Respiratory Therapist, Respiratory, Per Diem, Days, Nights, Weekends, Holidays

Job Title

Performs a wide range of prescribed therapeutic and diagnostic respiratory care procedures in the routine critical care areas on adult, pediatric, and newborn patients. Maintains the necessary equipment, supplies, and records related to those procedures.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

• Systematically gathers and evaluates relevant information and data from the patient interview and/or all the patient information sources.
• Develops an appropriate care plan for patients based upon the systematic information gathering and analysis.
• Identifies variations from expected findings and understands the significance for such variations.
• Takes appropriate actions when variations are identified.
• Assesses the patient's learning needs, identifies learning style and barriers to learning and assesses the patient's readiness to learn.
• Identifies situations when it is appropriate to involve the family and/or significant other and /or friends in patient's education.
• Plans for and provides patient teaching.
• Evaluates the patient's understanding of his or her condition, treatment, and/or prognosis.
• Informs the patient of his or her plan of care and/or discharge plan and follow up instructions
• Evaluates and validates the effectiveness of the patient teaching.
• Prepares the patient to accept a level of responsibility for his or her own care.
• Coordinates care with other healthcare providers.
• When appropriate, delegates to other healthcare providers.
• Assesses and reassesses the patient's condition, status and progress.
• Prioritizes, reprioritizes, and modifies the plan of care based upon patient assessment and patient condition.
• Documents the implementation of the plan of care and any adverse and/or unexpected events or outcomes.
• Measures and administers the correct medication dosage per physicians order.
• Administers respiratory therapy treatments and oxygen therapy.
• Understands the purpose and possible side effects associated with respiratory therapy treatments.
• Obtains ABG's per hospital policy.
• Performs Pulse Oximetry and ensures accurate results.
• Performs Pulmonary Function following ATS Standards.
• Performs EKGs and ensures quality recordings.
• Assists with flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy.
• Sets up mechanical ventilators, including BIPAP and CPAP Units and selects the correct patient parameters.
• Assesses mechanical ventilators and BIPAP and CPAP functioning to ensure safe operation.
• Assesses patient status and uses information to recommend changes in patient plan of care.
• Assesses patient cardio-pulmonary status and uses data to recommend changes to patients plan of care.
• Provides instruction on proper use of cardiopulmonary medication and equipment.
• Distributes age and cultural specific patient education materials based on educational needs.
• Responsible for implementing components of the VAP bundle consistently and per protocol. Responsible for alerting the Nurse Manager/Director/Nursing Supervisor if there is a deviation from VAP bundle by Attending MD for case review and follow up as indication.

Statement of Other Duties

This document describes the major duties and responsibilities for this job, and is not intended to be a complete list of all tasks and functions. It should be understood, therefore, that employees may be asked to perform job-related duties beyond those explicitly described.

Functional Demands

Physical Requirements Exerts 20 to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 10 to 25 pounds of force frequently, and/or greater than negligible up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. Frequently reaches (extending hands and arms in any direction), and handles (seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or working with hands). Occasionally stoop (bending the body downward and forward by bending the spine at the waist), crouches (bending the body downward and forward by bending legs and spine).

Organizational Expectations

Behavioral Attributes The following behavioral attributes are required: achievement motivation, concern for order, flexibility, initiative, self-confidence, customer service oriented, interpersonal effectiveness, teamwork, analytical thinking and information seeking.

Qualifications

Job Requirements

• Graduate of a CoARC approved Respiratory Therapy program.
• Credentialed as a Registered Respiratory Therapist (R.R.T.) by the National Board for Respiratory Care (or eligible).

Minimum Work Experience

• Prior experience required.

Minimum Licenses and Certifications

• Licensed as a Respiratory Therapist by the State of Massachusetts.
• ACLS required or obtained within 6 months of hire.
• NRP required or obtained within 6 months of hire.
• PALS required or obtained within 6 months of hire.

Minimum Skills

• Basic computer skills required.