Lead Physiotherapist
Position Title : Lead Physiotherapist
Reports to : Clinical Services Supervisor
Supervises : Physiotherapist.
Duty Station : CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda
Department : Medical
Location : Mbale, Uganda
Duration : Fixed Term
POSITION OVERVIEW:
To provide progressive physiotherapy services and leading clinical practice within the physiotherapy department of the hospital, including but not limited to administration of patient safety and quality improvement initiatives to ensure high standards of patient care.
Responsibilities and Duties
Program Management function
- Leads the review of the strategic plan process and incorporate rehabilitation specific areas that guide the overall operation of the department.
- Ensures that links to patients are in place to obtain feedback from the patients and their caregivers about physiotherapy services provided.
- Plans annual operations programs on a monthly or quarterly basis and ensure that activities completed are reviewed with regard to goals and targets on a regular basis.
- Ensures work group organization, direction and coordination by having regular monthly team meetings to plan and monitor activities.
- Strengthen initiatives for patients and their caregivers to participate in rehabilitation process (caregiver focus group discussions and training workshops).
- Prepares and manages the department's budget, including ordering supplies and equipment for the department.
- Strengthens referral network and pathways to other service providers for Assistive Products (devices) for the children especially wheelchairs.
- Serve as a clinical expert and resource for the physiotherapy team.
- Conducts performance reviews for all staff in the Physiotherapy department.
- Develops and maintains a department monthly duty roster for the department
Physical Treatment of Patients:
- Conducts comprehensive assessments and provides assessment, plans care and delivers a range of physical treatments to resolve, restore or maintain physical based conditions.
- Provides treatment to reduce pain, increase mobility and limit secondary functional disability providing effective and evaluated individualized programs of care.
- Provide specialized physiotherapy treatments, including manual therapy, therapeutic exercises, and patient education.
- Monitor patient progress, adjust treatment plans as necessary, and ensure effective discharge planning.
- Assesses, treats and monitors mobility problems providing appropriate assistance from walking aids and supports
- Adheres to CHU and MOH standards of patient care, treatment protocols and documentation.
- Participates in ward rounds to communicate treatment plans and supports the medical team in providing holistic patient centered care
- Provides support to the medical multidisciplinary team by providing physiotherapy based assessment of the patient’s physical conditions
- Ensures the patient needs and progress is communicated to other members of the medical multidisciplinary team as appropriate
- Attends the medical multidisciplinary team reviews as scheduled.
- Communicates effectively with all other CHU staff to ensure successful patient care from every discipline within the hospital
Maintenance and Cleaning of Infrastructure and Equipment
- Ensures routine checks of electrotherapy equipment, notifying the maintenance team when there is a breakdown.
- Makes sure that better cleaning measures are in place after every therapy session by developing SOPs. Such as disinfecting and washing all used instruments 15mins after decontamination to prevent infection transmission.
- Manages patient flow to avoid congestion in the therapy room.
- Ensures that caregivers and children wait from outside the therapy room to improve on the ventilation and infection control.
- Ensures that the therapy room captures a more child-friendly atmosphere by obtaining therapeutic toys for the vulnerable children.
Safety and Security Administration
- Promotes an environment that encourages participation in decision making by all engaged in patient care in clinical services.
- Interfaces with patients, families and physicians to ensure that care is consistent with their expectations.
- Intervenes as necessary on issues relating to patient complaints, clinical concerns and operational issues, and takes measures to correct situations or ensures appropriate personnel are involved.
- Works closely with the Medical Director, Clinical Services Supervisor and Nurse Manager to ensure the highest quality of patient safety and care.
Quality Improvement
- Leads quality improvement projects and initiatives within the physiotherapy department.
- Collects and analyzes data to identify areas for improvement in clinical practice.
- Use monthly statistics to improve service delivery and monitor workload.
- Implement evidence-based changes and monitor their effectiveness.
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement and patient-centered care.
- Maintain compliance with all regulatory and accreditation standards.
Information Management and Quality Assurance System
- Monitors and evaluates service delivery regularly (quarterly).
- Ensures that all patients managed are captured in the EMR system.
- Maintains accurate, comprehensive and timely treatment notes of clinical interventions of patient care information to avoid duplication of work by capturing patient data in real time.
- Ensures that the department has the required IT equipment (preferably laptops or tablets) to facilitate access to EMR in liaison with the IT office.
- Compiles monthly reports and shares with Medical Director, Clinical Services Supervisor and Director of Physiotherapy.
Continuous Professional development activities
- Develops annual training plan for regular CPDs and conducts case study discussions.
- Participates in practice accreditation or other quality improvement systems
- Participates in clinical audit as required by QPS or other clinical or administrative functions.
- Participates in CME activities as may be organized in and outside the hospital.
- Prepares well organized health education talks for care givers and co-workers.
- Participate in the scheduled training and sensitization arrangements by the hospital for all co-workers ensure that the professional training tracker cards for the department are updated as per the above-mentioned training attended.
- Trains and orientates new physiotherapist co-workers and interns in the department functions.
- A minimum of 3 professional development sessions - self initiated done in the fiscal year.
Privacy Act
- Total confidentiality and privacy of patients is maintained.
Occupational Health and Safety
- Ensures that the right PPE is used during each and every medical and surgical procedure
- Ensures proper waste segregation and disposal to prevent injuries to self and
Spiritual Ministry Participation
- Participates in the hospital’s Spiritual Ministry programs.
- Attend chapel and departmental bible studies with staff (depending on weekly schedule)
Please note this position description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the co-worker for this position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Co-worker must perform other tasks, duties, and projects as assigned, as a member of the Human Resources team.
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
- A completed bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy or its equivalent from a recognized institution.
- A minimum of 3 years’ experience in a pediatric rehabilitation facility.
- Must be registered with the Allied Health Professional’s Council and possess a valid practicing license.
- Good communication skills with peers, superiors, physicians, patients and their families.
- Ability to handle or process confidential documents or material in an appropriate manner.
- Ability to handle multiple tasks, establish priorities and work independently
- Ability to handle or process confidential documents or material in an appropriate manner
- Ability to handle multiple tasks, establish priorities, and work independently
- Must be Computer literate
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS COMPETENCES & ABILITIES:
- Skilled in taking patient history, physical examination and management of common conditions.
- Willingness and ability to adopt new knowledge and research procedures
- Flexible attitude to duties and to hours of work with ability to remain calm under pressure
- Highly organized and meticulous
The deadline for receipt of applications is open until position is filled.
This position is fulltime periodic term basis, based in Mbale - Uganda.
- CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, shortlisting, interviews, reference verification, appointment, training or any other fees).
- CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda will not be responsible for such fraudulent correspondences or any loss of money or theft which may result from anyone engaging in any fraudulent recruitment activity.
- All forms of lobbying will lead to automatic disqualification.