Trainee Echocardiographer

Job summary

This is a fixed-term post from October 2026 to April 2028.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our team at STSFT as a trainee in the field of Echocardiography.

This full-time, fixed term position will offer training in Echocardiography within our busy department at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS foundation trust over a period of 18 months. The training is delivered in partnership with the National School of Healthcare Science and combines academic learning with high-quality clinical training in a busy well supported department.

The team provide a range of standard and complex echo, utilising the latest technology in both the outpatient, inpatient and community-based settings.

Successful candidates will be trained to BSE accreditation level 2 and will be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Echocardiography.

We are seeking motivated individuals who are looking to build a long-term career in Cardiac Physiology with a special interest in Echocardiography.

You will:

• Demonstrate a strong interest in cardiac physiology and imaging
• Be committed to completing an intensive training programme
• Have the ability to balance academic study with clinical practice
• Show excellent communication and patient care skills
• Be able to work flexibly across site

**PLEASE NOTE-INTERVIEWS FOR THIS POST WILL TAKE PLACE EXCLUSIVELY ON MONDAY 29TH JUNE 2026**

Main duties of the job

Training to perform standard adult Transthoracic echocardiograms in various inpatient and outpatient settings and producing accurate and reproducible measurements and quantification, interpreting findings to a highly competent professional standard once trained.

Undertaking a post graduate certificate in cardiac imaging at the university of Newcastle alongside Level 2 BSE accreditation.

About us

Please add your telephone number to your application form so we can contact you quickly if required.

One Team One Trust - There are many reasons to work at our Trust. From our commitment to putting people first to our accessible services and award winning teams. We have a passion for research, innovation and tackling inequalities. We are committed to respect, fairness and civility and promote a compassionate, caring and positive culture / working environment.

We welcome all applications irrespective of peoples race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups. Looking after our workforces health and wellbeing is a priority for us. We also provide access to high quality education, training, career progression and support. Flexible working is supported via our Flexible Working Policy.

The Trust employs around 8,746 people and provides a range of hospital services to a local community of around 430,000 residents. We also provide a range of more specialised services outside this area. We offer our staff outstanding benefits - Fitness Centre (SRH), libraries at both hospital sites, chaplaincy support and access to a Care Co-ordinator to help staff with childcare arrangements.If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity of your individual recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.

Job description

Job responsibilities

PLEASE REFER TO THE ATTACHED JOB DESCRIPTION FOR FULL DUTIES OF THE ROLE.

The trainee will undertake the full training programme in order to progress through the academic and practical elements of the training scheme. In so doing they will learn how to perform and interpret clinical and specialist scientific processes underpinned by theoretical and applied knowledge and practical experience and will learn how to:

• Perform and interpret routine cardiac investigations.
• Perform specialised diagnostics investigations.
• Carry out complex scientific and clinical roles, including those working directly with patients.
• Analyse and interpret and data compare investigative and clinical options.
• Make judgements, including clinical and differential judgements, involving complicated facts or situations that impact on patients.
• Initiate and undertake innovation, improvement and R&D and be involved in the education of healthcare science trainees and other learners in the workplace.
• Carry out audit to continuously improve patient care and service needs.
• Participate in the training and development of both external university students and junior team members.
• Communicate and interact effectively within a multidisciplinary team to ensure a positive patient experience.
• Assist the Principal Cardiac Physiologist and other senior members of the team in the day to day organisation and delivery of the cardiothoracic diagnostic service.

They will be expected to complete all work-based training and assessment alongside the academic course to exit the programme with eligibility for registration with the BSE and the Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS). Trainees must meet the AHCS Standards of proficiency for Healthcare Science Practitioners.

Post qualification and with appropriate additional experience and competencies, graduates from this scheme would be eligible to apply for Clinical Scientist equivalence and HCPC registration. In addition, they will be expected to undertake work-based experience to enable them to communicate complex technical, scientific and sensitive information to colleagues within their department in both verbal and written forms.

Person Specification

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both writing and speaking in English language
• Explain analytical, scientific and clinical aspects of the work to a variety of people including scientific colleagues, clinical professionals, service managers and patients and to listen to their needs.
• Make formal presentations to groups of colleagues.
• Good active listening skills to build rapport with the listener to encourage an open discussion.
• Self-aware and flexible enough to adopt a range of evaluative or empathising listening styles according to the needs of the listener and the situation.
• Ability to work autonomously in the planning and execution of their own work and under the guidance of their Departmental Supervisors.
• Flexibility to acquire the skills to organise, plan and monitor the workload of others.
• Ability to work under pressure (emotional resilience and ability to prioritise and plan work)
• Under guidance develops good interpretative skills in the formulation of advice to multi-disciplinary team members on diagnosis and appropriate treatment of patients.
• Good personal organisational skills. Application and Interview Effective team worker, willing to adopt a role working in collaboration with others.
• Good understanding of ethics and professional practice, the NHS constitution and the importance of patient-centred care
• Ability to support patients (or their carers) including those with a range of acute or chronic clinical conditions and disabilities in a variety of healthcare settings.

Attitude

Essential

• Enthusiastic
• Hard working
• Good team player
• Reliable and flexible
• Highly developed coordination skills with good dexterity and hand-eye co-ordination and those skills required for the performance of fine analytical techniques.

Qualifications

Essential

• Willingness to learn the tests, roles and responsibilities of a physiologist.
• A 1st or 2:1 in Cardiac Physiology (PTP) or a relevant scientific subject (examples include Physiology, Pure or Applied Physics, Biology or Human Biology, or Sports Science (if significant scientific content) or equivalent experience and appropriate underpinning knowledge and skills in cardiology - as evidenced for example by appropriate voluntary registration with the Registration Council for Clinical Physiologists or Academy for Healthcare Science.

Desirable

• BLS

Other

Essential

• Ability to travel to locations off site.

Skills

Essential

• Able to undertake complex eye-hand coordination tasks
• IT literate
• Has an understanding of the role of an Echocardiographer in healthcare and disease and its application in a healthcare setting.
• A committed, in depth interest in Echocardiography and its application to direct clinical care of patients in a clinical environment.
• Knowledge acquired through study and experience to formulate appropriate advice and judgements, including clinical judgements involving facts or situations that impact on patients.
• Have an understanding of quality control and management assurance in a science or work based context
• Ability to develop proficiency in the performance of routine and complex techniques currently in use where they are training (ability to follow Standard Operating Procedures accurately)
• Able to identify problems associated with scientific equipment, inappropriate testing, incompatible results and to investigate these, plan corrective action confirming appropriateness with senior colleagues and follow up.
• Ability to analyse and assess scientific, technical and medical literature. Application and interview Ability to use, maintain and troubleshoot scientific equipment.
• Good IT skills and knowledge of common computing packages for word processing, spreadsheets, presentation packages and databases.
• Ability to analyse complex information.

Desirable

• Ability to work autonomously coordinate and prioritise

Experience

Essential

• Practical experience appropriate to role and familiarity with the range basic cardiac investigations.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Sunderland Royal Hospital

Kayll Road

SUNDERLAND

SR4 7TP

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.stsft.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

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