POSITION DESCRIPTION Grade 3 Physiotherapist Physiotherapy Department Date revised: April 2013 POSITION: AWARD/AGREEMENT: Senior Clinician Physiotherapist Neurological and Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Stream. Health Professionals (Public Sector Victoria) CLASSIFICATION TITLE: Grade 3 DEPARTMENT/DIVISION: ACCOUNTABLE TO: OPERATIONALLY ACCOUNTABLE: PROFESSIONALLY ACCOUNTABLE: Caulfield Physiotherapy Dept / Allied Health Physiotherapy Manager and Grade 4 Physiotherapist Physiotherapy Manager Physiotherapy Manager DIRECT REPORTS: Grade 2 & Grade 1 physiotherapists and allied health assistants as delegated by the clinical stream leader. ALFRED HEALTH Alfred Health is the main provider of health services to people living in the inner southeast suburbs of Melbourne and is also a major provider of specialist services to people across Victoria. The health service operates three outstanding facilities, The Alfred, Caulfield, and Sandringham. Further information about Alfred Health is available at www.alfredhealth.org.au OUR VALUES Our staff are expected to demonstrate and uphold our values of: Integrity, Accountability, Collaboration and Knowledge. Our values provide the platform for the way we work and the decisions we make. Through this approach, our Vision and Mission are achieved.
POSITION SUMMARY The Senior Clinician Physiotherapist will work primarily on site at Caulfield Hospital and is one of 9 grade 3 senior clinician physiotherapist positions within the Physiotherapy Department. The senior clinician will work closely with the Neurological Rehabilitation Grade 4 stream leader to ensure the provision of a high quality cost effective and equitable service across all areas including Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Rehabilitation, Neurological Rehabilitation, Ambulatory clients as well as inpatients, and Spasticity management Clinic. The senior clinician will contribute to the clinical and operational leadership in the Neurological Rehabilitation stream by taking on several portfolios in the areas of clinical, managerial, research and teaching, and performance management. The senior clinician will carry a clinical Allied Health Leadership responsibility. The position is pivotal in the provision of physiotherapy services for patients with complex or specialist needs and the up skilling of junior physiotherapy staff and physiotherapy students within the Neurological Rehabilitation stream. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES The senior clinician will be responsible for the provision of high quality physiotherapy service across all clinical areas within the Neuro-rehabilitation stream, and the day to day management of one of the specific units. They will ensure that physiotherapy in these areas is responsive to the changing needs of the community and works within an interdisciplinary framework to optimise care and minimise risk. The senior clinician physiotherapist will be responsible for the supervision and performance management of grade 1 and 2 physiotherapists and allied health assistants staff working within the stream and students undertaking clinical placements in Neuro-rehabilitation and/or Spinal Cord Injury. There are strong professional links with other physiotherapy services in Alfred Health (Alfred Hospital, Sandringham Hospital, Caulfield Community Health Service, Caulfield Community Rehabilitation Service). It is expected that the Senior Clinician Physiotherapist will work with the Grade 4 stream leader to ensure these departments collaborate effectively to provide a streamlined and high quality physiotherapy service throughout Alfred Health. Leadership and Management Contribute to the clinical and operational leadership for the Neurological and SCI rehabilitation physiotherapy clinical stream. The senior clinician will provide leadership to the interdisciplinary team in generic matters and projects related to Allied Health in units. Ensure that resources across the stream and wider department are distributed equitably based on individual client need. Provide leadership in program evaluation and development within the physiotherapy stream and interdisciplinary programs. Provide Grade 1 and 2 and AHA staff working within the clinical stream with appropriate supervision, training, instruction and performance management in accordance with Alfred Health policies. Supervise and assist in performance development of senior staff particularly around non-clinical duties. Facilitate conflict mediation and resolution and provide mechanisms for effective communication within the team Identify changes in service demand, government policy, current and future trends in service delivery and workforce issues and work with the Grade 4 and Physiotherapy Manager to adapt services accordingly Provide support for the Manager of Physiotherapy in a range of activities including quality and business planning, representation on internal and external committees and university course development. Be involved in resource management including rosters and workload management Undertake other responsibilities as required by the Physiotherapy Manager. Service Provision Accountable for physiotherapy service provision in the Neurological & SCI clinical stream. Develop relevant clinical practice competency standards across the physiotherapy service.
Maintain an individual clinical caseload and act as a consultant/ resource in the relevant areas of expertise both within Alfred Health and elsewhere Actively promote best practice within area of expertise and ensure physiotherapy clinical practice within the Neurological & SCI stream is evidence based, works from the principles of best practice and is tailored to meet the individual needs of clients Provide a tertiary consultancy service to other areas of Alfred Health and elsewhere. Develop and maintain systems to review the effectiveness and efficiency of physiotherapy intervention within these clinical areas Develop, implement and evaluate systems to minimise clinical risk Teaching and Research Provide leadership in the teaching of undergraduate physiotherapists at Caulfield Hospital through: direct student supervision, ongoing review and improvement of clinical placement content, support/ education of G2 staff providing student supervision, representation at appropriate clinical school meetings, in accordance with Alfred Health policies. Undertake the role of assessor and administrator for Australian Physiotherapy Council for overseas trained physiotherapists as required. Provide a leading role in post graduate physiotherapist student supervision Actively undertake and lead research project within the Neurorehabilitation and Spinal cord injury stream. Identify and lead research and quality improvement priorities annually Seek out funding opportunities for research and write submissions Present papers/ posters at relevant conferences and achieve publication of research projects. Professional Development Continue to develop own clinical expertise across the areas within the clinical stream Expand operational skills in areas of service planning, policy development, human resources and financial management Work with individual staff that you supervise to further develop clinical, interdisciplinary team and professional skills Provide leadership in the departmental and stream in-service program Attend relevant peak professional conferences related to Spinal Cord Injury and Neurorehabilitation QUALITY, SAFETY, RISK and IMPROVEMENT Maintain an understanding of individual responsibility for patient safety, quality & risk and contribute to organisational quality and safety initiatives Follow organisational safety, quality & risk policies and guidelines Maintain a safe working environment for yourself, your colleagues and members of the public. Escalate concerns regarding safety, quality & risk to appropriate staff member, if unable to rectify yourself. Promote and participate in the evaluation and continuous improvement processes. Comply with principles of Patient Centred Care. Comply with Alfred Health mandatory continuing professional development requirements. Comply with requirement of National Safety & Quality Health Service Standards and other relevant regulatory requirements. OTHER REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL ALFRED HEALTH STAFF: Ensure compliance with relevant Alfred Health clinical and administrative policies and guidelines.
Comply with relevant privacy legislation. Protect confidential information from unauthorised disclosure and not use, disclose or copy confidential information except for the purpose of and to the extent necessary to perform your employment duties at Alfred Health. In this position you must comply with the actions set out in the relevant section(s) of the OHS Roles and Responsibilities Guideline. KEY CAPABILITIES AND VALUES: Capabilities Capabilities of this position: Commitment to providing an innovative high quality service to Physiotherapy clients Strong theoretical knowledge across the clinical areas encompassed in the Neurological & Spinal Cord Injury stream Wide ranging and well consolidated clinical experience in a hospital setting Excellent clinical reasoning/ decision making skills in the clinical areas of the designated stream operating within an interdisciplinary team Strong assessment skills in the area of clinical risk and an ability to identify and implement strategies to minimise risk Demonstrated initiative and flexibility in approach to service delivery Excellent verbal communication and negotiation skills to support effective liaison with clients, their carers and other health professionals Ability to relate to and treat clients with a wide range of disabilities from a variety of social and ethnic backgrounds Excellent written skills meeting medico-legal, clinical and statistical responsibilities Ability to provide guidance and support to other staff working within an interdisciplinary framework. Assist in the coordination, support and evaluation of the undergraduate clinical placement program for physiotherapy students in the neurological and spinal rehabilitation stream. Undertake the role of a clinical supervisor for physiotherapy students as required within the neurological and spinal rehabilitation stream. Demonstrated commitment to staff development and continuing education and quality improvement Values Values consistent with those of Alfred Health which are: Caring and responding to our patients Encouraging and achieving excellence, continual learning and improvement Working in partnership and co-operation Being responsible and accountable for the services we provide Achievement through team work Treating people with integrity, in a friendly, trusting and respectful manner and environment.
KEY SELECTION CRITERIA Qualifications Essential: 1. A Bachelor degree or Masters degree in Physiotherapy or equivalent 2. Current registration as a physiotherapist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. 3. Victorian Drivers licence Highly Desirable: Post graduate qualifications in Neurological Physiotherapy or other relevant clinical or managerial areas Completion of post graduate courses relevant to Neurological and SCI rehabilitation APA membership Experience and Knowledge: Essential: 1. Physiotherapists with the skills and experience in Neurological and SCI rehabilitation that you would expect to acquire over a 6 year period 2. Extensive experience in one of the specialist areas of the physiotherapy stream, such as Spasticity Management/Spinal Cord injury/ Acquired Brain Injury. 3. Strong clinical knowledge in the majority of clinical services within the stream. 4. An understanding of the healthcare environment and future trends in physiotherapy service provision. 5. Excellent verbal and written communication and negotiation skills. 6. Proven ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary team 7. Proven ability and commitment to work collaboratively with patients and their carers in a person centred framework 8. Significant experience in the provision of undergraduate clinical education 9. Significant experience in the management of graduate physiotherapists and support staff effectively 10. Proven history of involvement in research, conference presentations, and quality improvement processes. Desirable: Diverse and recent experience in the public health care setting Familiarity with capital and other equipment needs within a large physiotherapy department Fluent in a language relevant to the main ethnic communities Caulfield Hospital supports. Position Description authorised by: Karen Perkins Chief Advisor Physiotherapy, Manager Subacute Services April 2013