Clinical Technologist Grade 1 to 3 (Cardiology) (2 posts) (Permanent position)

This permanent position offers two posts for Clinical Technologists specialising in Cardiology at Tygerberg Hospital in Parow Valley. The successful candidates will join a cardiology unit that functions as part of a broader Ecosystem Service platform, meaning that clinical services may need to be rendered across different institutions within that ecosystem to sustain health service delivery. The role is demanding and hands-on, with an inherent requirement for compulsory after-hours service and possession of a valid driver’s licence. The post is graded as a Clinical Technologist Grade 1 to 3, with entry level depending on the candidate’s relevant post-registration experience, and it comes with the standard service benefits associated with a public-sector health position, including a 13th cheque, pension fund contributions, housing allowance, and medical aid allowance.

Applicants must hold an appropriate qualification that allows registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as a Clinical Technologist in Cardiology. For Grade 1, South African qualified employees need no post-registration experience, while foreign qualified employees who are not required to perform community service need one year of relevant experience. Grade 2 requires a minimum of ten years’ relevant experience for South African qualified employees, or eleven years for foreign qualified employees, and Grade 3 requires twenty years for South African qualified employees and twenty-one years for foreign qualified employees. The department also notes a concession: candidates who do not yet have the stipulated registration may still apply, provided they submit proof of application for registration with the HPCSA and proof of payment of the prescribed registration fees on or before the day of the interview. This concession applies only to health professionals applying for the first time for registration as a Clinical Technologist in Cardiology, including those who need to change their registration status.

The incumbent will need advanced competence across a wide spectrum of cardiac diagnostics and intervention. Key knowledge areas include echocardiography, haemodynamics, catheterisation laboratory work, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), optical coherence tomography (OCT), intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) therapy, and haemodynamic analysis. Particular skill is required in pacemaker implant testing and in the follow-up of pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronisation therapy devices. The job also demands familiarity with ECG, Holter ECG, stress ECG, and dobutamine stress echocardiography, as well as all aspects of cardiac physiology, emergency procedures, and ACLS competency.

In practice, the successful candidate will perform electrocardiograms in laboratory, ward, and intensive care unit settings, conduct stress and exercise tolerance tests, and carry out transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography across multiple care areas. They will also perform Holter monitoring and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, together with tilt table testing and cardiac event monitoring. During catheterisation and interventional procedures, the technologist assists with haemodynamic monitoring and emergency management. Intraoperative monitoring during pacemaker surgery is also part of the role. Beyond direct patient care, the position involves participating in cardiology research, maintaining quality control and infection control standards, mentoring clinical technology students, and performing administrative duties such as keeping patient records, managing equipment, and ensuring compliance with clinical protocols. This is a multifaceted clinical role for a cardiology technologist seeking to apply advanced skills in a major tertiary hospital environment.