Respiratory Therapist - NICU Specialist - Per Diem

Boston Medical Center•Brighton, MA

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Respiratory Therapy Department has formally adopted the American Association For Respiratory Care Clinical Practice Guidelines (AARC CPG) for patient care. Respiratory Therapists function in a physician supervised environment following AARC CPG (where applicable) as well as established departmental standards and practices. Respiratory Therapists provide critical care service to all patient age groups. The Respiratory Therapist will provide superior customer service, review medical records for completeness and indications for therapy, conduct clinical patient assessments, assemble and monitor equipment, administer ordered therapy while monitoring patient outcomes, maintain and adjust mechanical ventilators, perform routine oxygen, aerosol, and emergent airway management, chest physiotherapy, postural drainage, and sputum induction. They will also perform assessments of patients and deliver systems, document patient assessments and therapies, provide emergency response for cardiopulmonary arrest and other emergencies, deliver basic life support maneuvers, and act as a member of the health care delivery team. Additionally, they will provide routine care, cleaning, disinfecting, and maintenance of departmental equipment, assist with maintaining stock levels, measure pulmonary function and gas exchange parameters, and calibrate and maintain pulmonary function equipment. With appropriate training, the therapist will assist in the performance of bronchoscopes, sleep studies, bronchial provocation, and exercise testing. They will maintain departmental documentation and assist in quality assurance programs.

Requirements

1+ Years of Level 3 NICU experience required.
Interpersonal and communication skills sufficient to satisfactorily explain respiratory therapy/pulmonary function test procedures to patients.
RRT License in respiratory therapy by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
NRP Certification required.
Certified in Basic Life Support by the AHA or Red Cross required.
Must obtain sufficient annual Continuing Education to maintain license.

Nice To Haves

Advanced Life Support Certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Provides superior customer service to internal and external clients, customers, and patients as referenced in the Service Excellence Standards.
Reviews the medical record including: Physicians orders for completeness, indications for therapy as well as potential contraindications prior to administering therapies/medications in accordance with AARC CPG.
Conducts a clinical patient assessment including but not limited to, cardiac, pulmonary and neurologic status.
Assembles equipment in accordance with manufacturers specifications and departmental standards.
Confirms that equipment is functioning per manufacturers specifications prior to use.
Monitors equipment function during use and applies appropriate corrective action in the event of malfunction.
Administers ordered therapy while clinically monitoring patient for outcome, hazards, or complications arising during, or immediately following therapy.
Maintains, monitors, measures, and adjusts mechanical ventilators appropriately to assure proper function and to ascertain therapeutic effectiveness.
Performs routine oxygen, aerosol, and emergent airway management, chest physiotherapy, postural drainage, and/or sputum induction to maintain patient airways (in accordance with AARC CPG).
Performs assessments of patients and deliver systems (i.e., Ventilator Systems) on a regular basis in accordance with AARC CPG and departmental standards and practice.
Documents patient assessments, therapies delivered, patient monitoring, responses to therapies, and complications within the medical record in accordance with AARC CPG.
Provides emergency response for cardiopulmonary arrest, respiratory emergencies, hospital disasters and other emergencies as needed.
Delivers basic life support maneuvers such as maintenance of a patent airway, external cardiac compression, manual ventilation by way of mouth-to-mouth, bag-valve-mask, and related ventilation techniques.
Maintains AHA BLS certification on an annual basis.
Acts as a member of the health care delivery team assisting in the development and implementation of multidisciplinary patient care plans.
Documents assessment of patient response to ongoing care and participates in the reevaluation of care delivery.
Acts as and integral part of the health team that partakes in the pulmonary rehabilitation of the difficult to wean patient.
Provides routine care, cleaning, disinfecting and maintenance of departmental equipment.
Documents equipment malfunction and alerts supervisor.
Assists with maintaining stock levels by notifying supervisor as levels require replenishment.
Measures using appropriate available instrumentation, pulmonary function, gas exchange, respiratory rate, tidal and minute ventilation, alveolar-to-arterial PO2 gradient, intrapulmonary shunt fraction, respiratory mechanics (including static and dynamic compliance), pulse rate, blood pressure, arterial blood gases, end-tidal CO2, and pulse oximetary
Calibrates and maintains pulmonary function equipment, and other departmental equipment in accordance with manufacturers recommendations, and departmental standards.
With appropriate training, the therapist assists in the performance of bronchoscopes, sleep studies, bronchial provocation, and exercise testing for evaluation of hypoxemia and/or desaturation studies.
Maintains departmental documentation including, but not limited to: Patient Charting Departmental Therapy Records Quality Assurance Patient Charges
Assists in the development, implementation, and maintenance of departmental quality assurance programs and audits as assigned.
Enhances professional growth and development through in-service meetings, educational programs, current literature, workshops, etc.
Is strongly encouraged to partake in the local and national respiratory therapy societies.