Registered Respiratory Therapist

Registered Respiratory Therapist

PRN/OCC, Variable Hours and Shifts

Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville, Tennessee is part of Covenant Health, East Tennessee's largest nonprofit health system and a Becker's "Top 150 Places to Work in Healthcare." Fully accredited by the Joint Commission, Cumberland Medical Center is an acute care hospital offering all private patient rooms as well as comprehensive care including cardiology, orthopedics, maternity, cancer treatment, and wound care. The hospital features emergency and critical care, surgical suites, and specialized programs such as imaging, cardiac rehab, sleep disorder care, and hyperbaric medicine, all in a family-oriented environment focused on exceptional patient care.

Position Summary:

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 up on 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. Express 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 date 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.
• Assists with the orientation and training of newly hired respiratory employees and the precepting of respiratory students.
• Follows policies, procedures, and safety standards. Completes required education assignments annually. Works toward achieving goals and objectives, and participates in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

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

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

Licensure Requirement: 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 in 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 of time will result in a reclassification to CRT with an appropriate adjustment in pay. Current BLS.