Respiratory Care Practitioner

PRIMARY PURPOSE

Responsible for providing full respiratory care to patients within neonatal, pediatric, and adult populations, as prescribed by physician, and within established standards and practices.

MINIMUM SPECIFICATIONS

Education

• Must be a graduate of a Respiratory Care Program from an accredited American Medical Association (AMA) program.
• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Respiratory Care preferred.

Experience

• None

Equivalent Education and/or Experience

• None

Certification/Registration/Licensure

• Must have a Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP) license from the Texas Medical Board.
• Must be a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) through the National Board for Respiratory Care, Inc. (NBRC).
• Must have a current Healthcare Provider CPR course completion card prior to hire and/or placement in job from one of the following: American Heart Association American Red Cross Rescuer Military Training Network
• Certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) or Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) preferred.

Skills & Special Abilities

• Must successfully complete General Care orientation.
• Must successfully complete adult Intensive Care Unit (ICU) orientation to work in adult ICU areas.
• Must successfully complete Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) orientation to work in NICU area.
• Must be able to demonstrate assessment skills for prioritization of care, the application of patient driven protocols, and the delivery of respiratory care in neonatal, pediatric, and adult populations.
• Must be proficient in the use of all equipment required for the delivery of Respiratory Care bedside therapeutic and diagnostic services.
• Must be able to serve as a preceptor to new orientees, students, and interns.
• Must be able to document activities accurately in the electronic medical record.
• Must be able to demonstrate patient centered/patient valued behaviors.
• Must maintain required departmental competencies.
• May be asked to assume Charge responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Evaluates need for service delivery by incorporating established protocols, physical assessment, physician interaction, patient history, and clinical judgement into the decision process.
• Provides type and frequency of service that is consistent with patient need.
• Applies understanding of cardio-respiratory anatomy and physiology to respiratory care practices.
• Utilizes data and laboratory findings in conjunction with knowledge of specific disease/injury/process data to optimize care delivery.
• Maintains and applies knowledge of indications, actions, interactions, and adverse reactions of respiratory active drugs to include those which produce a secondary respiratory effect, in order to provide optimal patient care.
• Performs and documents diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in keeping with departmental standards for quality and service indicators.
• Matches equipment needs with associated diagnostic/therapeutic intervention.
• Demonstrates patient centered/patient valued behaviors.
• Troubleshoots respiratory equipment to ensure appropriate function.
• Removes and labels contaminated or malfunctioning equipment for processing as described in departmental objectives.
• Promptly responds to requests for care.
• Provides timely reports, on transferred patients, to receiving therapist which include priority status and pertinent case related data.
• Gives and receives shift reports to assigned therapist to ensure a clear picture of patient baseline status and care needs.
• Serves as a resource for students, physicians, and other healthcare professionals regarding respiratory care practices.
• May also be responsible for administering pulmonary diagnostic testing and evaluation following the Pulmonary Laboratory related policies and procedures after training and competency evaluation
• Will be responsible to provide pulmonary rehab program education and virtual exercise classes.