Respiratory Therapy Inpatient Pneumonia Navigator

Danbury Hospital•Danbury, CT

20d

About The Position

The Respiratory Therapy Inpatient Pneumonia Navigator is responsible for identifying and supporting hospitalized patients diagnosed with pneumonia and guiding them through a coordinated care pathway aimed at reducing preventable readmissions. This role bridges clinical, case management, and community resources to ensure safe, effective transitions of care, while monitoring outcomes and identifying systemic barriers. The Navigator acts as a liaison between patients, providers, and interdisciplinary teams to promote best practices in pneumonia care management and by connecting patients with appropriate community resources. This role integrates clinical surveillance, real time data collection, and interdisciplinary care coordination to ensure safe and effective transitions of care.

Requirements

College degree (Associate’s degree required; Bachelor’s degree preferred).
Current Connecticut Respiratory Care Practitioner License with no adverse licensure actions or pending charges.
Registered Respiratory Therapist credential from the National Board of Respiratory Care (NBRC).
Minimum of three (3) years of experience as a Respiratory Care Practitioner in an acute care clinical setting.
Strong understanding of pneumonia clinical pathways, readmission risk factors, and discharge planning.
Proficient in all modalities of respiratory care and treatment with extensive knowledge of the pathophysiology of lung diseases and best practices for treatment.
Excellent communication, problem-solving, and patient engagement skills.
Excellent customer service skills and ability to establish and build relationships with patients, families, and healthcare providers.
Ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team and navigate complex clinical systems.
Proficient in use of Electronic Health Records, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Excel, and similar computer applications.

Nice To Haves

Pulmonary Disease Educator certificate from the American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC)
Bilingual language skills in Spanish or Portuguese are not required but preferred.

Responsibilities

Monitors the Pneumonia Daily report to identify patients admitted with this diagnosis to Danbury and/or New Milford Hospitals.
Reviews patient charts and assesses the patient to help determine if care plan is appropriate and adjusts as necessary based upon sound clinical judgement and accepted practice.
Regularly monitors patient response to specific treatment modalities based on clinical progression, pulmonary analytics and diagnosis, clinical symptoms, chart review and patient assessment. Notifies the physician of patients who demonstrate unusual or adverse responses to medication or therapy. Notifies the physician of non-compliance and other concerns with the patientï¿½s care or discharge plan.
Connects with inpatient medicine teams to identify patients diagnosed with pneumonia that are eligible for intervention.
Regularly attend multidisciplinary rounds, trainings and other meetings as requested.
Performs, coordinates, schedules, and/or provides relevant education to patients with pneumonia. Education will also include families, care partners, and healthcare team members. Addresses patient, family, or care partner concerns in a timely manner.
Suggest appropriate referrals to help minimize chances of readmission to the hospital.
Actively participates in appropriate hospital and system committees as assigned.
Maintains appropriate databases and metrics for Quality Improvement and presents data at meetings as necessary.
Screen individuals for gaps in social determinants of health and provide them with appropriate referrals and connection to navigation services if indicated.
Links patients and their care givers with supportive community services and programs.
Identify and address barriers to care and work with patient care teams to take advantage of all available community resources.
Work closely with medical providers, care coordinators, case management and other navigators to help ensure patients are screened and provided with resources.
Work cooperatively with other clinical personnel assigned to the same patient/client.
Maintains competency in performing all duties of a Registered Respiratory Therapist and completes all necessary training in a timely manner.
Maintains and Models the Organization's values.
Demonstrates regular, reliable and predictable attendance.
Performs other duties as required.