Coordinator, Pediatric Respiratory Care

About the role

Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt is seeking an experienced Pediatric Respiratory Therapist to serve as the Coordinator, Pediatric Respiratory Care, with a specialized focus on tracheostomy and home ventilator patients transitioning from the hospital to home. This unique role combines direct clinical care, family education, discharge readiness coordination, outpatient support, and program development to create a seamless experience for medically complex children and their caregivers.

Responsibilities

• Respiratory Discharge Readiness & Care Transition Leadership
  • Serve as the respiratory care lead for pediatric patients anticipated to discharge with tracheostomy and/or ventilator support.
  • Participate in pre-tracheostomy planning meetings, multidisciplinary discharge rounds, Blue Team meetings, and transition-of-care discussions.
  • Identify respiratory barriers to discharge and facilitate solutions in collaboration with providers, nursing, care coordination, case management, and families.
  • Develop and monitor respiratory discharge milestones and readiness indicators.
  • Support discharge huddles and care planning for patients with complex respiratory needs.
  • Collaborate with outpatient providers to ensure continuity of care following discharge.
• Family Education & Competency Validation
  • Coordinate and provide tracheostomy and home ventilator education for patients' families and caregivers.
  • Develop, implement, and maintain caregiver respiratory competency tracking processes.
  • Monitor completion of required respiratory education and skills validation.
  • Document caregiver competency milestones and communicate progress to the multidisciplinary team.
  • Escalate concerns regarding education delays or barriers that may impact discharge readiness.
  • Promote consistency in respiratory education across inpatient units and care teams.
• Respiratory Equipment & DME Coordination
  • Serve as the primary respiratory equipment resource for tracheostomy and home ventilator patients.
  • Partner with respiratory DME vendors to coordinate equipment acquisition, setup, and training.
  • Ensure home ventilator and respiratory equipment readiness prior to discharge.
  • Participate in respiratory equipment check-off processes and family home equipment training.
  • Troubleshoot equipment-related barriers that may delay discharge or impact patient safety.
• Outpatient Clinic Support
  • Support pediatric home ventilator and complex respiratory clinics.
  • Serve as a resource for respiratory questions from patients, caregivers, and clinic staff.
  • Assist with post-discharge follow-up and transition support.
  • Collaborate with outpatient providers to identify ongoing respiratory education and equipment needs.
• Program Development & Quality Improvement
  • Develop respiratory discharge readiness tools, standardized workflows, and best-practice processes.
  • Create educational materials and resources for families and staff.
  • Build and maintain respiratory equipment and caregiver competency tracking systems.
  • Evaluate current processes, identify gaps in care transitions, and recommend program enhancements.
  • Participate in quality improvement initiatives focused on discharge efficiency, family preparedness, patient safety, and reduction of respiratory-related readmissions.
  • Support the long-term growth and sustainability of the pediatric respiratory transition program.

Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will be an experienced pediatric respiratory therapist who demonstrates:

• Expertise in pediatric tracheostomy and mechanical ventilation management.
• Strong understanding of discharge planning and transitions of care for medically complex children.
• Experience providing caregiver education and competency validation.
• Ability to work collaboratively across inpatient and outpatient settings.
• Strong organizational, communication, and program-development skills.
• Passion for improving family preparedness and outcomes for children requiring long-term respiratory support.

Technical Capabilities

• Respiratory Therapeutic Procedures (Advanced)
  • Demonstrates the uppermost levels of expertise in applying respiratory therapeutic procedures in challenging and complex situations.
  • Often takes a lead role in highly pressurized situations when there is a need to achieve results.
  • Consistently delivers respiratory therapeutic procedures in a creative and imaginative manner while setting a standard for others.
  • Actively participates in outside professional organizations and forums.
  • Contributes in the development of respiratory therapeutic procedures best practices for the organization.
• Ventilator Management (Advanced)
  • Demonstrates the uppermost levels of expertise in applying ventilator management in challenging and complex situations.
  • Often takes a lead role in highly pressurized situations when there is a need to achieve results.
  • Consistently delivers ventilator management services in a creative and imaginative manner while setting a standard for others.
  • Actively participates in outside professional organizations and forums.
  • Contributes to the development of ventilator management best practices for the organization.
• Laboratory Testing & Analysis (Advanced)
  • Demonstrates the ability to apply knowledge of laboratory tests to diverse areas of the department.
  • Demonstrates the uppermost levels of expertise in laboratory testing in challenging and complex situations.
  • Often takes a lead role in highly pressurized situations when there is a need to achieve results.
  • Consistently delivers laboratory tests and analysis in a creative and imaginative manner while setting a standard for others.
  • Contributes in the development of testing and analysis best practices for the organization.
  • Able to converse intelligently with users, customers, and management on the impact of laboratory testing technology and competition on the business itself.
• Training & Development (Novice)
  • Has presented course modules as part of a program.
  • Effectively prepared by demonstrating knowledge in course content, structure and objectives, as well as audience characteristics.
  • Demonstrated audience sensitivity and awareness.
  • Responded professionally to content questions.

Position Qualifications

• Certifications: LIC-Registered Respiratory Therapist – Tennessee
• Education: Graduate of an approved discipline-specific program