Respiratory Therapist

Experience a rewarding and fulfilling career with Mercyhealth. Mercyhealth is committed to offering our partners a best place to work. Our unique workplace Culture of Excellence is built upon:

• Employee engagement, empowerment and growth
• Teamwork toward our common goal - providing exceptional health care services with a passion for making lives better
• An atmosphere of caring and quality that cascades throughout the organization

Under the direction of a physician, the RRT provides all respiratory care related duties and functions as a member of the interdisciplinary team. Sets up and administers all routine and complex respiratory care procedures to patients in all areas of the hospital, particularly the Pediatric, Emergency/Trauma Department, Step-Down Critical Care, Adult Critical Care Units, Pulmonary Function/ Bronch lab, or other specialty unit using protocol driven care. Provides critical and emergent care, airway stabilization and management, non-invasive ventilation, and is responsible for acute care ventilators used for continuous short and long term ventilation. Exemplifies the Mercyhealth mission, vision and values, and acts in accordance with the organization's policies and procedures. They will perform other duties as assigned.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Performs the duties listed in the Registered Respiratory Therapist Level 1 job description.
• Initiate, monitor, evaluate, and wean invasive and non-invasive ventilation. Makes parameter
• recommendations based on clinical assessment, technical assessment, patient compliance, patient response, laboratory values, and patient status.
• Initiates and provides on-going evaluation of treatment regime including medication delivery and oxygenadministration through therapist driven protocols by performing patient assessments to determine the needs related to treatment therapies, frequencies, and duration of treatment regime ordered by physician.
• Assesses patients clinically before and after the administration or application of any medication, procedure, or device; recommends appropriate therapy including initial therapy, changes in therapy, and discontinuation.
• Monitors, assesses, educates, and documents the patient and/or family on therapies, medications, goals oftherapies, and equipment during treatment.
• For PFT/ Bronch specialty, additional competence in the set-up, calibration, and troubleshooting of pulmonary function testing and bronchoscopy equipment required, with the ability to perform all diagnostic and therapeutic procedures as ordered by physicians including/not limited to PF screens, Basic PFT's, pre/post bronchodilator testing, lung diffusion, metabolic testing, cardiopulmonary stress testing, ABG draws, NIF, MVV, methacholine challenges, and CO2 measurements.
• Responds to emergent care situations including adult and pediatric, in the hospital and assists with resuscitation by providing chest compressions, airway management, airway stabilization, and ventilatory support in accordance with the ACLS/PALS guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Heart Association guidelines and as directed by the Code Team Leader.
• Transports adult patients on mechanical ventilators, non-invasive ventilation devices, and critically ill to intrahospital procedures and testing.
• Provides developmentally appropriate care to support the various patient populations during their hospitalization. Demonstrates competence in the care of pediatric and adult patients (when/if assigned to these patients) relative to determining each patient's age related and other physical, psycho-social, and cultural needs.
• Assists with the orientation process for new employees and employees orienting to adult specialty care units.
• Acts as the charge therapist in the absence of the Lead Respiratory Therapist on a rotational basis as assigned, performing the duties and responsibilities described in that job description to the best of your ability.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience

Graduate of an accredited Respiratory Care Program
Minimum 1 year respiratory experience required, 6 months critical care

Certification and Licensure

RRT
If not eligible for RRT, CRT required
CPR
ACLS within 6 months of hire
NRP within 90 days of orientation, for those departments requiring delivery attendance
CPFT or RPFT preferred for PFT/ Bronch specialty
IL and/ or WI Respiratory Care Practitioner license