Respiratory Therapist

Registered Respiratory Therapist

The Registered Respiratory Therapist oversees the diagnosis, treatment, and care management of patients with pulmonary disorders. This position uses a variety of testing techniques to assist doctors in diagnosing disorders, and determines requirements for treatment, such as type, method and duration of therapy, precautions to be taken, or medication and dosages, compatible with physicians' orders.

Who We Are

With 12 ministries and access points across Indiana and Illinois, Franciscan Health is one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the Midwest. Franciscan Health takes pride in hiring coworkers that provide compassionate, comprehensive care for our patients and the communities we serve.

What You Can Expect

• Machine Maintenance: Maintains cleanliness of patient room and equipment, and prepares and calibrates equipment needed for testing.
• Inhaled Medications: Administers inhaled medications to patients such as SABA, LABA, LAMA, ICS, and antibiotics, and other prescribed inhaled medications.
• Emergency Response: Attends code blue and rapid response team activation to perform or assist with airway management.
• Special Procedures: Conducts special procedures including electrocardiograms (EKGs), arterial blood gas tests (ABG), pulmonary function tests and surfactant delivery; assists physicians during caesarean section births, high-risk deliveries, and patient transports.
• Patient Education: Educates patients and their caregivers about their conditions and teaches appropriate disease management techniques, such as breathing exercises or the use of medications or respiratory equipment.
• Incentive Spirometry: Performs incentive spirometry on patients to facilitate airway clearance and lung expansion.
• Patient Assessment: Performs thorough patient assessments, obtains a history and elicits an accurate description of sleep problems to diagnose and treat patients with science-based medicine.
• Oxygenation: Performs ventilation therapies for proper selection of the delivery device to ensure adequate patient oxygenation.
• Ventilation: Sets up and operates mechanical ventilators using invasive or non-invasive procedures on patients ranging from neonatal to adult; administers high frequency jet ventilation (HFJV), high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV), and conventional methods to deliver nitric oxide to patients.

Qualifications

• Required: Associate's Degree
• Required: High School Diploma/GED
• Required: Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) - The National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC)
• Required: Basic Life Support Program (BLS) - American Heart Association
• Required: Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) - American Heart Association

Travel is required: Never or Rarely

Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of Franciscan Alliance to provide equal employment to its employees and qualified applicants for employment as otherwise required by an applicable local, state or Federal law. Franciscan Alliance reserves a Right of Conscience objection in the event local, state or Federal ordinances that violate its values and the free exercise of its religious rights. Franciscan Alliance is committed to equal employment opportunity.