Assistant Director of Respiratory

Lake Charles Memorial Hospital•Lake Charles, LA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Under the direction of the Medical Director and Director of Respiratory Therapy, the Assistant Director provides day-to-day operational leadership for Respiratory Therapy services and serves as the Director's designee as assigned. The role ensures safe, high-quality, cost-effective respiratory care and regulatory compliance, including oversight of Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) Laboratory operations and Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) programs, including i-STAT.

Requirements

Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT); graduate of an AMA-approved Respiratory Therapy program.
Bachelor's degree in Respiratory Care or related field.
Current Louisiana Respiratory Therapist license.
CPR, ACLS, PALS, and NRP per hospital policy; maintains CEUs and required in-services.
Demonstrated leadership, communication, and organizational skills; ability to manage multiple priorities.
Two (2) to three (3) years of supervisory/leadership experience.
Experience with ABG Laboratory oversight and POCT programs (QC, PT, validations, competency, documentation).
Familiarity with CAP, CUA, and The Joint Commission

Responsibilities

Direct and coordinate daily Respiratory Therapy operations, including staffing, workflow, patient care delivery, and service recovery.
Serve as the Director's backup/designee as assigned; support department planning, budgeting, and resource utilization.
Lead, coach, and develop staff through onboarding, scheduling support, performance management, retention efforts, and conflict resolution.
Ensure compliance with applicable standards and policies (CAP, CUA, The Joint Commission, and hospital policies) for Respiratory Therapy and ABG Laboratory services.
Oversee ABG Laboratory and POCT programs, including QC, proficiency testing, validations, maintenance, documentation, and regulatory reporting.
Coordinate POCT training and competency for applicable personnel; maintain i-STAT/ABG analyzers and manage supplies and vendor relationships.
Drive performance improvement and patient safety initiatives; collect, analyze, and report key quality /operational metrics.
Provide direct respiratory care and perform ABG sampling/analysis as needed to meet operational demands.