Respiratory Therapist/ECMO Specialist

Nemours Children's Health•Orlando, FL

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Nemours Children's Health is seeking a part-time Cardiac Center Respiratory Therapist/ECMO Specialist in Orlando, Florida. This dual-function role provides routine and emergency respiratory care to patients in the Comprehensive Cardiac Care Unit under the direction of the Cardiac Critical Care attending physician, and provides clinical direction to respiratory care trainees as well as consultation and education to healthcare professionals. The role involves hands-on patient care and frequent contact with patients’ families, and may require work in other hospital areas depending on patient census and acuity. The ECMO Specialist continuously monitors and assesses patients, ECMO circuits, and related technology; identifies and corrects ECMO-process problems; and initiates and evaluates protocol-based interventions. The specialist consults with the ECMO physician when patient conditions or protocol directives warrant, and collaborates with ECMO team members and other healthcare providers according to each patient’s individualized care plan. Schedule changes, shifts, and hours may vary because ECMO needs are emergency-driven and difficult to predict. Respiratory care duties include supporting mechanical ventilation, airway clearance, respiratory medication administration, advanced medical-gas delivery, transport of critically ill patients, point-of-care blood testing, and multidisciplinary rounds. ECMO duties include managing circuit settings, monitoring patient and coagulation status, maintaining cannula patency, supporting patient assessment and fluid management, participating in research and equipment evaluation, and troubleshooting equipment. Quality responsibilities include shift handoffs, interdisciplinary reviews and in-services, quality improvement, family education, and clinical documentation in Epic.

Requirements

Graduate of a Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC)-accredited School for Respiratory Care.
Associate's degree required.
Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) or Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential issued by the National Board for Respiratory Care, or an equivalent credential acceptable to the Board; alternatively, respiratory-care certification from another state meeting equivalent or more stringent requirements.
Clear and active Florida license.
American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS), PALS, and ACLS required within 30 days of hire.
One to three years of experience required.

Nice To Haves

Baccalaureate degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide routine and emergency respiratory care to patients in the Comprehensive Cardiac Care Unit.
Provide clinical direction for respiratory care trainees and consultation and education to other healthcare professionals.
Monitor and assess patients, ECMO circuits, and related technology; identify and correct ECMO-process problems and carry out protocol-consistent interventions.
Consult with the ECMO physician when patient condition or protocol limits or directives are in question.
Collaborate with ECMO team members and healthcare providers to deliver care according to individualized patient care plans.
Provide mechanical ventilation care, including high-frequency, critical-care, and home-care equipment.
Provide airway clearance and administer respiratory medications.
Deliver medical gases using appropriate equipment, including nitric oxide, helium-oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and diagnostic gases.
Transport critically ill patients within the hospital, including patients with artificial airways.
Perform point-of-care blood testing, including arterial blood gas testing and clotting time.
Participate in multidisciplinary care rounds.
Maintain ECMO competencies through annual training, simulation, and ongoing education.
Monitor and adjust ECMO circuit settings to maintain parameters established by the ECMO physician.
Recommend blood products, fluids, and/or medications as warranted by ECMO status.
Assess cardiopulmonary status using test results and physical assessment findings; anticipate and help prevent potential problems.
Monitor intake and output and coagulation results, and adjust heparin infusion according to the ECMO Heparin protocol.
Evaluate chest x-rays for endotracheal tube placement, cannula position, and lung status; support cannula patency in collaboration with the ECMO physician.
Support ECMO research by collecting related data and preparing and presenting abstracts or other documentation.
Demonstrate neonatal and/or pediatric care expertise, including assessment, technical skills, and psychosocial care.
Participate in evaluating new equipment and identify and troubleshoot equipment problems.
Provide concise end-of-shift reports and participate in interdisciplinary case reviews and in-services.
Use critical evaluation of clinical and database information and continuous improvement efforts to support quality-based outcomes.
Provide family and parental education and reinforce medical counseling initiated by the physician care team.
Use Epic to document flow sheets and other clinical information.