Respiratory Care Practitioner

Overview When every breath counts and every heartbeat matters, you are there. As a Respiratory Care Practitioner, your expertise plays a vital role in the care of adult, geriatric, pediatric, and neonatal patients. Your commitment to excellence directly impacts lives—and through your work, you help fulfill Legacy’s mission of making life better for others.

Responsibilities

Performs respiratory therapy, ventilator management, EKGs, and serves on the code team. Additional responsibilities may include exercise stress testing and pulmonary function testing. All duties are performed according to physician orders, applying clinical knowledge, skill, and judgment to ensure safe and effective patient care. The Respiratory Care Practitioner provides care for adult, geriatric, pediatric, and neonatal patients, delivering respiratory support and performing technical procedures as an integral member of the healthcare team. COMPETENCY: Achieves and maintains advanced level clinical skills necessary to care for critical patients. PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF WORKLOAD: Performs cardiopulmonary procedures using the knowledge, skills and abilities required for the age of patients (neonate, pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric) served. Goals of the department are attained utilizing a clearly established daily plan of treatments, procedures, clean up and maintenance with cooperation through all shifts regardless of assignments or job title. DOCUMENTATION: Complete, accurate and timely information is gathered and documented in the department and patient records. Accurate charges and record keeping is done to ensure proper billing. COMMUNICATION: Verbal and non-verbal age-appropriate communications (neonate, pediatric, adolescent, adult and geriatric) are open and positive with peers, supervisors, physicians, patients and all outside customers, under stressful and non-stressful circumstances. Patients and co-workers’ confidentiality is maintained. ENVIRONMENT/SAFETY: Clinic environment, equipment, and personal workspace are maintained in a neat and safe manner. Annual safety and other hospital wide educational requirements are met in a timely fashion and clearly documented. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Professional education is advanced through regular participation in internal/external education opportunities in both broad and discipline-specific topics. Completes annual competencies and keeps accurate files in personal portfolio. SPECIAL PROCEDURES: The Respiratory Care Practitioner has a basic knowledge of related special procedures.

Qualifications

Education: Associate degree in respiratory therapy from a program accredited by the Committee On Accreditation for Respiratory Care (COARC) or accredited by the American Medical Association’s Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation (CAHEA).