Respiratory Clinical Specialist 3-28519

Location: Chicago, Illinois – Rush University Medical Center, Respiratory Care department

Full-time (0.9 FTE), Shift 3 (7:00 PM – 7:30 AM), 12-hour schedule

About the Role

This Respiratory Clinical Specialist leads and coordinates the delivery of comprehensive cardiopulmonary care by administering and managing therapeutic and diagnostic interventions and advanced procedures across all patient-care areas. As the clinical leader, the Specialist guides and mentors staff, promotes evidence-based practice, drives quality improvement initiatives, and provides direct input into staff performance evaluations. The role ensures high standards in managing complex cases within an academic medical center, fosters patient safety through interprofessional collaboration, and oversees charge therapist duties, multidisciplinary rounds, staffing needs, and workflow optimization. The Specialist also delivers organization-wide education and training, contributes to clinical protocol development, and may focus on adult and/or neonatal-pediatric respiratory care.

Responsibilities

• Oversee charge therapist duties as defined by the House Coverage Checklist
• Precept new employees and provide feedback to leadership during orientation
• Conduct staff performance evaluations
• Lead and participate in Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and Quality Assurance (QA) initiatives, including audits
• Lead assigned committees; chair one department committee and/or serve on a hospital committee
• Monitor and improve employee engagement
• Participate in and support research activities; lecture at professional meetings, publish in journals, or mentor graduate student research
• Assist in completing staff orientation competencies
• Serve on at least one Respiratory Care Services (RCS) department committee
• Present key Daily Management System (DMS) board components during daily team huddles
• Assess patient cardiopulmonary status through clinical observation, assessment, and physiological monitoring
• Administer bronchial hygiene and therapeutic interventions guided by evidence-based protocols
• Recommend and implement appropriate interventions, including initiation, alteration, and discontinuation of therapy based on patient assessment
• Assess patients before, during, and after administration of medications, procedures, or devices
• Provide invasive and non-invasive ventilator management based on clinical assessment, diagnostic results, and waveform analysis
• Perform airway management, including assessment, assistance with placement, securement, maintenance, and removal of artificial airways
• Provide and oversee special procedures, including but not limited to:
  • External transport
  • High-risk delivery attendance
  • Surfactant administration
  • Organ Donor Care Center (ODCC) services
  • Esophageal manometry
  • Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT)
  • Manual prone positioning
  • Continuous medication nebulization
  • Bedside bronchoscopy and bronchoscopic cryotherapy
  • Bedside tracheostomy
  • High-frequency jet ventilation
  • Lung ultrasound and ultrasound arterial blood gas (ABG) acquisition
  • Specialty gas administration and nitric oxide challenges
  • Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support
• Conduct internal patient transports requiring respiratory support
• Acquire and process blood gas samples
• Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
• Participate as a member of the Rapid Response Team
• Collaborate closely with the multidisciplinary care team and act as a clinical resource
• Document work timely, completely, and accurately in patient medical records, department records, and patient charges
• Provide and document patient/family education
• Precept students, new employees, and provide observational learning opportunities through shadowing
• Contribute to quality improvement efforts through frontline feedback and committee participation
• Contribute to the development of staff annual competencies and pass departmental annual competencies in adult and/or neonatal-pediatric respiratory care
• Maintain active status of license, credentials, and certifications
• Maintain American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) membership

Requirements

• Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT)
• Active Illinois Respiratory Care Practitioner license (or applied for if out-of-state)
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification prior to start date
• Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification prior to start date (Adults)
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification prior to start date (Neonatal/Pediatrics)
• Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) certification obtained within 180 days of hire (Neonatal/Pediatrics)
• NBRC Adult Critical Care Specialty (ACCS) credential (Adults)
• NBRC Neonatal Pediatric Specialty (NPS) credential (Neonatal/Pediatrics)
• Education:
  • Completion of, or current enrollment in, an accredited Master of Science/healthcare-related degree program, or
  • Bachelor’s degree in a healthcare-related field and 3+ years of relevant respiratory care experience and enrollment in a Master’s program within six months of position start date
• Demonstrated engagement in pursuit of excellence, such as committee participation, CQI/QA initiatives, research, or Daily Management System (DMS) projects
• Professionalism demonstrated through AARC/ISRC membership and pursuit of continuing education

Additional Requirements to Float in a Specialty Area

• Minimum 1 year of RCS experience at Rush University Medical Center (RUMC) at time of application
• Must pass annual competency with no more than one remediation in float area(s)
• Annual competencies requiring remediation will be tracked and assessed year-to-year

Preferred Qualifications

• Completion of a master’s degree or higher
• At least one year of experience in RUMC Respiratory Care Services
• Prior experience with leadership and research
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills

Professional Development Opportunities

• Respiratory care research
• University Medical Center education
• Professional speaker development
• State and national society involvement
• Respiratory-related association participation

Physical Demands

• Standing, walking, pushing, and bending for 75% of the day
• Ability to lift 20 pounds to move gas cylinders
• High adaptability to respond to changing workloads and priorities

Pay

Pay Range: $45.59 – $74.19 per hour. Rush salaries are determined by factors including education, job-related experience, skills, internal equity, and industry-specific market data. Offers may vary depending on individual circumstances.

Benefits

Rush offers exceptional rewards and benefits. Learn more at the Rush benefits page.