Certified Respiratory Therapist - Long-term Acute Care

Respiratory Therapist Position

Join a long term acute care respiratory team in Wyandotte, Michigan, a welcoming Downriver community situated along the scenic Detroit River. Wyandotte offers a classic small-city feel with tree-lined neighborhoods, walkable streets, and a lively riverfront. The city features local restaurants, riverfront parks, marinas, seasonal festivals, and community events, giving you plenty of options for relaxing and enjoying life outside of work. You are also just a short drive from downtown Detroit, where you can explore professional sports, concerts, theaters, renowned museums, and a growing food and arts scene. This blend of peaceful riverfront living and big-city access makes Wyandotte an appealing place to live and work. In this respiratory therapist role, you will work in an LTAC setting that focuses on medically complex, high-acuity patients who require extended hospitalization and intensive respiratory support. Typical patients include those recovering from critical illness, complex surgeries, or prolonged ICU stays, as well as individuals with chronic respiratory failure, COPD, neuromuscular disease, and multi-system medical conditions. Many patients are ventilator-dependent, have tracheostomies, or require non-invasive ventilation and frequent respiratory assessments. Your day will be centered on delivering evidence-based respiratory care in a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment. Responsibilities may include performing comprehensive respiratory assessments, managing invasive and non-invasive ventilators, titrating oxygen therapy, obtaining and interpreting arterial blood gases, and implementing physician-ordered therapies such as bronchodilator treatments, secretion management, and airway clearance techniques. You will play a key role in ventilator weaning protocols, working closely with physicians, nurses, and rehabilitation staff to move patients toward improved respiratory independence and safe discharge plans. In this LTAC environment, you can expect to care for a manageable number of patients while still handling complex needs, allowing you to use your critical thinking skills and technical expertise. Patient caseload is focused on adults with high-acuity conditions, and you will be part of a team that values communication, shared decision-making, and coordinated care. The setting is designed to support close collaboration through daily or regular interdisciplinary rounds, where respiratory therapists are viewed as essential contributors to patient progress and outcomes. Shifts are typically 12 hours and may include days, nights, weekends, and holidays based on department needs, offering continuous respiratory coverage for this medically complex population. The facility emphasizes safe staffing and structured handoff processes to support continuity of care and patient safety. You will utilize electronic medical records for charting and communication, and you will participate in quality and performance improvement efforts aimed at reducing complications, shortening length of stay when appropriate, and improving patient and family satisfaction. This position is ideal for a respiratory therapist who enjoys a challenging clinical environment, wants to deepen skills in ventilator management and long-term critical care recovery, and values the chance to follow patients over time and see meaningful progress. Working in Wyandotte gives you the opportunity to advance your respiratory therapy career while enjoying a friendly riverfront community with easy access to the broader Detroit metropolitan area.