Respiratory Therapist

SHIFT:

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Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)—named America’s 2022 Best Large Employer by Forbes—offers countless ways to change lives. Our diverse community of more than 20,000 Breakthrough Makers will inspire you to pursue passions, develop expertise, and drive innovation.

At CHOP, your experience is valued; your voice is heard; and your contributions make a difference for patients and families. Join us as we build on our promise to advance pediatric care—and your career.

CHOP’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

CHOP is committed to building an inclusive culture where employees feel a sense of belonging, connection, and community within their workplace. We are a team dedicated to fostering an environment that allows for all to be their authentic selves. We are focused on attracting, cultivating, and retaining diverse talent who can help us deliver on our mission to be a world leader in the advancement of healthcare for children.

We strongly encourage all candidates of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.

A Brief Overview
The Respiratory Therapist (RT) practices at the level of a clinically competent to proficient practitioner of respiratory care. The RT at this level demonstrates competence in caring for patients with emergency, acute, and intensive care needs with minimal guidance. The RT demonstrates clinical leadership skills through contribution to standards of care and department goals. They serves as a role model for other staff, a preceptor for new employees and participates in endeavors to increase respiratory care knowledge. The RT works under the direction of ordering physician/clinician, established organizational policies and procedures, and the American Association of Respiratory Care Clinical Practices Guidelines.

What you will do

• Practice: Provides proficient care for patients and families using a holistic approach.
• Documentation reflects outcomes and appropriate revision of patient care provided and utilizes current hospital standards, policy and procedures.
• Develops new problem-solving approaches, compares one whole situation with another rather than relying on rational calculation, and can take risks because he/she is no longer preoccupied with technical mastery.
• Ability to recognize family needs related to child’s diagnosis/condition.
• Recognizes impact of self in therapeutic relationships.
• Able to organize and prioritize based on the changing situations rather than by predetermined goals.
• Able to read situations and set priorities.
• Analyzes, interprets, and prioritizes data in order to provide individualized care based upon complex clinical judgment.
• Differentiates between therapeutic and non-therapeutic relationships and establishes therapeutic boundaries.
• Incorporates diverse family system needs and methods of coping into treatment plan.
• Professionalism/Leadership: Demonstrates proficiency in professional practice.
• Role models appearance and behaviors that promote a positive image of Respiratory Care.
• Interacts with parents/patients and colleagues with respect and dignity.
• Spend the “extra time” with families listening for avenues to improve on the ideal patient experience and anticipate patient/family needs.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the impact on the team therefore role models: arriving to work on time; ready to start the shift; predicts challenges and obstacles and plans for how to minimize a negative impact on the patient and family
• Provides an accurate patient status report to members of the team that reflects respiratory interventions, patient outcomes and alterations to plan of care.
• Actively participate in patient care rounds and can make recommendations to the plan of care.
• Chairs and/or participates in unit/departmental shared governance council.
• Seeks evaluation of self from peers and clinically advanced professionals to improve professional practice.
• Continuously evaluates the outcomes of patient care and own professional practice.
• Acts as a preceptor for novice/beginner therapists.
• Participates in interdisciplinary committees/projects/task forces.
• Motivates others to incorporate respiratory care standards in his/her daily practice.
• Identifies and coordinates resources to impact patient care.
• Works to improve respiratory care practice, and the outcome of patient care, through achieving department based goals.
• Identifies teaching/learning needs for clinical area and is an active teacher for patients, families, and staff.
• Research: Incorporates research into clinical practice.
• Actively seeks out and uses research findings from various sources.
• Participates in efforts to apply research findings to improve clinical practice.
• Assists with data collection in research studies being conducted by the department.
• Reads and evaluates current research having implications for clinical practice.
• Modifies own practice based on research and quality improvement findings.
• Demonstrates an understanding of and participates in research and/or quality improvement activities.
• Evaluates clinical practice to identify problems for potential study
• Collaborates in the development and implementation of research and/or quality improvement activities.
• Learning: Initiates the development of professional and educational activities.
• Examines successes and failures to improve performance.
• Maintains a blame free environment.
• Identify own learning needs and seeks out opportunity to
• attends all required organizational and departmental educational programs
• Applies education and training from internal and external programs to daily work to enhance personal respiratory knowledge and skills.
• Establishes and maintains active membership in a professional organization.
• Participates in the development of policy and procedures.
• Shares, in a formal manner, relevant information gained from professional seminars or conferences.
• Identifies area of educational needs among peers and other health care workers and develops, presents, and evaluates programs to meet those needs.
• Attends internal education programs to meet identified learning needs and personal/professional goals. (i.e. annual competencies, skills fair.)
• Demonstrates health care informatics competency in order to manage patient care, outcome data and current and emerging health care technology, which includes:
• o Basic computer competency, including the effective use of patient care devices, computers, computer software programs such as e-mail and word processing programs, and shared network file space.
• o Information literacy, including the effective use of the Intranet and Internet to find electronic resources for patient care, respiratory practice and evidence-based decision-making;
• o Information management skills, including the effective use of the electronic health record and clinical information systems, the ability to collect clinical data using quality tools and the ability to discuss, evaluate and analyze outcome data presented in charts and tables.
• Resource Management: Is able to teach others the appropriate utilization of financial resources and makes recommendations.
• Develops systems that promote quality, efficient and cost effective care.
• Monitors department usage of supplies and equipment, solicits, and implements systems for improvement to minimize waste and/or misuse of patient supplies.
• Addresses issues and identifies opportunities for enhanced staffing efficacies.
• Manages own time to accomplish direct/indirect care in a cost efficient manner.

Education Qualifications

• High School Diploma / GED Required
• Technical Diploma Respiratory Care Program Required
• Associate's Degree Preferred

Experience Qualifications

• At least six (6) months prior respiratory care experience. Required

Skills and Abilities

• Informatics competencies for respiratory therapists:
• Computer Competency
• Basic use of a computers (e.g. mouse, keyboard, printer, USB ports), fax machines
• Basic use of MS Office Suite
• Use of MS Outlook email, opening attachments, attaching files to emails, and saving attached files to computer.
• Use of shared network file space.
• Basic use of patient care devices. (e.g. point of care devices, CR monitors)
• Navigation and use of Clinical communication systems
• Nurse Call system
• Ascom
• Information Literacy
• Use of Internet and Intranet to look up basic electronic resources for practice
• Ability to find and print Patient Family Education Documents
• Ability to find and navigate the Department of Respiratory Care website and related linked CHOP resource sites
• Ability to perform a literature search on the Internet and ability to find professional journal and/or research based articles
• Ability to evaluate Internet sites for reliability
• Information Management Literacy
• Navigation of electronic health records.
• Ability to locate and review specific patient data in clinical information systems and the electronic health record.
• Understanding of policies and procedures around timeliness of care, use of a clinical information system, and support of safe practice. (e.g. use of clinical pathways.)
• Ability to collect clinical data using quality improvement tools (e.g. hand hygiene).
• Understanding confidentiality and privacy regulations when using a patient electronic health record.
• Coordination of patient care information in a patient care record that utilizes multiple systems.

Licenses and Certifications

• Respiratory Therapist (Pennsylvania) - Pennsylvania State Licensing Board - upon hire - Required and
• Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) - National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) - upon hire - Required and
• Basic Life Support (BLS) - issued through on organization that requires a hands-on instructor lead psychomotor skills verification (ex. American Heart Association or Red Cross). - upon hire - Required
• Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) - National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) - upon hire - Preferred or
• Registered Respiratory Therapist - Neonatal Pediatric Specialty (RRT-NPS) - National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) - upon hire - Preferred or
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) - issued through on organization that requires a hands-on instructor lead psychomotor skills verification (ex. American Heart Association or Red Cross). - upon hire - Preferred or
• Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) - issued through on organization that requires a hands-on instructor lead psychomotor skills verification (ex. American Heart Association or Red Cross). - upon hire - Preferred or
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) - issued through on organization that requires a hands-on instructor lead psychomotor skills verification (ex. American Heart Association or Red Cross). - upon hire - Preferred

To carry out its mission, CHOP is committed to supporting the health of our patients, families, workforce, and global community. As a condition of employment, professionals working onsite—at any CHOP location, for any portion of time—must be vaccinated for COVID-19. Learn more.

CHOP also requires employees who work in patient care buildings to receive an annual influenza vaccine. Employees may request exemptions for valid religious and medical reasons. Start dates may be delayed until candidates are immunized or exemption requests are reviewed.

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