Respiratory Therapist - RRT

Overview

Physician Network Res Pool. PRN. Day Shift. Lexington Health is a comprehensive network of care that includes six community medical and urgent care centers, nearly 80 physician practices, more than 9,000 health care professionals and Lexington Medical Center, a 607-bed teaching hospital in West Columbia, South Carolina. It was selected by Modern Healthcare as one of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare and was first in the state to achieve Magnet with Distinction status for excellence in nursing care.

Consistently ranked as best in the Columbia Metro area by U.S. News & World Report, Lexington Health delivers more than 4,000 babies each year, performs more than 34,000 surgeries annually and is the region's third largest employer. Lexington Health also includes an accredited Cancer Center of Excellence, the state’s first Heart

CARE Center, the largest skilled nursing facility in the Carolinas, and an Alzheimer’s care center. Its postgraduate medical education programs include family medicine and transitional year residencies, as well as an informatics fellowship.

Performs duties within the scope of respiratory care, to include but not limited to inpatient assessments, oxygen and routine therapy, arterial blood gases, and mechanical ventilation. Outpatient services to include diagnostic studies and pulmonary rehab to include patient assessment, planning, intervention, follow-up, evaluation, and discharge planning.

• Minimum Education:
  
  2 Year Associate's Degree (AMA accredited program for Respiratory Care and registered through the National Board for Respiratory Care)
• Minimum Years of
  
  Experience:
  
  None
• Substitutable
  
  Education & Experience:
  
  Associate's Degree may be substituted for active RRT credential through National Board for Respiratory Care, active license through SC LLR, and 10 years of direct experience as a Respiratory Therapist.
• Required Certifications/Licensure:
  Licensed by the Board of Medical Examiners for the State of South Carolina (biennial renewal required);
  Infant/Child and Adult Basic Life Support (BLS) Certified - ACLS for Pulmonary Rehab, Pulmonary Lab, CVICU therapist, and for the Rapid Response Team. (Within six months or first available class). All Employees assigned to Special Care Nursery must have NRP certification.
• Required Training:
  None

• Demonstrates competence to provide developmentally appropriate care/treatment for the following patient populations (vary by area):
  Infant (Birth to 1 year);
  Child (1 year through 12 years);
  Adolescent (13 years through 17 years);
  Adult (18 years to 65 years);
  Geriatric (over 65 years).
• Supervises clinical exercise programs using a variety of tools including telemetry, BP, pulse oximetry, dyspnea scale, and perceived exertion.
• Documents patients' medical history, care plan (ITP), responses to treatment, progress and complications. Evaluates and reports patients’ outcomes including functional capacity, risk reduction, behavior modification, and follow-up assessments to evaluate individual progress and program effectiveness.
• Works toward returning patients to previous functional level and having lower risk for future events as well as a better understanding of disease process.
• Provides individualized counseling and education to inpatients, outpatients and family members to meet identified needs. Teaches group education classes as a part of outpatient pulmonary rehab program. Assists in the development and revision of education materials.
• Performs routine/oxygen therapy, administers medication, follows protocols. Administers specialty gases.
• Assesses patients in accordance with clinical practice guidelines and makes recommendations to physician for the most appropriate therapy.
• Interprets prescriptions and/or confers with physician to determine requirements for therapy. Accepts verbal respiratory care orders from physician and documents on order sheet.
• Makes adjustments using clinical decision making skills based on response from treatments.
• Performs arterial punctures and draws from arterial lines to obtain blood gas samples. Analyzes samples on blood gas systems and interprets results. Performs routine daily preventive maintenance and QC.
• Performs diagnostic procedures, interprets results and makes recommendations based on set criteria (Example: pulse oximetry, bedside spirometry, flow studies, and peak flows).
• Initiates, monitors, and troubleshoots BIPAP/CPAP systems.

• Demonstrates proficiency in assessment and management of the critical care patient. Knowledge of ventilator modalities and their operation.
• Responds to Code Blues; performs cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.
• Documents all patient-care related activities in medical record.
• Assists with patient/family education as pertinent to Respiratory Care and documents progress, including patient evaluation, orientation, and follow-up.
• Utilizes, maintains, calibrates and troubleshoots all equipment to ensure proper function.
• Assists in…