Pulmonary Function Specialist

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System • Laurel, FL

77d

About The Position

The position involves performing diagnostic pulmonary function testing (PFT) for both outpatients and inpatients in the PFT lab or at the bedside. The individual will also coordinate all pulmonary clinical research studies at SMHCS alongside the research team. Responsibilities include scheduling and performing methacholine challenge tests on adults and children, conducting pulmonary stress tests, and nutritional studies. The role requires maintaining PFT equipment, performing basic troubleshooting, and ensuring standardization of PFT testing according to ATS guidelines. Additionally, the individual will order equipment and supplies for the PFT lab, maintain awareness of changes in the lab, and perform various outpatient duties such as pre-open heart tests, arterial blood gases, sputum inductions, nebulizers, and analyzing ionized calcium blood tests. The position also includes a leadership role in the clinical therapy sector, delivering routine therapy and implementing department patient care protocols. The individual will function as an integral member of the Respiratory Care (RC) support service, providing routine and advanced cardiopulmonary support to patients, and may accept verbal and phone orders from physicians as defined by policy. Consultation will be provided to physicians, nurses, families, and other clinical professional staff, and therapy will be initiated based on department patient care protocols. The role requires knowledge of growth and development to assess, interact, communicate, and care for specific patient populations. Additionally, the individual will serve as an education coordinator, organizing conferences for the RC staff's CEU needs, scheduling conferences for mandatory license requirements, keeping staff informed of license requirements, maintaining a tally of equipment lectures, assisting nursing in obtaining respiratory CEUs, submitting staff CEUs in CE broker, maintaining the CE broker number for the RC department, and arranging webinars for RC staff. Isolation fit testing for respiratory therapists will also be performed.

Requirements

• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification required.
• Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) certification required.

Nice To Haves

• Certification Examination for Entry-Level Pulmonary Function Technologists (CPFT) or Registry Examination for Advanced Pulmonary Function Technologists (RPFT) preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work and plan with others in a team setting preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to be creative and use time effectively preferred.

Responsibilities

• Perform diagnostic pulmonary function testing (PFT) for outpatients and inpatients.
• Coordinate pulmonary clinical research studies at SMHCS.
• Schedule and perform methacholine challenge tests on adults and children.
• Conduct pulmonary stress tests and nutritional studies.
• Maintain PFT equipment and perform basic troubleshooting.
• Ensure standardization of PFT testing per ATS guidelines.
• Order equipment and supplies for the PFT lab.
• Maintain awareness of changes in the PFT lab and update equipment.
• Perform outpatient duties including pre-open heart tests, arterial blood gases, sputum inductions, nebulizers, and analyzing ionized calcium blood tests.
• Deliver routine therapy and implement department patient care protocols in a leadership role.
• Provide routine and advanced cardiopulmonary support to patients as part of the Respiratory Care support service.
• Accept verbal and phone orders from physicians as defined by policy.
• Consult with physicians, nurses, families, and other clinical professional staff.
• Initiate therapy based on department patient care protocols.
• Demonstrate knowledge of growth and development to assess and care for specific patient populations.
• Organize conferences for RC staff's CEU needs and schedule mandatory license requirement conferences.
• Keep staff informed of license requirements and maintain a tally of equipment lectures.
• Assist nursing in obtaining respiratory CEUs and submit staff CEUs in CE broker.
• Maintain the CE broker number for the RC department and arrange webinars for RC staff.
• Perform isolation fit testing for respiratory therapists.

What This Job Offers

• Industry: Hospitals