provider in the NHS with one in 20 treatments delivered at The Christie. We have up to 15 linear accelerators operating across our network of sites. We operate the largest chemotherapy unit in the UK on our main site and treatments are also provided at 13 other networked sites, and in patients homes. And as a specialist tertiary surgical centre, we focus on rare cancers, complex procedures, and multidisciplinary approaches to cancer surgery, specialising in colorectal, peritoneal, gynaecological, urological and plastic surgery.

We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We have been named by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), as one of the best hospitals providing opportunities for patients to participate in clinical research studies, with more than 800 studies open at any time, caring for over 3,000 patients.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• General
  • 1.1. Ensure all work complies with current UK legislation for work with ionising radiation (IRR 2017, IRMER 2017) and the Trust