Respiratory Therapist Full Time Evenings and Nights

POSITION SUMMARY:

Administration of Respiratory Care to Inpatient and Outpatient populations

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Performs all therapeutic treatments in a complete and timely manner.
• Performs arterial blood gas (ABG) drawing and ABG, Cord pH, and Venous pH analysis efficiently, safely “within an appropriate time”
• Performs Pulmonary Function testing and Six Minute Walk test efficiently, safely and as ordered.
• Educates patients about the method and necessity of performing respiratory treatments in order to insure therapeutic outcomes.
• Identifies the appropriate patient and administers the correct therapy or diagnostic care on a routine basis.
• Maintains equipment in a functional and sanitary condition to provide effective and safe care.
• Maintains technical competency in quality control of the blood gas analyzers.
• Operates and maintains mechanical ventilators to achieve the best respiratory state for each patient.
• Suggests appropriate changes in respiratory care to nurses and physicians as patient’s respiratory status changes.
• Responds to emergency situations immediately in a calm and professional manner and ensures the adequate maintenance of ventilation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation or other respiratory crisis.
• Reports to the oncoming shift concisely and completely.
• Incorporates all appropriate events and observations into the patient’s record in a timely manner.
• Strictly obeys hospital infection control and isolation procedures.
• Assimilates all new orders for respiratory procedures into the assigned daily work within the shift ordered.
• Appropriately triage therapy assignments to insure critical therapy is completed and not deferred to routine care.
• Cleans, maintains, and sets up equipment to ready it for future use. Cleans and maintains respiratory work and storage areas to allow efficient uncluttered use of these spaces.
• Maintains the technical capability to assess patients’ respiratory status based on age-related categories.
• Fills the Charge Therapist role fairly and effectively.
• Performs assigned inservice education, performance improvement or policy revision tasks efficiently.
• Reports to nurses and physicians all notable deterioration or improvement in a patient’s condition.
• Maintains an understanding of current projects, events and policies by attending department staff meetings, monitoring electronic messaging or reading minutes of hospital meetings.

Management of Time and Resources:

• Completes work assignments within an acceptable time frame.
• Uses time and resources to the best possible advantage for successful completion of job responsibilities.
• Develops and maintains efficient working relationships.
• Is reliable in respect to attendance.
• Is Reliable in respect to punctuality.
• Recognizes the importance of team efforts and partners with others to achieve positive outcomes.

Quality:

• Is part of a team effort to insure quality services.
• Offers creative solutions or alternatives to issues or concerns.
• Produces quality results.
• Continually strives to improve the quality of work.
• Accepts responsibility for all work performed and takes appropriate corrective action as needed.

CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS:

• Is cooperative in interactions, treating customers with courtesy, respect and compassion.
• Is patient when responding to questions and answers questions appropriately.
• Responds to requests in a timely manner.
• Handles interruptions in a skillful way.
• Maintains a professional appearance and demeanor.
• Strives to prevent/resolve customer concerns to the customer’s satisfaction

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:

• Is responsible for ongoing development of his/her work skills through the use of available resources (i.e.: inservices, formal educational programs, other work groups and on-the-job training).
• Attends and participates in staff meetings and inservices and/or reviews documentation as required.
• Assists in the orientation of others and actively participates in mentoring.
• Performs analytical and decision making functions with minimal supervision.
• Recognizes and seeks assistance/consultation when appropriate.
• Demonstrates an understanding of relative Hospital and all-departmental policies and procedures including safety issues.
• Possesses awareness of programs/services provided by Hospital and where they are located.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/LICENSURE/TECHNICAL/OTHER:

Required Qualifications:

• Certification by the National Board of Respiratory Care
• License in Respiratory Care by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• BLS Certification.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Registration by the National Board of Respiratory Care
• BS in Respiratory Care or related field.
• ACLS and NPR preferred.