Ultrasound Technologist
Inova Fairfax Hospital
Falls Church, VA
Nights

The Specialty Sonographer administers sound patient care practices according to hospital and department policies/procedures to ensure the safety of patients. Completes ancillary tasks to ensure efficient and consistent departmental operations. Demonstrates safety for patients, staff, and self as outlined in department protocols and regulatory guidelines. Maintains equipment, exam rooms, and work areas in a neat and safe condition. Provides clinical services according to specialized ultrasound practice standards and acts as a resource to students, nurses, fellows, and other technologists to ensure optimal department functions.

Job Responsibilities

- Communicates effectively with patients to obtain clinical history/informed consent from patients or patients' charts to assist physicians in optimizing the performance and interpretation of examinations. Explains procedures to patients/families and answers questions to ease anxiety and ensure patient cooperation. Correctly identifies patients and their files while ensuring a high degree of accuracy. Tracks patients according to department procedures. Demonstrates patient safety in the department by use of side rails, braking mechanisms and patient monitoring. Reports, documents and corrects any adverse, unsafe or unusual conditions.
- Identifies errors and takes immediate action for corrections.
- Assists physicians in performing TEE, Fetal Echoes, and AV optimization studies by using departmental protocols to provide optimum results.
- Demonstrates knowledge of proper sterile technique and isolation precautions as they pertain to the various specialty procedures.
- Recognizes clinical and/or emergent problems that may interfere with exams and takes appropriate action to resolve them and produce the most desirable outcomes.
- Demonstrates a thorough understanding of intravenous (IV) heparin locks and central line usage as they pertain to Sonography.
- Demonstrates proper technique for injection of IV contrast, or other test-enhancing solutions, in alignment with standards of the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
- Demonstrates proper care and aseptic cleaning of all patient-related equipment by following established department policies to ensure the quality of care provided to patients. Uses proper cleaning techniques on all TEE probes as well as maintaining the Glutaraldehyde solution to include daily testing of the solution and test strips – maintains all logs associated with this technique.
- Maintains equipment, exam rooms, and work areas in a neat and safe condition to ensure the safety of patients and team members. Ensures that rooms are stocked with appropriate supplies and have required supplies readily available for procedures. Troubleshoots equipment effectively and reports equipment to Biomedical Engineering/vendor. Performs/recognizes the need for routine maintenance of imagers/processors to maintain consistent quality images. Operates imaging and other related equipment according to manufacturers' specifications. Provides clinical services according to specialized ultrasound practice standards and acts as a resource to students, nurses, fellows, and other technologists to ensure optimal department functions.
- Demonstrates a thorough understanding of ultrasound principles and theory as they pertain to the specialized area. Demonstrates a thorough knowledge of specialized anatomy, pathology, and physiology as well as the systemic effect of other systems. Utilizes anatomical knowledge to position patients to optimize image quality during the examination while still providing for patient comfort and safety.
- Demonstrates critical thinking skills as well as the ability to enhance procedures with additional modalities and views based on identified disease processes. Independently utilizes analytical abilities to determine the selection of images that are presented to physicians for interpretation.
- Demonstrates the ability to accurately measure specialty area structures and pathology to further determine the direction of exams.
- Accurately obtains and evaluates Color flow and Doppler waveforms by using the appropriate information to determine if further evaluation is indicated.
- Records all data, images, and technical notes that provide the preliminary report to facilitate physicians' ability to interpret information.
- May perform additional duties as assigned.

Additional Requirements

Certification - American Registered Radiologic Technologists -ARRT, ARDMS, RDMS or RVT certification as a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer or must be registry eligible and obtain certification within 18 months from date of hire; ARDMS, CCI or ARRT registered. Must have RVT/RVS/VS with specialty in Vascular or Neurosonology; or RDCS/RCS with a specialty in Adult Echo, Fetal Echo or Pediatric Echo; or RDMS/ARRT with at least two sonographer specialties (i.e. OB/GYN, Breast, AB); Basic Life Support (BLS) upon startLicensure - None requiredExperience - One year of experience in a hospital/healthcare environment in the performance of Specialized Diagnostic Medical Sonography.Education - Graduate of an accredited school of Diagnostic Medical Sonography.