WALES TRAINING PROGRAMME IN CLINICAL GENETICS
UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE
MEDICAL AND DENTAL EDUCATION, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
JOB DESCRIPTION
ST3 IN CLINICAL GENETICS
ALL WALES MEDICAL GENETICS SERVICE (AWMGS)
INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL GENETICS, UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL OF WALES,
HEATH PARK, CARDIFF.
THE POST
ST3 in Clinical Genetics. The post is approved by the Specialist Advisory Committee in Clinical Genetics of the Joint Royal College Postgraduate Training Board. The Postgraduate Dean has confirmed that the post has the required educational and manpower approval. The Person Specification details the essential requirements for the appointment and the qualities considered desirable.
All Wales Medical Genetics Service
The All Wales Medical Genetics Service provides a comprehensive, fully integrated clinical and laboratory service for the population of Wales and is coordinated from the Institute of Medical Genetics, at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. UHW is the base for most consultants and other medical staff, including the clinical genetics trainees and clinical research staff. The cytogenetics, molecular genetics and fetal pathology laboratories are also located within the Institute of Medical Genetics in Cardiff. Active collaboration in research and service provision is pursued with a large number of other departments.
Genetic Counsellors and Clinical Assistants/Associate Specialists provide locally-based services throughout Wales, with designated Consultants holding local clinics at regular intervals in each of the districts. There are 11 consultants supporting the clinical service (8.8 whole time equivalents), each with designated district and specialty responsibilities.
Currently, General Genetics clinics are held in Abergavenny, Aberystwyth, Bangor, Brecon, Bridgend, Cardiff, Carmarthen, Haverfordwest, Llanelli, Llantrisant, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport, Rhyl, Swansea, Wrexham and Ystrad Mynach.
The Cancer Genetics Service for Wales is based in three centres – Cardiff (UHW), Swansea (Singleton Hospital) and Rhyl (Glan Clwyd Hospital) covering SE Wales, SW & Mid Wales and North Wales respectively.
There are several speciality clinics for specific genetic disorders or groups of disorders, which are frequently held jointly with medical consultants from other specialities. These include management clinics for muscle disorders and Huntington Disease, Prenatal Genetics clinics, combined clinics for neurogenetics and Marfan syndrome.
The Medical Genetics Service maintains Genetic Registers for a number of conditions including Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, von Hippel Lindau Disease, Huntington Disease and muscular dystrophies.
DUTIES OF THE POST
i) Clinical Duties
Trainees are based at UHW for the duration of the training programme but during that time they rotate between different clinical teams, gaining experience in all areas of clinical genetics including general genetics, dysmorphology, cancer genetics, neurogenetics and prenatal genetics. During each attachment, the trainees are involved in all aspects of multidisciplinary team working including referral meetings, clinic review meetings, peripheral clinics, laboratory liaison and interaction with other specialities as appropriate.
As part of their training, trainees are expected to participate in the weekday 9am-5pm ‘on-call’ service for urgent genetic enquiries and ward referrals.
Attendance is expected at all regular departmental meetings including clinical case discussion meetings, audit meetings, lunchtime seminars; and clinical supervision sessions.
A period of rotation through the Institute laboratories will be arranged.
Appraisal and Assessment
All trainees are expected to participate in regular appraisal and assessment. This is reviewed annually by the Supra-regional Specialist Training Committee and evidence of satisfactory progress is required for continuation to the next year of training. Successful completion of the Training Programme will culminate in a recommendation by the Specialist Advisory Committee (SAC) of the Joint Royal Colleges Postgraduate Training Board to the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) for the award of a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT). The Curriculum for Clinical Genetics is available on the Royal College of Physicians and PMETB website.
ii) Teaching Duties
Staff of the AWMGS are regularly involved in the education of medical and dental students, junior doctors from a wide range of specialities, nurses, midwives, health visitors and other professional groups including MSc students from the MSc Course in Genetic Counselling. Trainees are expected to participate fully in these educational activities.
iii) Audit
Participation in clinical audit is required. Initiation of audit projects will be encouraged and trainees are expected to complete at least one audit project during their training.
iv) Administration
Specialty registrars are expected to carry out all usual administrative tasks associated with the Specialist Training grade. All trainees are expected to act as the trainee representative on one of the departmental committees such Clinical Governance, Education and Health & Safety, and one trainee acts as the Clinical Genetics Trainee Specialist Training Committee Representative at an All Wales level.
vi) Clinical Governance
The AWMGS has an active Clinical Governance Committee which meets regularly to address issues relating to all aspects of clinical governance including clinical risk, clinical effectiveness, audit, education and training.
v) Location of Duties
The post is based in Cardiff at UHW but trainees are expected to travel to peripheral clinics across South Wales and will be required to spend some time in North Wales.
vi) The junior doctor accepts that he will also perform duties in occasional emergencies and unforeseen circumstances at the request of the appropriate Consultant, in consultation with his colleagues both junior and senior.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
There are strong links between the NHS Clinical Genetics Service and the Cardiff University Department of Medical Genetics, which has an international reputation for genetics research. There will be an opportunity to spend a period of time primarily devoted to a research project, possibly one that would be suitable for a future thesis. The topic for this research project need not be chosen until after the applicant is in post.
POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION
i) Teaching programme.
There is a regular trainee teaching programme, which includes journal club sessions and review of videoed consultations. All trainees are expected to take their turn in preparing teaching sessions on relevant topics. Trainees may also be able to attend the BMedSci (Genetics) and MSc (Genetic Counselling) lectures courses that are run by the department.
ii) Supra-Regional and National Meetings
As well as the regular departmental meetings detailed above, the six Genetics Departments of the South and West of Britain (Oxford, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter and Southampton) meet three times a year for combined audit presentations and case discussions. The venue rotates through the six centres and the host centre organises a training day the following day, which all trainees are expected to attend.
Trainees should also attend the regular Dysmorphology meetings in London and the annual meetings of the Clinical Genetics Society and British Society of Human Genetics. Trainees are also encouraged and expected to submit their work to International meetings where possible.
iii) Courses
During their training, trainees are expected to attend a Counselling Skills Course and a Cancer Genetics Course. Courses in medical statistics and epidemiology are also available through the departments of Community Medicine and Medical Statistics of the Medical School.
iv) Generic Curriculum
A modular curriculum has been developed by the Postgraduate Deanery to address generic educational needs for trainees in all disciplines. The modules include medical law, medical ethics, communication skills, health informatics, teaching skills and management issues. All trainees are expected to attend these courses.
LIBRARY FACILITIES
The Sir Herbert Duthie Library is part of the network of Cardiff University Libraries and is based at the University Hospital of Wales. It provides information services to support both undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as academic staff and all the staff of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. Staff of the AWMGS have free and full access to the library.
Some journals are taken in the Institute itself, but there is access to a much wider range of medical literature electronically via the Trust and University intranets.
MAIN CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
i) The post is covered by the Terms and Conditions of Service for Hospital Medical and Dental Staff (England and Wales) and the General Whitley Council Terms and Conditions of Service as amended from time to time.
ii) Job Limitation
At no time should you work at a level exceeding your competence. All medical staff therefore have a responsibility to inform those supervising their duties if they have any concerns regarding this or if they feel that they are not competent to perform a particular duty.
iii) The appointment is designated non-resident and does not attract any banding supplements.
OTHER FACILITIES
i) Clubs
All staff within Cardiff and Vale University Health Board are eligible for membership of the University Hospital of Wales Sports and Social Club which includes facilities for squash, badminton, swimming etc., a sauna and jacuzzi, and a large social club.
ii) Car Parking
There are limited car parking facilities at the University Hospital of Wales and parking permits are allocated on a priority basis.
iii) Shopping
Adequate shopping facilities are available within a convenient distance from the University Hospital of Wales.
iv) Transport
The University Hospital of Wales is on a number of bus routes and there is a rail station nearby. The hospital can also be accessed by an increasing number of cycle routes.
CONDITIONS OF APPOINTMENT
i) A strong background in genetics is not essential, although interest in the field is mandatory. All applicants must fulfil the essential criteria of the person specification.
ii) The Ionising Radiation (Protection of Persons Undergoing Medical Examination or Treatment) Regulations 1988
This post may involve the direction of medical exposure of ionisation radiation.
The Ionising Radiation (Protection of Persons Undergoing Medical Examination or Treatment) Regulations 1988 impose a legal responsibility on employers to limit clinical or physical direction of a medical exposure to ionising radiation for a diagnostic or therapeutic purpose to employees adequately trained in Radiation Protection. The Cardiff and Vale University Health Board will accept a certificate issued by a competent Institute attesting receipt of tuition in Radiation Protection as proof of adequate training. Sight of such a certificate is therefore required before the commencement of your employment or (without exception) before you will be allowed to clinically or physically direct a medical exposure.
"Please note that PHYSICAL DIRECTING means effecting the medical exposure, i.e., pushing the button or foot switch or injecting a radio-pharmaceutical. CLINICALLY DIRECTING means having the clinical responsibility for the decision to effect a medical exposure (i.e., instructing a radiographer to physically direct - to push the button - or another health care worker to inject a radiopharmaceutical). Clinically directing DOES NOT include requesting a radiology department for an examination as acceptance of such requests normally transfers clinical responsibility to a radiologist."
iii) You must provide us with evidence that is acceptable to the Occupational Health Department, that you are not a carrier of Hepatitis B. It will not be possible to confirm this appointment unless this condition is met. Before starting work you should attend the Occupational Health Department for assessment. If this is not possible, then you must attend on the day you start work.
iv) Because of the nature of the work of this post it is exempt from the provisions of Section 4 (2) of the Rehabilitation of the Offenders Act 1974 (Exemption Order 1975). Employees are therefore, not entitled to withhold information about convictions of the Act, and any failure to disclose such convictions could result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority. Any information given will be completely confidential and will be considered only in relation to the position to which the order applies.
v) Medical Staff are required to be registered with the General Medical Council.
vi) Working Pattern
The Welsh Deanery is committed to ensuring that all posts in Wales comply with both the New Deal and the Working Time Directive. It has been a contractual requirement that posts comply with the New Deal since August 2003. It is essential that doctors entering a rotation assume that their posts are within the New Deal already or are in the process of being made compliant with the New Deal.
Candidates wishing to discuss this post can ring Dr Alex Murray, Training Programme Director, All Wales Medical Genetics Service, University Hospital of Wales, Tel: (029) 2074 4654.
The AWMGS website address is http://www.wales.nhs.uk/AWMGS/
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