Adult Echo Educator

The Adult Echo Educator works in collaboration with the Sonographer Technical Supervisor and Program Manager to ensure professional development that provides education, leadership, and accountability for clinical teaching experiences for student echocardiographers, new hires including echocardiographers and fellows, and experienced staff echocardiographers. The role includes professional development and empowerment of staff to promote desired outcomes with attention to image quality, efficiency, and STAR Service.

Essential Job Statements

Performance Expectation: Develops / Implements / Modifies New Employee Orientation

Assists in developing and maintaining VCUHS orientation process to aid in training of new team members. Evaluates new hires professional development needs, provides an orientation plan, performs weekly documentation of performance, and modifies plan as needed. Provides constructive feedback to aid in professional growth.

Facilitates electronic health records system training for new hires. Facilitates and documents competencies for all ages of patients. Facilitates attendance of VCUHS mandatory orientation programs. Maintains records of training/orientation progress and completion.

Performance Expectation: Facilitates Clinical Education/Training for Students with Echocardiographer Programs

Assists in developing and maintaining VCUHS echocardiographer student orientation process. Coordinates clinical echocardiographer student education for VCUHS as well as facilities outside of VCUHS. Identifies systems needed to provide optimal clinical training experiences for students and new hires. Assigns student for shadowing experiences. Performs weekly evaluation of students to ensure course objectives and professional goals are being met. Serves as a liaison between VCUHS and the echocardiographer program coordinators. Ensures that VCUHS clinical instructors meet departmental student supervisory guidelines.

Performance Expectation: Education/Training

Coordinates student clinical rotations with the specific echocardiographer programs to include required assessments. Coordinates new hire training to include required assessments. Conducts a formal assessment of the developmental needs of the echocardiographer student(s) and new hires. Creates opportunities for students, new hires and existing echocardiographer team members to increase their knowledge base, advance their practice and enhance their levels of professionalism. Identifies educational needs of the students/new hires and coordinates weekly in-service/educational opportunities for them. Assists with the mentoring of students and new hires. Participates in the orientation of new hires by documenting professional/skill development progress. Maintains current reference materials for student and new hire which is easily accessible. Demonstrates a mastery of clinical skills and applies this knowledge to the specific patient populations. Provides direction, education, and leadership for the student clinical trainees.

Performance Expectation: Providing Guidance to Others

Assures adequate education and orientation and development of students, new hires and established team member. Coaches and mentors student and new hires on their clinical and professional development. Serves as the "resource" echocardiographrapher of the day on a rotating basis with other senior echocardiographers which involves utilizing evidence-based practice to assist in overcoming patient care barriers and ensures the echo lab is running smoothly. Facilitates regularly scheduled “in-service” echocardiogram sessions for all team members.

Performance Expectation: Operations & Staffing Coordination

Efficiently utilizes existing reporting lines and channels of communication to identify steps to promote optimal patient outcomes and advocacy. Consistently participates in activities to support clinical training improvement. Reports incidents or concerns and proposes action when appropriate. Participates in departmental activities to recruit and retain staff, such as job fairs. Assigns clinical students and new hires to senior sonographers for training. Assists senior sonographers in providing the optimum learning experience for students and new hires.

Performance Expectation: Teamwork

Facilitates communication and fosters team spirit and positive morale. Promotes positive image of team members through effective communication and individual support. Facilitates problem solving and conflict resolution among students, new hires and staff.

Performance Expectation: Productivity & Performance Improvement

Identifies systems needed to provide optimal clinical training experiences. Participates in development and implementation of students and new hires learning experiences and clinical expectations Ensures that all training experiences are relevant and align with the required curriculum from the clinical training programs in which students are enrolled.

Performance Expectation: Provides Safe Patient Care

Able to assist in the inpatient or outpatient clinic setting to meet patient care requirements as needed. Demonstrate understanding of the routine needs of the patient based on the echocardiographic diagnosis. Provide care that is consistent with care plans and medical orders and complies with hospital, nursing, and unit policies. Report any incident posing harm or threat of harm to patients at the time of discovery. After assessing all pertinent information, appropriately identifies specific patient and technical problems and provide intervention as required. Demonstrate ability to use evidence-based practice consistently to support patient care. Able to modify patient echocardiographic study preferences. Routinely able to solve patient problems and demonstrate initiative to assist others in solving such issues. Assist in developing safety guidelines for specific environments/patient care as needed. Anticipate changes in patient’s status and provides feedback to team related to the safe and effective care of the patient. Advocate for patient/family by presenting concerns to appropriate persons for resolution.

Performance Expectation: Continuing Education & Professional Development

Adult Cardiac Sonographers Educator must complete a minimum of 20 contact hours of continuing education during each annual evaluation cycle. Failure to achieve the required number of contact hours will result in the employee being ineligible to receive an overall performance rating above "Fully Meets”. Adult Cardiac Sonographers Educator must seek opportunities to learn new skills. Adult Cardiac Sonographers Educator must set goals for self-improvement. Seeks appropriate resources and guidance to make necessary adjustments. Adult Cardiac Sonographers Educator must be qualified and competent to work with across all services. Adult Cardiac Sonographers Educator may receive certification on specific specialty echocardiogram modalities/services.

Independent action(s) required:

Evaluates student clinical rotation candidates and new hires and tailors their orientation program to their needs.

Prepares schedules for training for student clinical trainees, and new hires.

Prepares and presents special request lectures by way of computerized presentation packages.

Provides continuing educational opportunities for staff and promotes STAR Values and customer service policies.

Supervisory responsibilities (if applicable):

Provides supervision of students and new hires.

Additional position requirements:

Responsible for promoting best practice through education for students, newly hired adult echocardiographers and established team members, ensuring optimal patient outcomes.

Responsible for scheduling the student’s clinical rotations for their clinical experiences.

Depending upon the needs of the department, may be assigned in staffing as an adult echocardiographer.

Performs other duties as assigned and/or participates in special projects as assigned. Provides assistance to team members. Accepts alternate assignments, as required, graciously.

Ensure responsibility and visible commitment of diversity equity and inclusion strategy, programs, and initiatives through collaboration and implementation of initiatives across the health system.

Demonstrate personal ownership and accountability for safety across the area of responsibility by role modeling daily key concepts of a high reliability organization as personal work habits.

Patient Population

Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide equitable care appropriate to the age of the patients served on their assigned unit.

Demonstrates knowledge and related competencies of the principles of growth and development of the life span and possesses the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interprets the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to their age, specific needs and to provide the equitable care needed as described in departmental policies and procedures.

Adults (18-64 years).

Geriatrics (65 years and older)

Employment Qualifications

Required Education:

Graduation from a minimum of a 2-year JRC Accredited Program in Cardiac Sonography in Diagnostic Cardiac Sonography, JRC-DMS or graduation from a Bachelor’s degree program in sonography.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s Degree in Health Administration, Radiology Sciences or other related field from accredited program.

Previous experience as a sonographer educator.

Licensure/Certification Required:

RDCS, PE required.

Current RDCS, FE REQUIRED within 24 months of hire.

Licensure, Certification, or Registration Requirements for continued employment:
Current AHA, BLS, HCP Certification.
Current RDCS, AE REQUIRED

Licensure/Certification Preferred:

Minimum Qualifications

Years and Type of Required Experience

Minimum 3 years’ experience as a Registered Cardiac Sonographer in Adult Cardiology

Previous experience in a Level I Trauma Center and/or academic medical center preferred

Other Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

Cultural Responsiveness

Other Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred:

Working Conditions

Periods of high stress and fluctuating workloads may occur.

General office environment.

May be exposed to physical altercations and verbal abuse.

May be required to use physical restraints.

May be exposed to adverse weather conditions; cold, hot, dust, wind, etc.

Required to car travel to off-site locations, occasionally in adverse weather conditions.
May be exposed to high noise levels and bright lights.

May be exposed to limited hazardous substances or body fluids. *

May be exposed to human blood and other potentially infectious materials. *

May have periods of constant interruptions.

Prolonged periods of working alone.

* Individuals in this position are required to exercise universal precautions, use personal protective equipment and devices, and learn the policies concerning infection control.

Physical Requirements

Physical Demands: Lifting/ Carrying (0-50 lbs.), Push/ Pull (0-50 lbs.), Stoop, Kneel, Squat, Balance, Bending

Work Position: Sitting, Walking, Standing

Additional Physical Requirements/ Hazards

Physical Requirements: Manual dexterity (eye/hand coordination), Perform Shift Work, Maneuver weight of patients, hear alarms/telephone/tape recorder, Reach above shoulder, Repetitive arm/hand movements, Finger Dexterity, Color Vision, Acuity – near, Acuity – far

Hazards: Depth perception, Use of Latex Gloves, Exposure to toxic/caustic/chemicals/detergents, Exposure to moving mechanical parts, Exposure to dust/fumes, Exposure to potential electrical shock, Exposure to x ray/electromagnetic energy, Exposure to high pitched noises, Gaseous risk exposure, Other

Mental/Sensory – Emotional

Mental / Sensory: Strong Recall, Reasoning, Problem Solving, Hearing, Speak Clearly, Write Legibly, Reading, Logical Thinking

Emotional: fast-paced environment, Steady Pace, Able to Handle Multiple Priorities, Frequent and Intense Customer Interactions, Noisy Environment, Able to Adapt to Frequent Change

EEO Employer/Disabled/Protected Veteran/41 CFR 60-1.4.