Lead, Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT)

Cass Regional Medical Center; Harrisonville (MO); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Cass Regional Medical Center in Harrisonville, MO is seeking a full-time, dayshift Respiratory Therapy Lead to oversee blood gas lab operations and provide expert patient care for cardiac and respiratory needs. You will collaborate with the RT director, staff, and physicians to maintain high standards and ensure timely therapy delivery.

The role requires NBRC RRT certification with BLS & ACLS, Missouri license, and strong leadership and training abilities.

Qualifications

• Junior college/two-year college training; RRT certification by the NBRC; BLS & ACLS required; Missouri License required.

Responsibilities

• Maintains blood gas lab and monitors QC; ensures timely data and reports to RT director.
• Assists with employee/student training and orientation; coordinates student shifts with Concorde Community College.
• Performs all aspects of respiratory care and patient therapy within scheduled times; assesses and updates care plans.

Skills

Critical thinking

Team leadership

Communication

Education

RRT certification NBRC

Missouri license

BLS & ACLS

Tools

RapidComm

Blood gas analyzer

Job description

Job Details

Job Location: Harrisonville, MO 64701
Position Type: Full Time
Job Shift: Day
Welcome to Cass Regional! We are a 35-bed critical access hospital just south of Kansas City (only 20 min). We deeply care for our community and are top ranked for customer service and patient care. Our RT team is looking for a full-time dayshift lead that seeks teamwork, family atmosphere, highest quality patient care and a place that appreciates high standards and performers. Come join our team.

Primary Purpose

To provide for the cardiac and respiratory needs of patients according to physician’s orders. Additionally, responsible in assisting to maintaining departmental objectives for the benefit of patients and staff.

Policy, Decision, and Supervisory Responsibilities

• Formal Policy-Setting Responsibilities: Formally responsible for making recommendations regarding policies associated with the job's purpose and essential responsibilities.
• Routine Decision Making: Prioritizing patient scheduling according to patient severity; reliability of ABG machine performance; need for oxygen titration; scheduling of procedures at appropriate facilities.
• Formal Supervisory Responsibility: No formal supervisory responsibility, reports directly to RT director.
• Unusual Working Conditions: Possibility of blood, body fluid contamination.

Age Specific Competencies

Provides care for birth to pediatric (birth-2 yrs.), pediatric/child patients between (2 yrs-12 yrs); adolescent patients between 12 to 18 years of age; adult patients between 18 to 64 years; and geriatric patients 65 years and older.

Essential Responsibilities and Tasks

Maintains blood gas lab. (15% of time)

• Review auto QC in RapidComm. Lab personnel will sign off on QC monthly.
• Immediately takes all reports and API to the lab for lab director for review after RT director review.
• Monitors RapidComm logs monthly and reports any discrepancies to the RT director.
• Performs or assists lab performing calibration verification material every 6 months and adjusts linearity values after completion. Reports any discrepancies to RT director.
• Designates RT employees each quarter to perform proficiency testing on the blood gas analyzer.
• Compiles and reports PI related to the blood gas lab.

Assists with employee/student training. (5% of time)

• Assists with department meeting preparation and training sessions associated with the meetings, monthly.
• Performs competency check-offs when assigned by RT manager.
• Schedules mandatory orientation for students with human resources for first clinical day.
• Coordinates respiratory therapy student shifts and syllabus with Concorde Community College.

Performs all aspects of respiratory care. (15% of time)

• Performs all patient therapy within one hour of scheduled time.
• Performs all testing modalities within one hour of order, or at specific time on order.
• Performs any "stat" order within 15 minutes of initiation of stat order.
• Performs patient assessment/care plans upon receipt of inpatient respiratory orders, and reassesses every three days.

Provides guidance in director’s absence. (5% of time)

• Maintains adequate staffing in director’s absence.
• Maintains supplies, and orders when needed.
• Responds to emergency recall roster when activated.
• Initiates discipline process in accordance with hospital directives in director’s absence.
• Responds to customers’ needs in director’s absence.
• Provide director input in employee appraisal process, each year.

Performs QA of employee performance, when directed. (5% of time)

• Randomly reviews each employee’s charting weekly and reports discrepancies to RT director.
• Monitors employee’s performance related to therapies, job duties and customer service when directed by director.

Provides education and assist with COPD support group. (5% of time)

• Provides patient education related to medication upon physician request.
• Provides patient education related to home equipment each time a patient is ordered to have a new device.
• Provide tobacco cessation to all inpatients upon order.
• Provide patient education related to pulmonary disease process upon request or order.
• Assists RT director and Pulmonary Rehab Therapist quarterly with COPD support group activities.

ESSENTIAL PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Medium Work: Lifting 100# maximum with frequent lifting and/or carrying of objects weighing up to 25#.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Lifting: Raising or lowering an object from one level to another (includes upward pulling).
• Carrying: Transporting an object, usually holding it in hands or arms or on the shoulders.
• Pushing: Exerting force upon an object so that the object moves away from the force (including slapping, striking, kicking, and treadle actions).
• Pulling: Exerting force upon an object so that the object moves toward the force (includes jerking).
• Hearing: Ability to determine audible communication.
• Stooping: Bending the body downward and forward by bending the spine at the waist.
• Kneeling: Bending the legs at the knees to come to rest on the knee or knees.
• Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bending the legs and spine.
• Reaching: Extending the hands and arms in any direction.
• Handling: Seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or otherwise working with the hand or hands (fingering not involved).
• Fingering: Picking, pinching, or otherwise working with the fingers primarily (rather than with the whole hand or arms as in handling).
• Repetitive Motions: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.
• Feeling: Perceiving such attributes of objects and materials as size, shape, temperature, or texture by means of receptors in the skin, particularly those of the finger tips.
• Speaking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Seeing: Obtaining impressions through the eyes of the shape, size, distance, motion, color or other characteristics of objects.
• Acuity, far - clarity of vision at 20 feet or more.
• Acuity, near - clarity of vision at 20 inches or less.
• Depth perception - ability to judge distance and space relationships so as to see objects where and as they actually are.
• Field of vision - area seen up and down or to the right or left while eyes are fixed.
• Accommodations - adjustment of the lens of the eye to bring an object into sharp focus.
• Color vision- the ability to identify and distinguish colors.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Inside: Worker spends approximately 75% or more of time inside.
• Hazards: Situations in which the individual is exposed to the definite risk of the bodily injury.
• Infectious Disease: Risk of exposure to biohazardous materials, blood, body fluid contamination.

Qualifications

Education and Certification/ Registration Required for the Position

Junior college/two-year college training; RRT certification by the NBRC; BLS & ACLS required; Missouri License required.

Required Knowledge

Knowledgeable of insurance requirements for home use equipment and patient testing; lung disease process; abnormal vs. normal vital signs and lab values; and maintain high level of understanding of pulmonary diseases and pulmonary diagnostic procedures; policies and procedures related to competency evaluation; hospital directives and departmental policies; MO board for respiratory care rules; understanding of basic employment legalities; and AARC guidelines. Knowledgeable of Pulmonary Rehab certification requirements. Pulmonary Function Testing preferred.

Required Skills and Ability

Critical thinking; ability to meet strict deadlines; and verbal and written communication. Team lead or management experience preferred.