Respiratory Therapist

Cleveland Clinic is seeking a highly skilled Respiratory Therapist to join our team of dedicated healthcare professionals. As a Respiratory Therapist, you will play a critical role in providing patient-centered care to adults, pediatric, and neonatal populations.

• Provide care to adults/elderly considering assessment and interview techniques identifying psychosocial, physical, and educational needs.
• Maintain continuous ventilation of patients on mechanical ventilators (invasive and noninvasive).
• Monitor patient's ventilatory status with spirometers, pressure gauges and chest auscultation, draw and analyze arterial blood gases and measure respiratory exchange.
• Wean patients from continuous ventilation utilizing established procedures.
• Perform cardiopulmonary assessment to evaluate patient's respiratory status.
• Analyze, record, and report results such as arterial blood gases, oxygenation studies, pulmonary function tests, hemodynamic monitoring parameters, etc.
• Recommend modification to therapy or implementation of treatments.
• Maintain airway care by performing and instructing proper tracheal instillations, tracheal aspiration, and nasotracheal aspiration.
• Perform invasive procedures such as arterial puncture, tracheostomy tube changes as ordered by the physician.
• Assist the physician in bedside and/or scheduled Bronchoscopy procedures.
• Perform bedside Spirometry procedures and/or more complete Pulmonary Function studies with appropriate training (clinic staff).
• Perform basic respiratory therapies such as medicated aerosols, oxygen therapy, nitric oxide administration, humidity/aerosol, bronchopulmonary hygiene, hyperinflation techniques, pulse oximetry while verifying physician order and utilizing appropriate treatment guidelines.
• Observe and respond to adverse patient reactions to therapy or otherwise and initiates/assists in Rapid Response and Code Blue (CPR) situations.
• Act as a resource for the pulmonologist for patient education and troubleshooting of therapeutic issues and training Residents (RRT credentialed therapists unless approved otherwise by the Departmental Director).

• Graduation from an AMA approved Respiratory Care program.
• State of Florida Department of Health License Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT).
• American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS).
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Certification (Hospital RT staff).
• American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) (Clinic RT staff).
• Up to date CEU requirements.
• One year of clinical experience.
• Will consider newly licensed personnel for entry level position.

• Membership of the Florida Society of Respiratory Care.
• Membership to the American Association for Respiratory Care.

Requires good manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Requires normal hearing and vision or corrected to normal range. May require sitting, standing and walking for extensive periods of time. This position requires proficiency in treatment of respiratory disorders for inpatient and outpatients with various media, i.e. oxygen, therapeutic gases, inhaled medications and positive pressure devices. Interpretive skills frequent interactive and consultative associations are inherent in this position. The ability to retrieve, communicate or otherwise present information in a written, auditory or visual fashion is essential.

Moderate to heavy lifting and positioning of patients. Moderate pushing and pulling of equipment. Working Conditions: 100% air-conditioned. Moderate risk of exposure to blood or air-borne pathogens.

Medium Work - Exerting 20 to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 10 to 25 pounds of force frequently, and/or greater than negligible up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.

Follows standard precautions using personal protective equipment as required.