Respiratory Therapist - Respiratory Care

Respiratory Therapists receive a $15,000 sign-on bonus. Relocation assistance is also available.

About the role

Dartmouth Health is looking for full-time Registered Respiratory Therapists to work in a fast-paced critical care environment with a high degree of autonomy using a multitude of respiratory-driven protocols. This opportunity is at an academic medical center in a rural setting, offering incredible facilities, academic rigor, and a commitment to compassionate care. The role allows respiratory therapists to thrive in a growing department.

Qualified candidates must be a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT). New graduates are welcome to apply and may obtain their RRT within six months of hire.

Dartmouth Health serves a population of 1.9 million patients across New Hampshire and Vermont. The system includes Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Clinics (New Hampshire’s only academic medical center and Level 1 trauma center), a large multispecialty physician practice, the Dartmouth Cancer Center (a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center), the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Health, a community hospital, and critical access hospitals.

Environment

Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Clinics is an academic medical center located in Lebanon, New Hampshire, in the Upper Connecticut River Valley on the NH and VT border. The Upper Valley is a vibrant, academic, and professional community offering excellent schools, lively arts, and an unmatched quality of life in a beautiful, rural setting. Urban amenities in Boston, MA, Burlington, VT, and Montreal, QC, are all within a few hours' drive. Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Clinics has been consistently ranked as One of America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.

Responsibilities

• Set up and operate various types of oxygen and other therapeutic equipment.
• Administer prescribed doses of medicinal gases and aerosolized drugs.
• Review existing data in patient records and collect additional pertinent clinical information through inspection, palpation, percussion, auscultation, and patient interviews.
• Inspect chest x-rays to determine presence of or changes in consolidation, atelectasis, pneumothorax, opacification, position of tracheal tube, and other conditions.
• Recommend respiratory care alternatives to meet patient care objectives.
• Recommend additional data collection through chest x-rays, blood gas analysis, pulmonary function studies, and other laboratory tests.
• Perform and evaluate bedside spirometry, pulmonary mechanics, and pulmonary function studies.
• Determine the appropriateness of prescribed therapy and goals for identified pathophysiological states.
• Select, assemble, and check equipment for proper function, operation, and cleanliness, including correction of malfunctions.
• Perform procedures for disinfection and sterilization.
• Conduct prescribed therapeutic procedures to achieve maintenance of a patient airway, including adequate humidification, use of appropriate oro-nasopharyngeal airways, and changing of tracheostomy tubes.
• Explain planned therapy and goals to patients.
• Conduct prescribed therapeutic procedures to achieve removal of bronchopulmonary secretions and administer prescribed pharmacologic agents.
• Conduct prescribed therapeutic procedures to achieve adequate spontaneous and artificial ventilation.
• Conduct prescribed therapeutic procedures to achieve adequate oxygenation, including adjustment of oxygen concentration, PEEP/CPAP, and prevention of "iatrogenic" hypoxemia.
• Evaluate and monitor patient responses to respiratory therapy and modify treatment techniques based on patient response to IPPB, incentive breathing devices, aerosol therapy, oxygen therapy, and mechanical ventilation.
• Initiate, conduct, and modify respiratory therapy techniques in emergency settings, including CPR, monitoring, and patient transport.
• Record therapy and results as required by hospital policy and regulating agencies; communicate information to appropriate members of the healthcare team.
• Assist physicians performing bronchoscopy, tracheostomy, and invasive monitoring.
• Develop education and training programs and conduct in-service training for departmental and non-departmental staff.
• Perform other duties as required or assigned.

Schedule

Openings available on day and night shifts, with every other weekend and alternate holidays.

Requirements

• Licensed Respiratory Practitioner within the State of New Hampshire.
• Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) upon hire; new graduates may obtain within six months of hire.
• BLS (Basic Life Support) required at time of hire.
• ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support) required within six months of hire.

Areas of Work

• Adult Critical Care
• Neonatal and Pediatric Critical Care
• Neonatal Transport
• ECMO

Benefits

For detailed information on benefits, visit the DHMC Benefits Brochure.