Respiratory Care Specialist III

As a Respiratory Care Practitioner III at Kaiser Permanente, 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.

• Uphold Kaiser Permanente's Policies and Procedures, Principles of Responsibilities, and applicable state, federal, and local laws.
• 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.
• Telephone Courtesy and Assistance: 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.
• Gives immediately to the requested provider or designee all messages of an emergency or urgent nature, gives non-urgent messages to the requested provider or designee in a timely manner.

As a Respiratory Care Practitioner III, you will be responsible for:

• Demonstrating knowledge, application, competency, and assessment skills for all specific patient/member age categories; neonatal, pediatric, and adult.
• Patient Care and Member Service: Demonstrating proficiency in providing direct/indirect care and service to patient/member groups; neonatal, pediatric, and adult ages and classifications.
• Participating in patient care rounds as an active member of the critical care team.
• Knowing admitting diagnosis and pulmonary pathophysiology for assigned patients, and performing patient assessment and providing appropriate therapy.
• Evaluating and stating data obtained from respiratory monitoring devices on assigned patients.
• Evaluating patients' response to all respiratory care provided and appropriately documenting required information as outlined in department policies and procedures.
• Determining appropriateness and providing recommendations for respiratory care services, taking into consideration the needs of different age groups, cognitive abilities, and development status.
• Initiating new routine orders within time specified in department policies and procedures.
• Measuring and adjusting airway cuff pressures.
• Recommending changes in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to physicians, nursing, and/or co-workers.
• Taking into consideration patient age and development status, modifying those treatments/procedure techniques, which do not require a change in physicians orders to optimize the delivery of care, and reporting modifications to appropriate health care team members.
• Utilizing appropriate chain-of-command when consulting on patients not responding to standard therapeutic procedures.
• Performing respiratory diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
• Verbalizing mechanisms of action, dosage, contraindications, and adverse reactions for all medications upon request.
• Obtaining approval prior to administering any medications, which is not included on the approved medication list.
• Storing unused doses of medications in the department medication cabinet or refrigerator as indicated by the medication instructions.
• Providing ventilatory support during patient inter-intra hospital transfers.
• May be part of a high-functioning Pediatric and Neonatal transport team as applicable.
• Performing procedures for disinfecting and sterilization and adhering to infection control policies and procedures.
• Washing hands before and after physical contact with the patient and after using the restroom as described in hand washing procedure.
• Adhering to isolation procedure as indicated.
• Practicing Universal Precautions at all times.
• Performing and evaluating blood gas analysis to include quality control procedures adhering to laboratory policies and procedures.
• Assuring that quality control of equipment is performed and at acceptable levels.
• Obtaining arterial blood samples.
• Ensuring that blood samples and requisition slips have required information.
• Handling and disposing of blood samples per policy and procedure.
• Performing blood gas analysis.
• Documenting and reporting critical blood gas values to nurse/physician.
• Performing analyzer maintenance and quality controls as qualified, and ensuring cleanliness of the blood gas laboratory.
• Performing Basic Life Support, Pediatric, and neonatal resuscitation (BLS/NRP/PALS) and responding to emergencies in all areas.
• Auscultating lungs to assure proper endotracheal tube placement.
• Identifying primary affected lobes and positions patient to optimize treatment while ensuring safety, prior to initiating chest physiotherapy.
• Identifying contraindications in regards to chest physiotherapy and appropriately informing and providing recommendations to the physician.
• Performing oral, nasal, and tracheal suctioning to ensure airway patency.
• Collaborating with the physician and nursing in regards to the appropriate frequency of suctioning for assigned patients.
• Providing reasonable solutions upon the identification of problems.
• Participating in-group action problem-solving processes.
• Complying with patient safety practices/policies.
• Taking appropriate safety measures considering patients' age and developmental status.
• Charting and Documentation: Providing timely, accurate, legible record keeping and data entries per departmental policy and procedure.
• Maintaining departmental workload documentation.
• Assuming responsibility for all required Respiratory Care documentation on all assigned patients.
• Equipment and Supplies: Effectively utilizing equipment and supplies.
• Demonstrating the ability to setup, operate, troubleshoot, and perform corrective action based upon department policies and procedures and manufacturers' recommendations.
• Utilizing appropriate procedures in reporting malfunctioning or suspect equipment and supplies.
• Determining whether equipment malfunction is life-threatening versus non-life-threatening and responding appropriately.
• Assuming responsibility and ensuring patient safety during any equipment failure.
• Maintaining inventory level of respiratory care equipment and supplies as assigned.
• Time Management: Maintaining department standards for documentation of work.
• Reporting inability to complete procedures, seeking assistance if patient care is compromised.
• Job and Personal Maturity: Demonstrating flexibility and adaptability by accepting new ideas and supporting changes in the department and hospital/clinic. Functions independently with minimum direction.
• Communication: Utilizing effective listening, verbal, nonverbal, and writing skills formally and informally.
• Utilizing the chain-of-command in the event of a difficult situation or decision.
• Immediately reporting critical values to appropriate team members.
• Interacting professionally when discussing patient care plans/recommendations with health care team members.
• Education and Staff Development: Participating in orientation of new employees as required.
• Participating in and providing patient education, within the department and medical center.
• Attending department continuing education, meetings as required.
• RCP III (Includes all skills required of RCP I, RCP II): Functions at Independent Level in Adult Critical Care areas.
• Demonstrating ability to assess for implementation or discontinuance of mechanical ventilation.
• Demonstrating ability to implement all modalities of ventilation approved for use in the medical center.
• Demonstrating ability to adjust ventilator parameters in response to changes in acid-base balance and oxygenation.
• Demonstrating ability to effectively wean from mechanical ventilator per medical center protocols.
• Demonstrating ability to implement all respiratory modalities of care specific to the Adult critical care.
• RCP III (includes all skills required of RCP I, RCP II, and RCP III): Functions at Independent Level in Neonatal Critical Care and Pediatric Critical Care areas as applicable.
• Demonstrating ability to assess for implementation or discontinuance of mechanical ventilation.
• Demonstrating ability to implement all modalities of ventilation approved for use in the medical center.
• Demonstrating ability to adjust ventilator parameters in response to changes in acid-base balance and oxygenation per protocol or Doctor's order.
• Demonstrating ability to implement all respiratory modalities of care specific to Neonatal and Pediatric critical care in this medical center as applicable.

• 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.
• Additional Requirements: N/A.

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

Please note that this job description is subject to change based on the needs of the department and hospital/clinic.