Cardiac Sonographer Educator

Overview

Primary Role

Instructs, mentors, and evaluates staff in all aspects of echocardiography acquisition and leads and provides education to Sonographers, students, other departments, agencies, and the public.  Also accountable for developing and implementing echocardiographic protocols following ASE and IAC Standards and Guidelines. Improves lab quality and efficiency through preparing preliminary echocardiography assessments as well as makes recommendations to Echocardiography leadership regarding equipment and staffing needs throughout the SE Region.  Leads laboratory accreditation processes across the SE region. 

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in healthcare or related field (preferred)
• Graduate of a CAAHEP Accredited echocardiographic program
• 8 or more years of Clinical experience
• Minimum of 3 years’ leadership experience in a hospital or dedicated echocardiographic laboratory setting
• Experience in staff education development and implementation, quality improvement, program development and professional development.
• Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer or CCI – Registered Cardiac Sonographer.
• CCI (Cardiac Credentialing International) - Advanced Cardiac Sonographer)
• Current BLS certification

Major Responsibilities:

• Ensure quality of echocardiography performance.
• Works in conjunction with echo lab leadership on scanning protocols, quality measures following ASE & IAC guidelines. 
• Functions as the clinical, technical, Advanced Cardiac Sonographer for the SE Region.
• Assess, plan, directs, and evaluates the technical, educations, and clinical professional development programs for the SE Region to provide optimal echocardiograms.
• Acts as a clinical resource and mentor to staff and cardiologists.
• Facilitates the advancement of the tiers within the echocardiography labs throughout the SE Region. 
• Works directly with the medical director to quantity and assist with peer review and documentation.
• Provides individual or group educational plans and enhancement or remediation as indicated. 
• Develops programs to educate and train new staff in new sonographic techniques, with focus on the echocardiographic laboratory including staff competencies. 
• Contributes to the performance evaluation process by providing competency assessments/evaluations to sonographer leadership throughout the SE Region relative to the technical expertise of the individual sonographer.
• Ensures echocardiography functions are within compliance with professional Scope of Practice, accreditation, and regulatory standards.
• Performs quarterly site visits to the SE Region Echocardiography Labs to ensure quality efforts are met.
• Creates a quarterly report on identified areas of concern for improvement that includes SE Region Echo labs. 
• Expand partnership with surrounding community colleges for education and training.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Skills:

• Knowledge of hospital or department policies and functions of department.
• Expert knowledge of ultrasound equipment.
• Competent in all routine and advanced echocardiographic procedures.
• Promoting a teamwork environment that fosters quality and productivity.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, customer service, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to remain professional, composed, and analytical with staff under trying circumstances. 
• Interpersonal skills including oral communication. 
• Build relationships with hospital staff, regulators, and other contacted staff.