Neonatal Respiratory Care Supervisor - 139877

Neonatal Respiratory Care Supervisor

The Neonatal Respiratory Therapy Supervisor provides clinical leadership, operational oversight, and technical expertise for Respiratory Therapists delivering highly specialized care to neonatal patients in the NICU. This role ensures the safe, effective, and continuous provision of advanced respiratory services to critically ill and medically complex newborns.

Clinical Oversight and Expertise

• Oversees and supports delivery of specialized neonatal respiratory care, including advanced mechanical ventilation, high-frequency oscillatory and Jet ventilation, inhaled nitric oxide therapy, and non-invasive respiratory support.
• Ensures readiness and expert response for neonatal emergencies, including code events, airway emergencies, and high-risk deliveries requiring immediate resuscitation.
• Provides guidance and clinical decision support for ventilator management, oxygen titration, weaning strategies, and alarm response.
• Maintains oversight of specialized procedures such as arterial and capillary blood sampling, umbilical cord blood gas analysis, bronchoscopic assistance, airway clearance, and artificial airway management.

Patient Safety and Specialized Procedures

• Ensures only competency-validated neonatal RTs perform high-risk and non-transferable responsibilities unique to NICU care.
• Oversees respiratory support during transport of ventilated neonates to and from radiology, operating rooms, recovery areas, emergency departments, and intensive care units.
• Supervises respiratory involvement in neurologic protection therapies, including therapeutic hypothermia (body cooling) and EEG setup, monitoring, and troubleshooting.

Leadership and Staff Management

• Provides direct supervision, mentorship, and clinical leadership to NICU Respiratory Therapists.
• Manages staff coverage and ensures adequate neonatal expertise is available at all times for deliveries, emergencies, and transport needs.
• Oversees competency assessment, training, and maintenance of neonatal-specific skills and certifications.
• Supports interdisciplinary collaboration with neonatologists, nurses, anesthesiology, radiology, and surgical teams.
• Ensures compliance with hospital policies, regulatory standards, and best practices in neonatal respiratory care.
• Monitors quality metrics related to ventilation, blood gas analysis, emergency response, and patient outcomes.
• Supports participation in medical research and quality improvement initiatives within the NICU.
• Acts as a clinical resource and escalation point for complex neonatal respiratory situations.

The Neonatal Respiratory Therapy Supervisor plays a critical leadership role in safeguarding neonatal patient outcomes, ensuring that highly specialized respiratory therapies are delivered by trained experts, and maintaining the operational integrity of NICU respiratory services at UCSD.