Respiratory Therapist - Days - Thompson Peak

Responsibilities

• Sets up, operates, and monitors mechanical ventilators as ordered.
• Makes appropriate changes as ordered.
• Affirms the patency, stability, and location of the artificial airway.
• Affirms adequate and appropriate humidification through the artificial airway.
• Assists with the transportation of mechanically ventilated patients to other patient care areas.
• Performs routine respiratory care treatments and oxygen administration in adult, pediatric, and neonatal areas.
• Such therapy includes, but, is not limited to aerosol therapy, nebulized medications, metered dose inhalers, flutter therapy, PEP therapy, incentive spirometry; nasotracheal and artificial airway suctioning; breathing exercises, CPAP/BiPAP therapy and support, sputum induction, and oxygen analysis.
• Describes and instructs therapies or procedures to patients and/or families in a clear and professional manner.
• Reviews, prioritizes and readjusts their daily assignment to perform therapy in an efficient and organized manner and to provide the highest degree of patient care possible.
• Performs arterial punctures.
• Accurately completes a variety of blood tests including arterial blood gas analysis, co-oximetry, and electrolytes as well as the calculation of diagnostic relationships such as shunt, dead space, arterial-venous oxygen content and alveolar-arterial oxygen differences.
• Immediately reports and documents the results with critical values to the appropriate nurse or physician.
• Gathers materials and equipment for therapy and transports them to patient’s bedside.
• Examines the patient chart for appropriate and complete orders and checks the patient’s identification band to verify the patient’s identity.
• Mixes measures and dispenses pharmacological solutions and drugs as prescribed by the physician.
• Documents all mechanical ventilator parameters and changes, all respiratory treatments, tests, or appropriate respiratory monitors and the patient’s responses in the electronic or paper medical record in a timely manner, generally while performing therapy or shortly afterwards as close to the time of treatment as possible.
• Documents and reports delays or omissions.
• Reviews prescriptions prepared by physicians to determine completeness.
• Affasses the neonatal, pediatric, and adult patients; systematically uses technical skills to establish the appropriate level of respiratory care to be administered.
• Assist the physician in beside procedures as required.
• Takes physician’s verbal orders and transcribes appropriately.
• Performs bag and mask ventilation and maintains an adequate airway and assists with life threatening events.
• Attends all resuscitations and traumas as assigned.
• Performs basic pulmonary function testing, including determination of vital capacity, forced inspiratory/expiratory flows, flow volume loops, and peak flow maneuvers.
• Performs resting and exercise oximetry testing.
• Sometimes performs complete pulmonary function studies including diffusion, lung volumes, body box procedures and Pulmonary stress procedures.
• Collections soiled equipment from patient areas, transports to CV Respiratory Therapy department or appropriate cleaning area and cleans, disinfects, sterilizes and packages respiratory care equipment as needed.
• Performs minor trouble shooting of equipment as necessary.
• Recognizes when equipment needs to be repaired or have preventative maintenance performed and takes the necessary steps to resolve the issue.

Qualifications

• Education: Associates of a 2 year AMA approved Respiratory Care program. Required Bachelors of a 4 year Bachelor level or AMA approved Respiratory Care program. Preferred
• Experience: Other >10 months experience as Respiratory Therapist Required 6 months experience for Network float position Required 1 year clinical experience. Preferred
• Licenses and Certifications: Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) - Certification Basic Life Support BLS Certification Required Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP) - License Licensed Required Respiratory Therapist - Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) - License Registered Respiratory Therapist Required Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) - Certification Advanced Cardiac Life Support Preferred Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) - Certification Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) or -campus specific Preferred Credential from National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). Preferred