RRT or CRT

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Check orders – making sure all match and are present.
• Ventilator checks every 4 hours.
• Oxygen therapy with all modalities.
• Equipment changes as scheduled.
• Suctioning – RCP’s responsibility, licensed nursing to assist.
• Trach care – to be done BID.
• Breathing treatments as ordered – Nebs, MDI’s, and DPI’s.
• Chart in a timely manner.
• New respiratory modality set ups and physical assessments.
• Report to next shift and nursing.
• Communication with nurses and other team members for the best continuity of care for the patient.
• Any other duties assigned per Administrator, Director of Nursing, Respiratory Director, parc Unit Manager, Charge Nurse, or designee within the scope of practice.
• Patient care conferences – suggest therapies, report progress made, and future scheduling.
• Communication/call physician and explain briefly what is needed by the patient and why.
• Discuss what is needed with the Respiratory Director or Charge Nurse first and receive input.
• Specimen retrievals.
• ABG’s and Allen’s testing.
• Cleaning and assembling equipment and its proper storage.
• Proper use of respiratory equipment and the ability to adapt equipment to meet the needs of the patient.
• On-site patient evaluations (as assigned by Admissions Coordinator, Director of Respiratory Care or designee) for probable admissions.
• Order appropriate respiratory supplies and equipment for patients.
• Maintain all respiratory care supplies.
• Maintain proper operation of respiratory equipment per manufacturer’s standards.
• Stock and maintain the proper emergency equipment in patient’s room.
• Apply respiratory equipment to patient and evaluate its effectiveness.
• Review transfer orders on admission patients and have appropriate respiratory equipment available.
• Review respiratory therapy orders.
• Maintain ventilators. Clean per policy.
• Ventilator tubing changes per policy.
• Disposable equipment changes per policy.
• Discharge ventilator management per physician’s orders.
• Provide respiratory therapy treatments and procedures.
• Educate residents, families, and staff as to what pertains to the respiratory treatment and safety of the residents.
• Emergent and routine trach changes.
• Perform trach care and disposable inner cannula changes.
• Routine and emergency trach changes on established trach patients.
• Decannulation of tracheotomies per physician order.
• Documentation to be charted in respiratory care section of the chart.
• Inflating/deflating trach cuffs.
• Performing inflating and deflating techniques using the minimal occluding technique.
• Provide monitoring of Ventilator/Trach patients with meals monitoring swallowing, cuff inflation/deflation, and perform suctioning if needed.
• Information will be charted in respiratory care section of the chart.
• Aid residents with the use of the speaking valve.
• Set up oxygen concentrators, E-tanks, and portable devices upon doctor’s orders.
• Label and tag all equipment according to policy.
• Room air pulse oximetry will be obtained prior to setup.
• Report findings to charge nurse or designee and chart in the appropriate area in the chart.
• Maintain oxygen equipment, tubing changes per policy, and chart in the appropriate area in the chart.
• Setup and delivery of nebulizer treatment, label and tag all equipment.
• Chart in respiratory care section of the chart.
• Maintain nebulizer equipment, medicine cup changes per policy, and chart in respiratory care section of the chart.
• Setup, deliver, label, and tag all suction equipment.
• Perform suctioning of vent patients with Ballard suctioning equipment, sterile suction catheters, and Yankauer.
• Perform suctioning via sterile suction catheters for deep suction of non-vented residents upon physician order.
• Suctioning of all residents may be performed independently after orientation competencies have been completed.
• Setup, deliver, label, and tag all BIPAP and CPAP equipment.
• Chart in respiratory care section of the chart.
• Maintain CPAP/BIPAP equipment, tubing, and masks per policy, and chart in the appropriate area of chart.
• Initial ventilator setup and admission, respiratory evaluation (heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and lung sounds) will be performed and confirmed as accurate by an RRT/CRT.
• Ventilator checks every 4 hours.
• Setting changes will be performed according to the ventilator plan set forth by the Physician and Respiratory Director and may be completed by the Respiratory Therapy Technician.
• Maintain ventilator equipment, tubing, and associated equipment per policy, and chart in the appropriate area of chart.
• Perform tracheostomy care and disposable inner cannula changes. Chart in respiratory care section of the chart.
• Assist RRT/CRT in performing routine tracheostomy changes.
• Perform other tasks as required.

Required/Desired Qualifications

• Education, Training, and Experience:
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Certification from the National Board Respiratory Care.
• Current BLS card.
• Two years previous experience working with Ventilator/Respiratory care patients in acute care or long-term care facility preferred.
• Specific skills, knowledge, and abilities:
• Thorough knowledge of general respiratory principles and procedures and understanding of the concepts of aging and the needs and concerns of the elderly population and those with terminal illness.
• Ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, with all levels of health care professionals and support staff.
• Must be able to work under varying degrees of supervision.
• Display positive professional image and enhance positive public relations for the Facility.
• Other Special Requirements:
• Tolerate frequent exposure to blood, body tissues, and fluids with occasional exposure to hazardous materials and infectious diseases.
• Frequent exposure to chemicals and latex, and plastic materials used for personal protective equipment.
• Manual dexterity required to operate modern office equipment.