Respiratory Therapist

Position Summary:

The Respiratory Therapist (RT) provides comprehensive respiratory care to patients across all hospital settings, including Allied Health, Long-Term Care, Emergency, and Acute Care. This role is responsible for assessing, treating, and managing patients with respiratory disorders, ensuring compliance with industry regulations and hospital protocols while maintaining the highest standards of patient care.

Position Key Responsibilities

Patient Care

• Evaluate and treat patients with respiratory conditions, providing appropriate therapies.
• Administer oxygen therapy, nebulized medications, chest physiotherapy, and non-invasive ventilation support.
• Perform arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis and interpret results to guide treatment.
• Monitor and adjust mechanical ventilation settings per physician orders.
• Respond to emergency situations, including respiratory distress and code blue events.
• Provide care to residents in Long-Term Care, ensuring continuity of treatment.
• Assist in the management of patients with chronic respiratory diseases.

Clinical Expertise

• Assess patient respiratory status and recommend interventions based on evidence-based practices.
• Utilize specialized equipment such as CPAP, BiPAP, and high-flow oxygen therapy.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of new respiratory care treatments and technologies.
• Adhere to infection control protocols and safety procedures.

Documentation and Reporting

• Accurately document patient assessments, treatments, and responses in the electronic health record (EHR).
• Communicate findings and recommendations to physicians and interdisciplinary team members.
• Ensure compliance with hospital policies, state regulations, and industry standards.

Patient Advocacy and Education

• Educate patients and families on respiratory conditions, treatment plans, and home care.
• Provide smoking cessation counseling and resources.
• Advocate for patient needs, ensuring a patient-centered approach to care.

Team Collaboration

• Work closely with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to develop and implement patient care plans.
• Participate in interdisciplinary team meetings to discuss patient progress.
• Train and mentor new respiratory therapy staff as needed.

Continuous Improvement

• Participate in quality improvement initiatives to enhance respiratory care services.
• Stay current with continuing education and professional development requirements.
• Identify opportunities for improving processes and patient outcomes.

Organization’s expectations of Employee:

• Represents North Valley Hospital and facilities positively and professionally by exemplifying the vision, mission, values, and goals of North Valley Hospital.
• Maintains attendance by working the hours of the position.  Follows policies and procedures regarding attendance, vacation, holidays, sick leave, and leaves of absence.
• Uses the timekeeping applications efficiently and accurately.
• Adheres to dress code; appearance is neat and clean; wears name badge while on duty
• Uses good customer service skills by relating to staff/healthcare providers, patients/residents, customers, and the general public courteously and diplomatically under all circumstances.
• Compliance with all organizational policies and procedures.
• Participate in CQI/QAPI activities, NVHD Performance Improvement Initiatives, and Disaster Preparedness education/exercises, and complete duties as assigned in case of emergencies/ICS stand-up.
• Completes mandatory training in a timely manner.
• Demonstrates the ability to make decisions, take appropriate action, and follow tasks through to completion.
• Effectively collaborates with peers and team members, using tactful, diplomatic communication techniques in potentially sensitive or emotionally charged situations.
• Demonstrates leadership responsibility and skills, including planning and completing duties with minimal direction from the supervisor when appropriate.
• Performs other duties as assigned, provided skills, abilities, and qualifications are appropriate and sufficient training is provided.

Physical Demands: The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Physical demands:  While performing duties of the job, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; must have speech, vision, smell, touch and hearing corrected to normal range.  The employee must frequently lift/push/pull up to 25 pounds and up to 50 pounds occasionally.  Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Mental requirements:  Must be able to apply common sense to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagrammatic form; must be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide all units of measure; must be able to read, write, and speak clearly.
• Work environment:  Works inside in close working quarters with co-workers. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Exposures:  Muscular strain, body fluids, behavior of clients/patients/residents, infectious material, chemicals/cleaning solutions, potential allergens such as plants/flowers, and noxious odors.