Consultant - Orthopaedics Surgery

ORTHOPEDICS KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:
• Provides care to all age groups.
• Diagnose joint replacement, sports related injuries, spine injuries and post-surgery and rehabilitation program.
• Helps manage conditions that usually get worse over time, like arthritis or osteoporosis.
• Helps avoid pain and discomfort from using a muscle or joint too often (also called “overuse injuries”).

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

a) Give the best possible care to patients in the Medical Centre and ensure that a high professional standard of care consistent with the resources available is provided to all patients.
b) Abide by the rules of the Department & Section.
c) Observe ethical standards compatible with of contemporary medical practice.
d) Provide and maintain medical, and health professional education and continuing interdisciplinary health professional education.
e) Promote evidence-based decision-making.
f) Contribute to the development of and comply with the By-Laws, the Rules and Regulations and the policies of the Medical Centre.
g) Ensure that a high professional standard of care is provided to patients under their care within the privileges assigned.
h) Maintain involvement, as a recipient, in continuing medical and interdisciplinary professional education to meet minimum DOH requirements.
i) Recognize the authority of the Head of Department, the Medical Director, the Medical Executive Committee and the Medical Centre Director.
j) Notify the Head of Department, Medical Director or Medical Centre Director of any actions or claims that may arise that may have an effect on the licensure of the employee to practice medicine.
k) Attend all meetings of the Departments to which the Medical Staff member is appointed (unless excused).
l) Serve on sub-committees of the Medical Executive Committee, as required.
m) Provide consultations on patients, as required.
n) Contribute to the production of Clinical Guidelines, Critical Care Pathways and Managed care processes as needed for the care of their patients or upon the request from their Head of Section or Department.
o) Perform such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Medical Centre Director, the Medical Executive Committee, the Medical Director or the Head of Department.
p) Exercise good judgment and maintain confidentiality in maintaining critical and sensitive information, records, and reports
q) Actively participate in the Medical Centre's on-going Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Programs and other In-Service Training Programs
r) Act as a translator if needed
s) Perform other duties and tasks assigned by the Head of Department

THE DUTIES OF ALL SPECIALISTS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
a) They will take Most Responsible Physician (MRP) responsibilities for patients under their direct care.
b) The position of MRP can only be transferred with the agreement of another physician.
c) They will give professional advice and provide technical services, for which they are privileged, to another Specialist or Consultant or their patient as requested.
d) They will both give and request consultations according to the Medical Centre policies on consultations.
e) They will take professional responsibility for the care given to their patients by themselves and any junior medical staff working under their direction in the environment provided by the Medical Centre management.
f) They will be responsible for contributing to the teaching of all staff involved in the care of their patients to ensure that they can do those things that are expected of them by their clinical privileges.
g) They are expected to demonstrate team leadership to the group of staff working directly with them.
h) They are expected to work in a collegiate manner with all Medical Centre staff.
i) They are expected to work within the various rules, regulations and guidelines of the section and Department in which they work.
j) They are expected to contribute to the production of Clinical Guidelines, Critical Care Pathways and Managed care processes as needed for the care of their patients or upon the request from their line managers.
k) Take ‘on-call’ duty, according to the department rota and the needs of their patients.
l) When on out of normal working hours ‘on-call’ duty, they will take on a temporary MRP responsibility for all the patients left under their care. They will therefore ensure that the process of handover is carried out appropriate to the patient’s requirements.
m) When a Specialist has a temporary MRP role their clinical privileges remain the same. If the normal MRP or one with their same clinical privileges are not available to deal with a problem outside the ‘on-call’ physician’s agreed capability, the situation of emergency privileges applies.
n) The Specialist is responsible for ensuring that the patient and or the family are kept fully informed about their condition in an ethical and humane manner.
o) He/she is also responsible for protecting the patient from anxiety related to partially hear or poorly understood medical conversation. Criticism of colleagues in front of patients or relatives is never good medical practice unless it is in a strict medical legal consultation situation and where they are prepared to put the criticism in writing.
p) Specialists must discuss with their Line manager all examples of serious or repeated minor failures to perform by other medical staff. This will ensure necessary intervention at an early stage.
q) They will ensure that all the medical records of their patients are completed in an accurate, legible, and timely manner according to the policy on the subject.
r) They will take part in mortality and morbidity meetings in an open and collegiate manner to ensure fairness and truth in the discussions.
s) They will maintain confidentiality in all matters according to the policy of the DOH.
t) They will take a leading role in the teaching of all junior medical staff and will contribute to the teaching of nurses, other personnel, patients and their careers and the public as needed.
u) They will attempt to improve their service to the patients through audit, research, attendance at educational events and the use of the library and other educational facilities.
v) Has sole responsibility for issuing DOH Sick Leave from the DOH website.

DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY:
• Work is carried out within general policies, principles and goals, and is subject to direction only for guidance on policy issues.

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT:
• Attending Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) programs as a mandatory requirement.
• Being compliant with all OSH policies & procedures and legal requirements regarding Occupational Safety and Health Management System.
• Conducting his/her task in a healthy and safe manner at all times.
• Reporting any untoward events that will impact the occupational, safety & health of patients, staff, contractors, facilities, operations, etc.
• Comply with the established NMCRMC OHSMS procedures of which they have been informed, instructed and trained.
• Actively participate along with line management towards implementation of OHSMS requirements.
• Report to the respective manager any potentially hazard, unsafe act or condition, which may cause EHS impacts.
• Report all EHS hazard, near miss and incidents to the respective line manager.

INFECTION CONTROL:
• All employees are personally accountable for their actions and are responsible for ensuring that they comply with infection prevention and control policies.
• Health care workers are responsible for identifying infectious conditions that require specific controls to protect themselves and their patients. In addition, they are responsible for notifying the infection prevention.