Respiratory Therapist - Wellspring of Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI 53225
About the Job
General Purpose:
- Assess, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders. Initiate and conduct therapeutic procedures, maintain patient records, and select, assemble, check, and operate equipment.
Essential Job Functions:
This facility expects their employees to promote an atmosphere of teamwork with other employees and hospitality and comfort for its residents. Therefore, the following list of duties is not all-inclusive:
Administrative Functions:
- Make written and oral reports/recommendations concerning the activities of your shift, as required.
- Cooperate with other resident services when coordinating nursing services be certain that the resident’s total regimen of care is maintained.
- Participate in surveys (inspections) made by authorized government agencies.
- Periodically review the resident’s written discharge plan. Participate in the updating of the resident’s written discharge plan, as required.
- Complete accident/incident reports, as necessary.
Charting, Documentation, Medication, and Therapy Functions:
- Complete and file required forms/charts upon resident’s admission, transfer, and/or discharge.
- Receive telephone orders from physicians and record on the Physicians’ Order Form.
- Transcribe physician’s orders to resident charts, cardex, medication cards, and treatment/care plans, as required.
- Set up and operate devices such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, and aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.
- Determine requirements for treatment, such as type, method and duration of therapy, precautions to be taken, and medication and dosages, compatible with physicians’ orders.
- Monitor patient’s responses to therapy such as vital signs, blood gases and blood chemistry changes, and consult and relay information to physician.
- Maintain charts that contain patients’ pertinent therapy information.
- Prepare and administer medication as ordered by the physician.
- Verify the identity of the resident before administering the medication/treatment.
- Verify that prescribed medication for one resident is not administered to another.
- Immediately notify the Director of Nursing any medication administration discrepancies.
- Deliver and maintain optimum resident care and comfort by demonstrating knowledge and skills of current practices.
- Promptly respond to call lights and other resident needs.
- Make rounds with physicians, as necessary.
- Consult with the resident’s physician in providing the resident’s care, treatment, rehabilitation, etc., as necessary.
- Monitor seriously ill residents, as necessary.
- Review care plans daily to confirm that appropriate care is being rendered.
- Confirm that CNAs are aware of the resident care plans. Verify that the CNAs refer to the resident’s care plan prior to administering daily care to the resident.
- Explain treatment procedures to patients.
- Educate patients and their families about their conditions and teach appropriate disease management techniques, such as breathing exercises and the use of medications and respiratory equipment.
Other Duties:
- Attend in-service education programs in order to meet facility educational requirements.
- Be familiar with Standard Precautions, Exposure Control Plan, Fire Drill and Evacuation Procedures and know how to use the information.
- Maintain confidentiality of resident and facility records/information.
- Protect residents from neglect, mistreatment, and abuse.
- Protect the personal property of the residents of the facility.
- Others as directed by the supervisor or administrator.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Registered Respiratory Therapist with current state license.
- Excellent technical, assessment and documentation skills.
- Good Leadership qualities.
- Organized and detailed in work performance.
- Good communication skills with excellent self-discipline and patience.
- Genuine caring for and interest in elderly and disabled people in a nursing facility.
- Comply with the Residents Rights and Facility Policies and Procedures.
- Perform work tasks within the physical demand requirements as outlined below.
- Perform Essential Duties as outlined above.
Working Conditions:
- Subject to frustrations in meeting work demands due to frequent interruptions.
- Fast paced, required to make decisions quickly
- Involved with residents, personnel, visitors, government agencies/personnel, etc., under all conditions and circumstances.
- May work beyond normal duty hours, on weekends, and in other positions temporarily, when necessary.
- Subject to call-back during emergency conditions (e.g., severe weather, evacuation, post-disaster, etc.).
- Subject to exposure to infectious waste, diseases, conditions, etc., including TB and the AIDS and Hepatitis B viruses.
- May be subject to the handling of and exposure to hazardous chemicals
Physical and Sensory Requirements:
- Assist in the evacuation of residents during emergency situations
- Meet general health requirements set forth by the policies of this facility, which may include a medical and physical examination.
Now hiring for our tracheostomy unit. Experience with Cuffed trachs a plus. Full-time (benefit eligible) positions available. Now hiring for Night shift -- 12 hour shifts. and Day shift.
Source : Wellspring of Milwaukee