Pediatric Respiratory Therapist

American Hospital Dubai; Dubai; On-site; AED 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

American Hospital Dubai is seeking a Pediatric Respiratory Therapist to deliver age-appropriate care for infants to adolescents across inpatient, emergency, PICU and pediatric services, with neonatal support as assigned. You will work with the pediatric pulmonology team and ensure high standards of practice.

The role emphasizes assessment, oxygen/airway therapies, non-invasive ventilation, diagnostics and family education within a multidisciplinary setting and DHA/JCI guidelines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in respiratory care.
• DHA license/eligibility to practice in Dubai.
• BLS, PALS and NRP certifications required and maintained.
• Competency in pediatric respiratory assessment and management.
• Experience with pediatric pulmonary diagnostics and monitoring.

Responsibilities

• Perform pediatric respiratory assessments and reassessments.
• Administer and monitor oxygen therapy, HFNC and nebulized therapies.
• Provide airway clearance and tracheostomy care within scope.
• Initiate and monitor non-invasive ventilation; assist with ventilation when needed.
• Support neonatal respiratory care and pediatric emergency response.
• Conduct pulmonary diagnostics and monitoring (spirometry, tests).
• Educate families on inhaler use, home oxygen and devices.
• Operate and maintain respiratory equipment; EMR documentation.
• Participate in rounds, handover, care planning and QA activities.
• Ensure infection prevention and equipment readiness.

Skills

Pediatric respiratory care

Ventilator monitoring

HFNC / aerosol therapy

Airway clearance

CPAP/BiPAP support

Family education

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Respiratory Therapy

DHA License/Eligibility

Tools

Pulmonary Function Testing Equipment

Job description

The Pediatric Respiratory Therapist provides specialized, age-appropriate respiratory care for infants, children and adolescents across inpatient, emergency, PICU and pediatric pulmonary settings, with neonatal respiratory support provided when operationally assigned and within validated competency. The role performs respiratory assessment, oxygen and aerosol therapy, airway clearance, non-invasive respiratory support, ventilator monitoring, airway and tracheostomy care, pediatric pulmonary diagnostics and family education in collaboration with the Pediatric Pulmonologist and multidisciplinary pediatric team. Practice is delivered in accordance with American Hospital Dubai clinical policies, DHA requirements, JCI standards and applicable evidence-based respiratory care guidelines.

STATEMENT OF VALUES:

An employee of the American Hospital Dubai is expected to promote the mission and philosophy of the hospital by acting in a caring, courteous and confidential manner towards patients, visitors, colleagues and staff by performing their duties and responsibilities according to the expected standards in order to fully meet patient care needs.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Performs comprehensive pediatric respiratory assessment and reassessment, including respiratory rate and pattern, work of breathing, breath sounds, oxygenation, ventilation, secretion burden and response to therapy; recognizes and promptly escalates clinical deterioration or treatment intolerance.
• Administers and monitors prescribed low-flow and high-flow oxygen therapy, heated high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC), humidification, nebulized/aerosol therapy, metered-dose inhaler treatments and other approved pediatric respiratory interventions, ensuring age-appropriate interfaces, safe medication delivery and treatment effectiveness.
• Provides airway clearance and secretion-management interventions within scope, including suctioning, cough-assist techniques, chest physiotherapy, postural drainage and tracheostomy care, while maintaining airway safety and infection-prevention standards.
• Initiates, monitors and troubleshoots non-invasive respiratory support including CPAP/BiPAP and supports invasive mechanical ventilation by monitoring prescribed settings, alarms, patient-ventilator interaction, oxygenation, blood gases and response to therapy in coordination with the Pediatric Pulmonologist and critical-care team.
• Supports pediatric airway emergencies, intubation and extubation procedures, resuscitation and critical patient transport within validated competency; provides neonatal respiratory support when assigned and participates in emergency response in accordance with current BLS, PALS and NRP standards.
• Performs and/or supports pediatric pulmonary diagnostic and monitoring procedures within competency, including spirometry, pre- and post-bronchodilator testing, peak flow, FeNO where available, pulse oximetry, capnography and blood gas sampling/analysis, and submits technically valid preliminary data for physician interpretation.
• Provides respiratory care in outpatient pediatric pulmonary services and delivers child- and family-centered education on inhaler/spacer and nebulizer technique, airway clearance, tracheostomy care, home oxygen, non-invasive ventilation and other home respiratory equipment as applicable.
• Operates, performs functional checks on and troubleshoots respiratory and diagnostic equipment including ventilators, HFNC systems, CPAP/BiPAP devices, suction systems, oxygen-delivery devices, blood gas analyzers and pulmonary function testing equipment; removes unsafe equipment from service and coordinates repair or replacement.
• Documents assessments, treatments, device settings, medication response, education and clinical events accurately in the EMR; communicates critical findings and changes promptly and participates in multidisciplinary pediatric rounds, care planning, handover and discharge preparation.
• Maintains infection prevention, equipment disinfection, supply readiness and medication/equipment checks and participates in competency validation, clinical audits, incident review, quality improvement, departmental KPIs, education and JCI/DHA readiness activities.

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS:

• Bachelor's Degree in Respiratory Therapy; or Associate Degree in Respiratory Therapy with a minimum two (2)-year course duration; or Bachelor's Degree in Nursing followed by a recognized postgraduate qualification in Respiratory Therapy.
• Valid Dubai Health Authority (DHA) License/Eligibility as a Respiratory Therapist and current professional registration in the home country where applicable.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) and Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) certifications are mandatory and must be maintained throughout employment; ACLS shall be maintained where required by DHA or hospital policy.
• Mandatory competency in pediatric respiratory assessment and management, including oxygen therapy, HFNC, nebulized/aerosol therapy, airway clearance, suctioning, CPAP/BiPAP, tracheostomy/airway care, emergency response and ventilator monitoring.
• Demonstrated knowledge and practical ability in pediatric pulmonary diagnostics and monitoring, including spirometry and bronchodilator response testing, pulse oximetry, blood gas analysis and pulmonary function testing equipment, within assigned scope and competency.
• Strong clinical judgment, family-education, documentation, communication and multidisciplinary teamwork skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with children, parents/caregivers, physicians, nurses and allied health professionals.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum of two (2) years of recent clinical experience as a Respiratory Therapist/Respiratory Care Practitioner after qualification.
• Demonstrated pediatric respiratory care experience is mandatory, with recent and relevant exposure to pediatric inpatient, Emergency Department, PICU and/or pediatric respiratory/pulmonary services.
• Hands-on pediatric experience with oxygen therapy, HFNC, aerosol/nebulized therapy, airway clearance, suctioning, CPAP/BiPAP, tracheostomy/airway care, airway emergencies and ventilator monitoring is required.
• Experience performing and/or supporting pediatric pulmonary function testing, including spirometry and bronchodilator response testing, and using pediatric respiratory diagnostic/monitoring equipment is required where applicable to the service.
• Experience in an outpatient pediatric pulmonary service is highly preferred; neonatal respiratory care exposure and experience in a tertiary or JCI-accredited pediatric/acute-care environment are advantageous.