Respiratory Care Practitioner (Respiratory Therapist) - St. Anne Hospital - PRN

About This Role

This role involves providing respiratory care through patient assessment, planning, intervention, education, and evaluation at St. Anne Hospital. The Respiratory Care Practitioner performs a wide range of procedures and monitors patient responses, making recommendations for therapy modifications.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the shift "Charge Therapist" with responsibility for ensuring adequate respiratory care staff to cover patient care areas and needs, including assigning staff, modifying work assignments, assisting with meal coverage, fielding call-offs, and providing adequate staffing levels for the next shift
• Assist physicians performing procedures such as bronchoscopy, transtracheal catheter insertion, tracheotomy intubation (if performed by respiratory therapy in the facility), tracheostomy endotracheal tube changes, and invasive monitoring
• Perform CPR, including closed chest compressions and airway management techniques, in accordance with AHA ACLS protocol
• Conduct prescribed therapeutic procedures to achieve maintenance of a patient airway, including use of appropriate airways (endotracheal tubes, nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal airways), maintenance of airway humidification, aspiration of secretions, extubation, maintenance of correct ETT cuff pressures, and documentation of procedures in patient and department records
• Select, assemble, monitor, and evaluate mechanical ventilators for proper function and operation, including correction of malfunctions, cleanliness, and determining appropriateness of use for patient condition
• Perform pulmonary function tests (PFT)
• Serve as a preceptor to new team members and/or students
• Assess a patient's physical status by inspection, palpation, auscultation, percussion, patient behavior, and reviewing existing data in the patient's record
• Perform treatments according to physician orders, explain therapy and therapeutic goals to the patient, and modify treatment procedures based on patient response
• Determine appropriateness of prescribed therapy and recommend methods to physicians to achieve therapeutic goals, including IPPB, aerosol therapy, postural drainage and percussion, ultrasonic nebulizer, incentive spirometry, metered dose inhalers, and spacers
• Set up and maintain different modes of oxygen therapy to maintain adequate PaO2's with accurate inspired levels of oxygen
• Administer intermittent positive pressure breathing (IPPB) or aerosol therapy by first preparing the prescribed medication ordered by the physician and adjusting the machine or device to accomplish a patient
• Give postural drainage, vibration, and percussion to ensure proper drainage of bronchial secretions by use of manual or mechanical percussion; check orders and X-rays for segments to be treated prior to initiating treatment; auscultate prior to and after procedure to note presence of clearance of secretions and response to therapy