NICU Transport Respiratory Therapist Lead, Night Shift

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Performs routine therapies that aid in the treatment, diagnosis, and evaluation of their cardiopulmonary status.
• Will 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 oxygen
• administration 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 of
• therapies, and equipment during treatment.
• Documents work timely, completely, and accurately including documentation in the patient electronic medical record and departmental records.
• Demonstrates competence in the set-up, calibration, and troubleshooting of mechanical ventilators, noninvasive ventilation devices, therapeutic bronchoscopies and pulmonary function screens.
• Cleans using high level disinfection, assembles, and maintains equipment and the stocking of departmental supplies.
• Performs and documents emergency rounds, oxygen saturation checks, and titrates oxygen per protocol during oxygen and aerosol rounds.
• Performs therapies in strict compliance to universal precautions and proper body mechanics, using sound judgment in evaluating situations, and taking appropriate action when necessary.
• Responds to emergent care situations in the hospital and assists with resuscitation by providing chest compressions, airway management, airway stabilization, and ventilatory support in accordance with the American Heart association guidelines and as directed by the Code Team Leader.
• Transports adult, pediatric, and neonatal patients on mechanical ventilators, non-invasive ventilation devices, and critically ill to intra-hospital procedures and testing.
• Provides developmentally appropriate care to support the various patient populations during their hospitalization. Demonstrates competence in the care of neonatal, 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, mentors employees orienting to a specialty care unit, and functions as a resource to NICU float staff. Mentors students on clinical rotation as needed.
• Participates in community education events relating to procedures performed, disease processes, medications, and treatments relating to respiratory care.
• Participates in PI and QA initiatives including work audits and committee participation; develops protocols in conjunction with department leadership. Audits protocols as needed.
• Assist with The Joint Commission accreditation and maintaining survey readiness
• Participates in facility committees on behalf of Respiratory Therapy
• Instructs practitioners in policy, procedures, equipment, theory, new techniques, and department competencies under the guidance of the department coordinators; instructs other healthcare workers.
• Coordinates patient care operations, maintains optimal staffing levels in relation to qualification and patient volume, and acts as a resource to staff on patient care concerns to ensure quality service and compliance
• Assists in the development and revision of department and protocol implementation policy & procedures, protocol forms and assessment grids as needed in order to maintain unrestricted TJC accreditation, compliance to the State of Illinois and Wisconsin, Administrative Codes and other regulatory agencies.
• Makes clinical rounds to the units to enhance departmental image and lines of communication with other departments.
• Investigates new patient service modalities, equipment and facility needs to continually upgrade services offered by Mercyhealth System.
• Assists Manager to effectively interview, select and hire staff as needed to maintain budgeted FTE's and accomplish department service/business goals.
• Ensure adequate inventory of supplies and assist with the ongoing evaluation of equipment and supplies, submitting appropriate recommendations to manager.
• Oversees billing and charting activities to ensure the quality of data.
• Provides input on staff performance to department management.
• Provides clinical supervision of respiratory care students on rotation.
• Monitors equipment availability and staff knowledge of equipment use and repair, to ensure quality patient service. Serves as skills validator to ensure competencies of staff.
• Coordinates with NICU Transport Coordinator to arrange and attend monthly transport meetings
• Arranges quarterly transport education for transport therapists and nursing as needed.
• May require on call coverage for unit or transport.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

CERTIFICATION/LICENSURE

RRT

If not eligible for RRT, CRT required

CPR, ACLS, PALS, NRP

NPS required

IL and/ or WI Respiratory Care Practitioner license

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Passing the WI Caregiver Background Check and/or IL Health Care Workers Background Check.

Must be able to follow written/oral instructions.

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Good mathematical and interpersonal skills

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The noise level in the work environment is usually

Occupational Exposure: Category A - All partners in the specified job classification have occupational exposure.

Occupational Exposure: Category B -Some partners in the specified job classification have occupational exposure.

Occupational Exposure: Category C - No partners in the specified job classification have occupational exposure.

AGE OF PATIENTS SERVED

Neonate (birth - 28 days)

Infant (29 days - less than 1 year)

Pediatric (1 year - 12 years)

Adolescents (13 years - 17 years)

Adult (18 years - 64 years)

Geriatric (65 years and older)

Non-Specific Task (N/A)

INFORMATION ACCESS

Partner may access patient care information needed to perform their job duties. OR Partner may access patient care information, financial data, human resource data and strategic and planning data needed to perform their job duties as directed by the director.

WORK CONTACT GROUP

Partners, physicians, patients/family, visitors, vendors, community

SPECIAL PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The Special Physical Demands are considered Essential Job Functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb, balance, talk, and hear. The employee is occasionally required to sit, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl, taste, and smell. Specific vision abilities require by this job include frequent ability to adjust focus and occasionally distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally exert up to 100 pounds of force.

LEVEL OF SUPERVISION

Work requires a moderate level of independent judgment along with good interpretative and interpersonal skills with justification and accountability to Supervisor, Manager, and Director.