JOB DESCRIPTION GENETIC COUNSELLOR (WITH AN INTEREST IN CANCER GENETICS)

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1 HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT Our Lady s Hospital for Sick Children Crumlin, Dublin 1 Telephone (01) Fax (01) Quality Care in A Safe Setting JOB DESCRIPTION GENETIC COUNSELLOR (WITH AN INTEREST IN CANCER GENETICS) NATIONAL CENTRE FOR MEDICAL GENETICS OUR LADY S HOSPITAL FOR SICK CHILDREN, CRUMLIN Closing date: Friday 2 nd September 2005 Our Lady s Hospital for Sick Children is committed to providing family-centred health care in a compassionate and supportive environment, where each child receives the highest standards of healthcare

2 JOB DESCRIPTION TITLE: REPORTING TO: SALARY SCALE: WORKING HOURS: WORKING WEEK: LOCATION: HOLIDAYS: SICK LEAVE: PROBATION: Genetic Counsellor (with an interest in cancer genetics) Director of National Centre for Medical Genetics or his/her nominee 51,814-60,962 per annum (7 Point Scale) 35 hours per week Hours of attendance will be determined by the Director of National Centre for Medical Genetics. You may be required to work outside core working hours and/or weekends in accordance with service needs. The National Centre for Medical Genetics is currently based on the Our Lady s Hospital for Sick Children site in Crumlin. During the course of your employment, the Centre may be relocated to another site either on a temporary or permanent basis. Should this happen you will be required to transfer to the Centre s new location. This post will be based in the National Centre for Medical Genetics, which is currently located in Crumlin, Dublin 12. The post holder will also be required to attend district clinics throughout the Republic, and occasionally undertake home visits to patients and relatives. The Hospital s holiday year runs from January to December inclusive and the annual leave entitlement is 25 days. The Hospital s sick leave scheme will apply. This appointment is subject to the satisfactory completion of a 12 month probationary period. Termination of employment during the probationary period shall be at the sole discretion of the Hospital. In certain circumstances this probationary period may be extended. If you are promoted and you do not fulfil the requirements of the job, you will revert to your original position or an alternative position at the same level as the original grade. 2

3 CONFIDENTIALITY: You will have access to various types of records/information in the course of your work. Such records and information are strictly confidential and unless acting on the instruction of an authorised person, on no account must information concerning staff, patients or other Hospital business be divulged or discussed except in the performance of normal duty. In addition, records may never be left in such a manner that unauthorised persons can obtain access to them and must be kept in safe custody when no longer required. 3

4 PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE: Candidates must, on the latest date for receiving completed application forms for the post, possess (a) Approved Master of Science degree in genetic counselling AND completion of a counselling course (of at least 120 guided learning hours) with supervision. Or (b) Relevant first degree (e.g. Nursing or biological science) and Appropriate professional qualification (e.g. Nursing, midwifery, social work) and A minimum of two years professional clinical experience in genetics. and Completion of a counselling course (of at least 120 guided learning hours) with supervision. JOB PURPOSE To contribute to the provision of a comprehensive, high quality, specialist genetic counselling service for the Republic of Ireland. To ensure that families referred receive a service which is scientifically and diagnostically up-to-date as well as caring in it s approach. To carry out the duties and responsibilities of a genetic counsellor with the aim of helping patients and families: Comprehend the medical facts, including the diagnosis, probable course of the disorder and the available management; Appreciate the way heredity contributes to the disorder, and the risk of recurrence in specified relatives; Understand the options ( including genetic testing) for dealing with the risk; Choose the course of action most appropriate for them; Make the best possible adjustment to the disorder / risk of the disorder. To contribute to professional education and training. 4

5 DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Clinical 1. See patients and their families in clinics at the National Centre for Medical Genetics or district clinics elsewhere in the Republic, or in their own homes as appropriate. 2. Provide autonomous genetic counselling (including cancer risk assessment) in genetics counsellor clinics, conferring where necessary with more senior genetics counsellors and consultant clinical geneticists. 3. Co-ordinate specific district clinics including liaison with local referring clinicians and outpatient staff. 4. Contribute to consultant genetics counsellor clinics to ensure their effectiveness and efficiency as well as continuity of care for families referred. 5. Contribute to provision of genetic counselling on an annual basis for extended families on the Regional Genetics Register. 6. Provide pre-symptomatic genetic counselling on an annual basis with agreed guidelines. 7. Arrange screening investigations by referral to radiology, surgical and other relevant services. 8. Order genetics tests as clinically appropriate and according to agreed guidelines. 9. Arrange relevant prenatal diagnostic tests, (and when requested, termination of pregnancy following abnormal results) including liaison with obstetric, midwifery and laboratory colleagues to ensure continuity of care for patients. 10. Endeavour to achieve for all families seen a good understanding of the genetics information and the best possible adjustment to the presence of genetic disease in their family. 11. Refer patients to relevant patient-led organisations, and other support services. 12. Phlebotomy in the genetic clinic and in patients homes. 13. Ensure that the views of patients, or those speaking on their behalf, are well received; and that complaints, both formal and informal, are received courteously and dealt with promptly according to Trust guidelines. 14. Maintain confidentiality of information about patients, staff and other health service business. 15. Dictate and send detailed, personalised clinic summary letter to patients and their doctors. 16. Dictate and send letters to referring doctors and other professionals related to individual patient and extended family members care. 17. Communicate complex genetic information in a way which is comprehensible to families. 18. Give normal, uncertain, and abnormal test results to patients and health care professionals. 19. Elicit the concerns and expectations of patients and relatives. 20. Elicit and accurately document detailed family history information. 5

6 21. Expertly communicate highly sensitive and potentially distressing information to patients and relatives, (aged from late childhood to elderly), about their genetic status with implications for biological and social family relationships. 22. Advise on factors that can influence risk (e.g. use of high folic acid in pregnancy, cancer screening and prevention) 23. Communicate with, and support, patients who are recently bereaved including patients and family members. 24. Use counselling skills to facilitate decisions making and promote adjustment in patients and family members. 25. Use specialised counselling skills to communicate sensitively in the presence of language, cultural or ethical issues (including patients with learning difficulties or psychiatric disorders). 26. Identify and respond to emerging issues for the patient or family, over an open-ended time period. 27. Manage conflict when patients demands are incompatible ti professional responsibilities and resources. 28. Liaise with laboratory colleagues to communicate clinical information necessary to ensure appropriate genetic testing is carried out and to discuss complex test results that are difficult to interpret. 29. Facilitate communication between medical, genetic counsellors, clerical and laboratory staff within the department to ensure the best possible service to families. 30. Maintain effective communication with professionals e.g medical, nursing, and social work throughout the department, both for the benefit of individual families as well as to promote general awareness of the genetics counselling service. 31. Liaise regionally, nationally and internationally with other genetics centres laboratories, and a range of clinical departments (including foetal medicine, obstetrics, paediatrics, surgery, histopathology) to obtain and provide information. 32. Ensure the best possible standard of work by applying scientific and clinical understanding and counselling expertise to unique clinical situations. 33. Confirm diagnostic information from clinical records. 34. Interpret highly complex and possibly conflicting genetics test results. 35. Calculate risks for a range of genetic disorders, including carrier risks, recurrence risks for pregnancy, and risk of becoming infected, for patients and their relatives. This can involve making decisions where expert opinion differs or where limited information is available. 36. Identify and assess the relevance of new scientific information for patients and their relatives, over time. 37. Identify and manage conflict within families created by sensitive genetics information. 38. Assess patients to determine where there is a need for specialist therapeutic counselling or psychiatric assessment, and make appropriate referrals. 39. Prioritise work, particularly assessing the urgency of clinical work. 40. Maintain a full and accurate record of clinical work undertaken (including pedigrees, telephone and home visit reports, correspondence and other notes) in both manual and computerised records and preserve their confidentiality. 6

7 41. Search external information databases to access up to date scientific and clinical information relevant to patient care. 42. Employ the methods, procedures and approach established within the department but also to aim to improve procedures for the benefit of the service. 43. Attend weekly departmental clinical meetings to participate in discussion and feedback on clinical cases. 44. Undertake an equitable proportion of the total genetics counsellors workload whilst maintaining an appropriate quality of work. 45. Take responsibility for his/her own work, conferring where necessary with more senior genetic counsellors, clinical geneticists and laboratory colleagues to assess the appropriateness and range of clinical contact and investigations to be undertaken. 46. Discuss cases with ethical complexity with colleagues where appropriate. 47. Undertake any other duties within the context of this job description and appropriate to the grade of the post, necessary for the changing needs of an effective and efficient patient service. EDUCATION AND TRAINING. 48. Participate in the teaching of genetics to medical students, medical, nursing and other health care professionals and members of the public. 49. Assist in the day-to-day training of less experienced staff and students as appropriate. 50. Share in fulfilling the departmental teaching/lecture commitments. PLANNING, POLICY & SERVICE DEVELOPMENT 51. Co-ordinate specific cases including identification of individuals at risk, annual review and screening, follow-up clinics and ongoing support. 52. Enter appropriate information on the database, and update this information after annual reviews. 53. Act as an information resource on genetics for primary and secondary care colleagues. 54. Use in-house databases to access and up date patient information. 55. Occasionally create databases or spreadsheets. 56. Record and circulate summaries of meetings on a pro rata basis. 57. Propose changes to working practices within the genetic clinic, for the benefit of patients and staff. 7

8 RESEARCH 58. Contribute to departmental research. 59. Contribute to design and implementation of audit of clinical genetics to maintain clinical governance and audit profile of department. 60. Present findings of research, audit and clinical practice regionally, nationally, or intentionally. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 61. Demonstrate a commitment to achieving and maintaining professional registration. 62. Aim to improve the service by continuously updating his/her knowledge of the scientific, medical and psychological aspects of Clinical Genetics. 63. Take personal responsibility for continuing professional development 64. Attend departmental seminars/teaching sessions and national meetings. 65. Access counselling supervision to enable reflective practice and requirement of professional registration and continuing professional development. GENERAL Liaise with Partnership Co-ordinator and Partnership Committee Participate fully with the hospital s Accreditation Programme and the Hospital Watch Programme. Adhere to Department and all Hospital policies at all times. Embrace and support any changes in technology and to assist in the implementation and operation of these changes. You will be required to be completely flexible in relation to the performance of your duties. Perform such other duties appropriate to the post as may be assigned from time to time by the Manager or a nominee. These duties and responsibilities are a reflection of the present service requirements and may be subject to review and amendment to meet the changing needs of the service. 8