To participate as a Senior Medical Scientist, in providing a high quality and efficient laboratory service to Consultants, Doctors and their patients within the hospital and the community.

The Dublin North East Region includes the following hospitals;

• Beaumont Hospital
• Cavan General Hospital
• Connolly Hospital
• Louth County Hospital
• Monaghan General Hospital
• Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital
• Rotunda Hospital

The HSE provides a national service and a regional service to the Dublin and the North East Region and is committed to the provision of world-class care, exceptional clinical services with respect and compassion.

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda which is part of the RSCI Hospital Group, is a major teaching hospital providing a range of acute medical, surgical and maternity services, day care, outpatient, diagnostic and support services.  Emergency services are provided on a 365-day, 24 hour basis.  Multi-disciplinary teams representative of medical, nursing, midwifery allied health professionals, management and general support staff play a pivotal role in the development, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of these services.  The hospital has a current bed complement of 471 beds. 

The Pathology Department provides services to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Louth County Hospital, District Hospitals, Nursing Homes and General Practitioners.  It is a comprehensive clinical diagnostic Laboratory Service which includes Biochemistry, Haematology, Blood Transfusion, Microbiology and Histology.

The Pathology Department provides a comprehensive Consultant led service and is accredited to the ISO 15189:2022 International Standard. 

The postholder:

• Will report to the Chief Medical Scientist / Senior Medical Scientist or other nominated personnel in the department they are assigned to.

• Will be responsible to Laboratory Manager.
• Will report to Consultant Staff on clinical matters through/with their nominated manager.

Service Management

The Medical Scientist Senior (Surveillance)will:

• In association with members of the Infection Prevention and Control Team continue and expand the surveillance programmes currently in place in the Louth Hospitals
• Will work closely and liaise with medical, paramedical and other health service staff as appropriate, in particular Public Health and HSPC personnel, Infection Control personnel and Antimicrobial Pharmacist
• Will maintain CIDR/EARS - Net records and facilitate communication with appropriate national and international agencies
• Participate in implementing a laboratory service that supports the clinical needs of the patients and is consistent with the mission, vision, values and strategic plan of the Health Service Executive
• Participate with the Laboratory Manager, Chief Medical Scientist (Microbiology) and relevant others in identifying and implementing operational processes to the standard of ‘best practice’ in order to optimise use of resources
• Keep the Chief Medical Scientist (Microbiology) and Laboratory Manager appraised of any significant developments in the field of Surveillance
• Ensure the laboratory is compliant with all relevant legislation pertaining to the surveillance of notifiable diseases and other diseases of interest
• Manage the surveillance of bacteraemia, healthcare associated infections and multi-drug resistant organisms in the Louth Hospitals
• Promote and support activities that serve to implement the Strategy for Control of Antimicrobial Resistance in Ireland (SARI)
• Ensure the quality and integrity of surveillance data
• Liaise as required with local, regional and national groups concerned with the assessment of HCAI or the furtherance of surveillance
• Participate in the assessment and management of outbreaks as required
• Have a working knowledge of Health Information & Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the role, for example, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections
• Provide output for inclusion in local, regional and national publications
• Participate in Continuous Professional Development activities
• Develop and lead the introduction of new ideas and methods pertaining to and impacting on surveillance activities
• Actively participate in and promote continuing education and research activities consistent with the position
• Demonstrate behaviour consistent with the values of the Hospital and ethical code
• Maintain and promote a patient focused orientation in the delivery of service
• Participate in the production of an annual departmental report as well as other relevant annual reports
• Participate in the determination of departmental policies for improvement of the service in relation to surveillance
• Participate on Hospital and/or external committees as required
• To be responsible for all aspects of data transfer between the LIS and CIDR.
• To be responsible for all aspects of data transfer between the LIS and the HPSC.
• To be responsible for all Laboratory Infectious Disease Notifications from the hospital to the HPSC or the Department of Public Health or other agency.
• Be a member of the hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control Team and other appropriate relevant infection-related committees.
• Enhance and maintain a computer based system to be used for the collection of data required for the surveillance antimicrobial resistance and of hospital-acquired infection.
• Be responsible for the co-ordination of collection, storage and documentation of appropriate isolates.
• Be responsible for the transfer and follow up of appropriate isolates to reference laboratories.
• Liaise between the Microbiology Laboratory, the Department of Public Health, the HPSC and other agencies such as regional Quality and Patient Safety office in relation to surveillance.
• To ensure that sensitivity testing is standardised in accordance with national recommendations.

Quality

The Senior Medical Scientist (Surveillance)will:

• Ensure appropriate compliance with international and national guidelines and legal and professional standards for the provision of relevant laboratory services and actively participate in internal and external quality assurance 
• Participate in setting policies, standards and best practice guidelines in conjunction with appropriate scientific, clinical and management groups in relation to surveillance
• Participate in the implementation of quality management programmes which are patient orientated and which measure and audit performance and client satisfaction
• Participate in the maintenance of the ISO15189 accreditation standard as it applies to surveillance

Financial

The Senior Medical Scientist (Surveillance)will:

• Provide appropriate statistical and management information to the Laboratory Management team and or Hospital.

Information Technology

The Senior Medical Scientist (Surveillance)will:

• Participate in the efficient operation of computer systems for the Laboratory, ensuring these integrate well with surveillance activity
• Collect, interpret and present data and information as appropriate.

Education & Training

The Senior Medical Scientist (Surveillance)will:

• Actively participate in and promote continuing education and research activities consistent with the position
• Facilitate arrangements for educating and training undergraduates, interns and post-graduate students if appropriate.
• Ensure sufficient cover to enable the surveillance service to continue smoothly in his/her absence. This should include relevant training and competence assessment

The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office. The primary role will be to ensure compliance with surveillance and other relevant standards within the scope of the duties above.

Candidates must:

Medical Scientist Candidates must have at the latest date of application: -

1. Professional Qualifications & Experience, etc.

• Be registered, or be eligible for registration, on the Medical Scientists Register maintained by the Medical Scientists Registration Board at CORU.

OR

Applicants who satisfy the conditions set out in Section 91 of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005, (see note 1 below*), must submit proof of application for registration with the Medical Scientists Registration Board at CORU. The acceptable proof is correspondence from the Medical Scientists Registration Board at CORU confirming their application for registration as a Section 91 applicant was received by the 30th March 2021.

AND

• Possess one of the following NFQ Level 9 post graduate qualifications or equivalent qualification at minimum Level 9 validated by the Academy of Clinical Science and Laboratory Medicine;
• MSc Clinical Laboratory Science, Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT).
• MSc Clinical Laboratory Science, Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin).
• MSc Clinical Chemistry, University of Dublin, Trinity College (TCD).
• MSc Biomedical Science, University of Ulster (UU)
• MSc Biomedical Science, Cork Institute of Technology (CIT)/University College Cork (UCC).
• MSc Biomedical Science, Munster Technological University (MTU)/University
• College Cork (UCC).
• MSc Molecular Pathology, Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT)/University of Dublin, Trinity College (TCD).
• MSc Medical Science, Atlantic Technological University (ATU)

OR

• An equivalent qualification at minimum Level 9 validated by the Academy of Clinical Science and Laboratory Medicine (ACSLM).

OR

• Possess Fellowship of the Academy of Clinical Science and Laboratory Medicine awarded before July 2018.

OR

• Have attained the Fellowship examination of the Institute of Biomedical Science (Awarded prior to 1999).

AND

• Possess four years full time clinical experience (or an aggregate of four years full time clinical experience) as a medical scientist in a clinical diagnostic laboratory since qualifying as a medical scientist.

AND

• Demonstrate evidence of Continuous Professional Development.

AND

• Have the requisite knowledge and ability (including a high standard of suitability and professional ability) for the proper discharge of the duties of the office.

AND

• Provide proof of Statutory Registration on the Medical Scientists Register maintained by the Medical Scientists Registration Board at CORU before a contract of employment can be issued (Applicable to Section 38 applicants only).

2. Age

Age restrictions shall only apply to a candidate where he/she is not classified as a new entrant (within the meaning of the Public Service Superannuation Act, 2004). A candidate who is not classified as a new entrant must be under 65 years of age.

3. Health

A candidate for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

4. Character

Each candidate for and any person holding the office must be of good character

Post Specific:

A flexible approach to working hours is required in order to ensure deadlines are met

3877 Senior Medical Scientist 1025 Surveillance