Registered Respiratory Therapist - NICU

Registered Respiratory Therapist – NICU

Join us at Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital where we have been providing world-class care to our community for over 100 years. Here, we strive for patient-centered care and comfort with our collaborative team of healthcare professionals. We are committed to serving the community and treat our patients as family.

Respiratory therapists partner closely with nurses, physicians, and specialists to make a real impact every day while practicing at the top of your license. In this role, you will assess and treat patients with respiratory conditions, perform advanced cardiopulmonary evaluations, deliver lifesaving therapies, manage ventilators and airways, and respond to critical situations. This position provides the opportunity to learn from world renowned leading experts in respiratory care and offers a high level of autonomy in patient care and clinical decision making. You will be part of an innovative team that is shaping the future of respiratory care while playing a key role in patient education and care coordination.

How you'll benefit:

• Opportunities to participate in research studies
• Tuition reimbursement for eligible educational programs
• Reimbursement for credentialing and certification exam fees for new grads
• Comprehensive professional development support, including funding for some courses and certifications
• Individualized onboarding and orientation based on caregiver readiness, including a 3-week preceptorship and ongoing learning support
• Flexible self-scheduling options, including the opportunity to self-select schedules at select locations
• Diverse career advancement pathways, including Leadership, Education, Clinical Excellence, and Research

A caregiver in this position works PRN (as needed) variable shifts from 7:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. You must work 48 hours within a six-week period.

A caregiver who excels in this role will:

• Perform cardiopulmonary assessment to evaluate respiratory status.
• Perform physical exams to assess breath sounds, work of breathing, and airway patency.
• Review records, reports, and results such as radiologic tests, blood gases, hemodynamic monitoring, and pulmonary function tests.
• Collaborate closely with physicians, nurses, and interdisciplinary team members to optimize patient outcomes and ensure continuity of care.
• Administer medical gases (oxygen, nitric oxide), aerosolized medications, bronchial hygiene, and lung re-inflation techniques.
• Follow established protocols, procedures, and practices for therapeutic procedures.
• Perform blood gas sampling, puncture and analysis, arterial line insertion, pulse oximetry, and bedside pulmonary function testing and tracheostomy tube changes as directed.
• Manage invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilators and artificial airways.
• Assist with bronchoscopy procedures.
• Respond to medical emergencies, participate in trauma and resuscitation procedures, and assist with patient transport.
• Assess for age-appropriate educational needs and provide patient and family education about the illness and care plan and provide information about community support groups and other programs.
• Serve as a preceptor for new employees and students enrolled in an accredited Respiratory Care program.
• Record the care and treatment provided following established procedures.

Minimum qualifications for the ideal future caregiver include:

• Graduate of an accredited Respiratory Therapy program
• Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC)
• Ohio Respiratory Care Professional (RCP) License from Ohio Medical Board
• Basic Life Support (BLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) through American Heart Association (AHA) OR American Red Cross, Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) through American Heart Association (AHA) and/or Neonatal Pediatric Specialist (NPS) certification when appropriate for site
• Diploma and/or transcripts must be provided

Preferred qualifications for the ideal future caregiver include:

• Prior experience in critical care
• Bachelor's degree
• Neonatal/pediatric experience preferred when appropriate for site.
• Prior experience performing invasive procedures preferred when appropriate for site

Physical Requirements

• Good manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
• Normal hearing and vision or corrected to normal range.
• May require sitting, standing and walking for extended periods of time.
• Medium Work - Exerting 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.
• Physical Demand requirements are more than those for Light Work.

Personal Protective Equipment

• Follow standard precautions using personal protective equipment as required.

The policy of Cleveland Clinic Health System and its system hospitals (Cleveland Clinic Health System) is to provide equal opportunity to all of our caregivers and applicants for employment in our drug free environment. All offers of employment are followed by testing for controlled substances.

Cleveland Clinic Health System administers an influenza prevention program. You will be required to comply with this program, which will include obtaining an influenza vaccination on an annual basis or obtaining an approved exemption.

Decisions concerning employment, transfers and promotions are made upon the basis of the best qualified candidate without regard to color, race, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, ancestry, status as a disabled or Vietnam era veteran or any other characteristic protected by law. Information provided on this application may be shared with any Cleveland Clinic Health System facility.

If applying for a Florida position, please see the following website for more information on the background screening requirements required by the Agency of Health Care Administration:

Please review the Equal Employment Opportunity poster.

Cleveland Clinic is pleased to be an equal employment opportunity employer.