What are the responsibilities and job description for the Respiratory Care Therapy Specialist position at uic?
Position Summary
Respiratory Specialists in this position apply critical respiratory care thinking in treating and diagnosis of all patients. They work in delivering appropriate patient care. This position will recognize the needs and behaviors of a variety of age groups of patients treated. They must understand growth and development, normal patterns of adolescent behavior and look for signs of normal aging. They will perform all respiratory care procedures under supervision of a Respiratory Care Manager.
Duties & Responsibilities •
- All duties and responsibilities affect patient care directly or indirectly. Procedures being performed must be done in their entirety. Therapists’ professional performance and attitude projects an image of the department. Attendance, punctuality, and performing assigned duties are very important. Performance and attitude affect patient care delivery and the therapist’s working environment (workloads, getting off-duty on time). Respiratory Specialists must know the policies and procedures of the department.
- The Respiratory Specialists must be able to respond swiftly to critical changes in a patient’s condition. They not only perform and make recommendations but must be able to teach current respiratory care techniques.
- Procedures not performed during the shift may cause harm to the patient and place a burden on the on-coming shift. Adequate charting assists the patient care while inadequate or not charting will incur loss of revenue to the hospital as well as a loss of valuable patient care information.
- Respiratory Specialists will have contact with patients, doctors, nurses, other disciplines and fellow therapists to discuss patient care. They will also have contact with students and precept new employees with regards to orientation and teaching. All communication must always be professional and respectful.
Therapeutic Procedures:
- Modifies therapeutic procedures per protocol, modifies prescribed therapeutic procedures. Selects, assembles and checks equipment for proper function operation and cleanliness. This includes oxygen administration devices, aerosol generators, resuscitation devices; ventilators, analyzers, breathing circuits and respirometers, heliox therapy, nitric oxide and intubation equipment.
- Assists in performing Quality Improvement within the department.
- When administering any treatment or therapy to patients, always follow the two-patient identifier rule. Patient and medication barcodes need to be scanned to verify the accuracy before any medication administration.
- Select, review, obtain and interpret data. Reviews existing data in patient record, progress notes, chemistries, pulmonary function, sputum culture, results of ventilator monitoring, blood pressure, pulmonary artery pressures, cardiac output, electrocardiogram and pleural drainage.
