Respiratory Technician

South Shore Health•Weymouth, MA

2d•$20 - $28•Onsite

About The Position

Under the auspices of the South Shore Hospital Director of Respiratory Care and the direct supervision of a Massachusetts licensed respiratory therapist preceptor, the student/respiratory technician will perform duties permitted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’s M.G.L. c. 112, §§ 23R through 23BB as defined in 261 CMR 2.06 – 2.08. The student must apply for and be granted a limited permit to practice respiratory therapy to be accepted as an employee of this program. At any time the limited license expires, is revoked or the student is no longer enrolled in his/her respiratory program prior to graduation, the employment will be revoked. The student will only be permitted to perform those services which have been successfully completed as part of the curriculum of his/her respiratory therapy program. South Shore Hospital may however further limit the scope of practice that may be performed by the student. The student, in conjunction with the educational respiratory therapy program director, will be responsible for filing a Verification of Education form to the Board of Registration in Respiratory Care and updating this form as the student further completes his education. The student must keep a logbook of all services performed at South Shore Hospital and pass them in to the Respiratory Care Operations Manager each week. These logs will be retained in the student’s departmental personnel file. The student’s preceptor must verify all entries in the logbook. Duties That May Be Performed If Included In The Limited License: Equipment storage, assembly, disassembly and maintenance. Gas cylinder transport. Administration of oxygen. Administration of hand held nebulizer treatments. Instruction of incentive spirometers. Instruction of metered dose inhalers. Sputum inductions. Subsequent applications of CPAP and BiPAP. Blood Gas Analysis (verified by preceptor) Pulmonary Function Testing Ventilator application and maintenance. (only with direct observation by preceptor) Manual ventilation during CPR and transport. (only with direct observation by preceptor) Duties That May Not Be Performed Regardless of Licensure Inclusion: Ventilator application and maintenance. (without direct observation) Arterial punctures. Hemodynamic line draws. Nasotracheal suctioning

Requirements

Must be currently enrolled in an approved school of Respiratory Care as a second year (or greater) student or have successfully graduated from the program.
Must have a current, full or limited, Massachusetts Respiratory Care license.
Must hold a current BLS certification.
Previous clinical respiratory hospital rotations.
Knowledge of oxygen therapy and limitations of the various devices.
Good interpersonal skills.
Understanding and basic ability to interpret blood gases.
Understanding of aerosol therapy and the medications used.
Successful completion of the first year instruction in Respiratory Care from an accredited institution.

Responsibilities

Responsible for the safe and effective administration of medically prescribed medications, knowing their indications and contraindications.
Knows and follows the indications and contraindications, the policy and procedures in administering therapeutic modalities including but not limited to: IPPB, IS, HHN, CPAP & BiPAP.
Safe utilization of gas cylinders and piped in gas outlets.
Performs PFT’s to the standards of the American Thoracic Society.
Familiar with oxygen delivery systems as determined by their proper application and set up (i.e., nasal, venturi mask)
Familiar with measuring devices to include, but not limited to, pulse oximeter, Wrights respirometer, oxygen blenders
Responsible for the set-up and safety check of mechanical ventilators
Under direct supervision of a preceptor, responsible for the set-up, safety check, monitoring and troubleshooting of mechanical ventilators.
Familiar with the set-up and administration of CPAP and BiPAP
Attends all required Safety Training programs and can describe his/her responsibilities related to general safety, department/service safety, specific job-related hazards.
Responsibly follows the Hospital Exposure Control Plans/Bloodborne and Airborne Pathogens.
Demonstrates respect and regard for the dignity of all patients, families, visitors and fellow employees to ensure a professional, responsible and courteous environment.
Promotes effective working relations and works effectively as part of a department/unit team inter and intra departmentally to facilitate the department's/unit's ability to meet its goals and objectives.
Maintains accurate and legible records, documenting clinical notes in patients charts.
Participation in reporting patient progress, patient condition, and documenting needed level of care to the next shift as determined by observation at shift change.
Safety Awareness – Fosters a “Culture of Safety” through personal ownership and commitment to a safe environment.
Adheres to policies and procedures required for the implementation of the National Patient Safety Goals as determined by process improvement reviews
The student-technician will report to their preceptor and pass along to the oncoming therapist
All activities performed will be kept in a log and routinely reviewed by the department operations manager
Participates in rounds, when applicable, and documents recommendations
Can perform sputum inductions using the departmental hypertonic saline protocol. All material will be screened for acceptable quality and labeled at the patient's bedside.