Planning Dosimetrist

Radiotherapy UK; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Barts Health NHS Trust in London is seeking a Band 6 Dosimetrist to join the radiotherapy physics team. The role focuses on complex VMAT/IMRT planning and advancing skills in stereotactic planning, while contributing to research and development projects.

You will work with Eclipse on Varian TrueBeam linacs, participate in MDT activities, and support adaptive radiotherapy planning for bladder treatments. Applications invited from HCPC registered radiographers.

Qualifications

• Degree in Radiography (Therapy) or equivalent.
• HCPC Registration (Therapeutic Radiographer).
• Evidence of Continued Professional Development.
• MSc Radiotherapy Treatment Planning.

Responsibilities

• Assist in providing an efficient, high-quality treatment planning service.
• Produce routine radiotherapy treatment plans for VMAT/IMRT/conformal techniques.
• Advise clinicians on plan options and dose distribution.
• Understand treatment machine operation and limitations for planning.
• Participate in multidisciplinary groups to implement practice changes.
• Communicate complex information clearly and document it for staff.
• Prioritise and manage own caseloads.
• Provide training for student radiographers on planning.
• Assist with work instructions and process documents.

Skills

TPS expertise

Hand-eye coordination

Concentration under pressure

Physical stamina

Attention to detail

Keyboard skills

Education

Radiography (Therapy) degree

HCPC Registration (Therapeutic Radiographer)

CPD evidence

MSc Radiotherapy Treatment Planning

Tools

Eclipse

HyperArc

Job description

An opportunity has arisen to for a Band 6 dosimetrist to join the radiotherapy physics team at St Bartholomew's Hospital. The department delivers a comprehensive Radiotherapy service to approximately 2000 patients per year including a brachytherapy service and a complex Stereotactic Radiotherapy service.

A major part of the work involves complex treatment planning, particularly VMAT and dynamic IMRT Planning. The treatment planning team is also involved in Stereotactic radiotherapy planning (SRS), 4D planning, VMAT QA, and plan checking. Adaptive Radiotherapy Planning is routine for bladder treatments.

Treatment Planning is carried out on Eclipse for the five Varian TrueBeam linacs. Pre-treatment imaging is carried out on the department's widebore CT scanner and there is also access to MR and PET-CT in the hospital.

The post holder will carry out a range of VMAT, IMRT and conformal planning and will have the opportunity to develop skills in stereotactic planning and take part in research and development projects.

For further information please contact Jackie Poxon, Head of Treatment Planning ([e-mail]) or Sweta Bowles, Lead Specialist Dosimetrist ([e-mail])

Main duties of the job

To assist in the provision of an efficient, high quality patient treatment planning service for Radiotherapy.

Produce routine radiotherapy treatment plans.

Provide clinical staff with advice on treatment plan options and effect on dose distribution to create optimum treatment plan.

Understand the operation of the treatment machines and appreciate their potential and limitations with regard to treatment techniques. Use this knowledge in the production of treatment plans.

Participate in multi-disciplinary working parties and development groups to negotiate, agree, and implement changes in Radiotherapy practice.

The post holder will be expected to communicate and document highly complex information to various other staff groups and participate in multi-disciplinary staff meetings.

Prioritise and manage own caseloads.

Provide specialist training of student radiographers assigned to treatment planning.

Assist with preparation of work instructions and process documents

About us

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.

Job responsibilities

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Degree in Radiography (Therapy) or equivalent
• HCPC Registration (Therapeutic Radiographer)
• Evidence of Continued Professional Development.
• MSc Radiotherapy Treatment Planning

Experience

• 2 years experience as therapy radiographer with 1 year treatment planning
• Experience of Planning Breast and Pelvis Planning
• Experience of Planning using Eclipse
• Working with in a Quality Management System
• Inverse Planning
• VMAT other sites
• Experience of SRS planning on Hyperarc

Skills

• Ability to use complex computerised TPS [equivalent to CAD]
• Highly developed physical accuracy and hand-eye coordination. Advanced keyboard skills.
• Occasional Requirement to exert moderate physical effort [moving equipment/patients]
• Ability to concentrate for prolonged periods
• Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines and cope with frequent interruptions
• Ability to deal with distressing situations, when working with terminally ill patients.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.