Respiratory Care Practitioner III

Job Summary:

We are seeking a highly skilled Respiratory Care Practitioner III to join our team at Kaiser Permanente. As a critical care respiratory therapist, you will be responsible for assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating respiratory therapy care and life support to patients in all areas of the medical center, including neonatal intensive care. You will work under the supervision of a physician and prescription to provide life support services, oxygen therapy, medical gas therapy, pharmaceutical treatments, chest physiotherapy, blood gas draws, and other patient comfort duties necessary to maintain the flow of patient care in the unit.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Uphold Kaiser Permanente's Policies and Procedures, Principles of Responsibilities, and applicable state, federal, and local laws.
• Apply philosophy and demonstrate knowledge of the Patient Bill of Rights.
• Treat members, coworkers, and individual employees with respect and dignity.
• Maintain the privacy and confidentiality of both members and employees with regard to medical records and communication regarding disease, conditions, and status.
• Greet members promptly and courteously, addressing adult members by their proper title (i.e., Mr., Mrs., Ms.) and last name except when otherwise mutually agreed upon by the provider and patient.
• Adhere to regional and department guidelines for courtesy and consideration during telephone use.
• Determine and document the following information upon taking a phone call: name of patient, phone number where patient can be reached, the reason (nature & urgency) for the call, date and time of the call, and name of the person taking the call.
• Give immediately to the requested provider or designee all messages of an emergency or urgent nature, give non-urgent messages to the requested provider or designee in a timely manner.
• Demonstrate knowledge, application, competency, and assessment skills for all specific patient/member age categories; neonatal, pediatric, and adult.
• Demonstrate proficiency in providing direct/indirect care and service to patient/member groups; neonatal, pediatric, and adult ages and classifications.
• Participate in patient care rounds as an active member of the critical care team.
• Know admitting diagnosis and pulmonary pathophysiology for assigned patients, and perform patient assessment and provide appropriate therapy.
• Evaluate and can state data obtained from respiratory monitoring devices on assigned patients.
• Evaluate patients' response to all respiratory care provided and appropriately document required information as outlined in department policies and procedures.
• Determine appropriateness and provide recommendations for respiratory care services, taking into consideration the needs of different age groups, cognitive abilities, and development status.
• Initiate new routine orders within time specified in department policies and procedures.
• Measure and adjust airway cuff pressures.
• Recommend changes in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to physicians, nursing, and/or co-workers.
• Take into consideration patient age and development status, modify those treatments/procedure techniques that do not require a change in physicians orders to optimize the delivery of care, and report modifications to appropriate health care team members.
• Utilize appropriate chain-of-command when consulting on patients not responding to standard therapeutic procedures.
• Perform respiratory diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
• Verbalize mechanisms of action, dosage, contraindications, and adverse reactions for all medications upon request.
• Obtain approval prior to administering any medications that are not included on the approved medication list.
• Store unused doses of medications in the department medication cabinet or refrigerator as indicated by the medication instructions.
• Provide ventilatory support during patient inter-intra hospital transfers.
• May be part of a high-functioning Pediatric and Neonatal transport team as applicable.
• Perform procedures for disinfecting and sterilization and adhere to infection control policies and procedures.
• Wash hands before and after physical contact with the patient and after using the restroom as described in hand washing procedure.
• Adhere to isolation procedure as indicated.
• Practice Universal Precautions at all times.
• Perform and evaluate blood gas analysis to include quality control procedures adhering to laboratory policies and procedures.
• Assure that quality control of equipment is performed and at acceptable levels.
• Obtain arterial blood samples.
• Ensure that blood samples and requisition slips have required information.
• Handle and dispose of blood samples per policy and procedure.
• Perform blood gas analysis.
• Document and report critical blood gas values to nurse/physician.
• Perform analyzer maintenance and quality controls as qualified, and ensure cleanliness of the blood gas laboratory.
• Perform Basic Life Support, Pediatric, and Neonatal Resuscitation (BLS/NRP/PALS) and respond to emergencies in all areas.
• Auscultate lungs to assure proper endotracheal tube placement.
• Identify primary affected lobes and position patient to optimize treatment while ensuring safety, prior to initiating chest physiotherapy.
• Identify contraindications in regards to chest physiotherapy and appropriately inform and provide recommendations to the physician.
• Perform oral, nasal, and tracheal suctioning to ensure airway patency.
• Collaborate with the physician and nursing in regards to the appropriate frequency of suctioning for assigned patients.
• Provide reasonable solutions upon the identification of problems.
• Participate in-group action problem-solving processes.
• Comply with patient safety practices/policies.
• Take appropriate safety measures considering patients' age and developmental status.

Charting and Documentation:

• Provide timely, accurate, legible record keeping and data entries per departmental policy and procedure.
• Maintain departmental workload documentation.
• Assume responsibility for all required Respiratory Care documentation on all assigned patients.

Equipment and Supplies:

• Effectively utilize equipment and supplies.
• Demonstrate the ability to setup, operate, troubleshoot, and perform corrective action based upon department policies and procedures and manufacturers' recommendations.
• Utilize appropriate procedures in reporting malfunctioning or suspect equipment and supplies.
• Determine whether equipment malfunction is life-threatening versus non-life-threatening and respond appropriately.
• Assume responsibility and ensure patient safety during any equipment failure.
• Maintain inventory level of respiratory care equipment and supplies as assigned.

Time Management:

• Maintain department standards for documentation of work.
• Report inability to complete procedures, seek assistance if patient care is compromised.

Job and Personal Maturity:

• Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability by accepting new ideas and supporting changes in the department and hospital/clinic.
• Function independently with minimum direction.

Communication:

• Utilize effective listening, verbal, nonverbal, and writing skills formally and informally.
• Utilize the chain-of-command in the event of a difficult situation or decision.
• Immediately report critical values to appropriate team members.
• Interact professionally when discussing patient care plans/recommendations with health care team members.

Education and Staff Development:

• Participate in orientation of new employees as required.
• Participate in and provide patient education, within the department and medical center.
• Attend department continuing education, meetings as required.

Basic Qualifications:

• Experience: One year of recent NICU experience within the past 12 months.
• Functions at independent level in all areas of Medical/Surgical, Adult, and Pediatric Intensive Care areas and Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU).
• Experience requirements may be waived or modified when an appropriate program or course is available and successfully completed for area of specialization.
• Education: Graduate of an approved 2-year Respiratory Care Accrediting Board (RCAB) approved school, or 2-year Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) school.
• License, Certification, Registration: Respiratory Care Practitioner License (California) from National Board of Respiratory Care, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, Neonatal Resuscitation Program, Basic Life Support, Registered Respiratory Therapist Certificate from National Board of Respiratory Care.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Sugar & Safe Care-Temperature-Airway-Blood Pressure-Lab Work-Emotional Support (S.T.A.B.L.E. Certification).
• Two years of recent experience in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the past 24 months.

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