RRT

About the role

Parkwest Medical Center, Covenant Health’s flagship facility in West Knoxville, combines world-class cardiac expertise with the warmth of home in serving a vibrant East Tennessee community. Since 1973, Parkwest has grown into the region’s largest hospital, offering advanced services like an all-digital catheterization lab, comprehensive breast health, emergency, and critical care. It’s consistently ranked among Tennessee's top 10 hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and earns national recognition as a Top 100 Heart Hospital, as well as an “A” safety grade from Leapfrog. As part of Covenant Health, the region’s largest employer, Parkwest Medical Center marries cutting-edge technology with compassionate, community-centered care, earning accolades for cardiology, stroke, surgical excellence, and patient safety.

Provides care to patients with respiratory insufficiency and related complications. Functions as part of the direct patient team to provide overall quality care and serves as a resource and specialist to patients, all patient care givers and physicians. May be required to exercise clinical judgment under the order of a licensed physician.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrates respiratory care competency of critical and clinical skills on an annual basis.
• Demonstrates the ability to be flexible, handle multiple assignments, balance priorities, and make decisions quickly and function under stressful situations.
• Demonstrates the ability to perform all aspects of respiratory therapy to include age specific and related patient care in a safe and competent manner.
• Demonstrates skill in emergency situations based upon department standards, policies, procedures and protocols; assumes a leadership role in emergency situations.
• Demonstrates the ability to assess, identify and treat patient health conditions as established by organizational and departmental policies and procedures.
• Demonstrates the ability to make safe, effective and competent decisions regarding individual patient care; expresses sound judgment.
• Demonstrates the ability to provide appropriate communication to nursing personnel and/or physicians, and other hospital staff as necessary.
• Must be able to demonstrate effective communication skills on all socioeconomic levels using tact, articulation and in a professional manner.
• Demonstrates competency/proficiency in mechanical ventilation, CPAP, and BiPAP skills to include current modes of ventilation, indications for use and calculations of necessary data.
• Demonstrates competency/proficiency in the performance of arterial blood gases and analysis per department policy and procedure.
• Quality control, troubleshooting, and quality assurance per department policy and procedures.
• Performs assigned tasks and uses equipment with skill and accuracy.
• Participates in performance improvement activities by making suggestions for unit/organizational improvements, data collection activities, and data analysis as appropriate.
• Documentation and charges are complete, accurate, timely and legible.
• Consistently document patient assessments, reassessments, patient education, goals, response to therapy and any other requirements for the patient medical record.
• Completes Quality Control procedures and documentation required by regulatory agencies, medical center and department policy.
• Maintains all equipment in a clean and functioning order.
• Responsible for location and inventory of any RT equipment utilized on a routine basis.
• Attends meetings as required and participates on committees as directed.
• Assists with the orientation and training of newly hired respiratory employees and the precepting of respiratory students.
• Perform other related duties as assigned or requested.

Qualifications

Minimum Education: None specified; however, must be sufficient to meet the standards for achievement of the required license and/or certification as required by the issuing authority.

Minimum Experience: Must have documented experience necessary to obtain state license.

Licensure Requirements:

• Valid RRT Credential by the National Board for Respiratory Care.
• Licensed as a Registered Respiratory Therapist by the State of Tennessee Health Related Boards with ABG endorsement.
• Current work-permit acceptable per state regulations. Work permit is only valid for a period of 1 year.
• New Registry Eligible graduates may be hired as an RRT and will have 1 year or until the work permit expires in which to pass the NBRC RRT exam and become credentialed. Failure to obtain RRT credential within that period will result in a reclassification to CRT with an appropriate adjustment in pay.
• Current BLS.