Respiratory Therapy Trainee - Pathway to Respiratory Therapist

The Respiratory Care Trainee is responsible for providing therapeutic treatment for patients with cardiopulmonary diseases according to physician orders and protocols approved by the CMMC Medical Director for Respiratory Care in the non-critical care setting.

These clinical services are limited to: administration of medical gases, aerosols and humidification, pulse oximetry, aerosol and nebulizer therapies, broncho-pulmonary hygiene, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Charting/documentation must be accompanied by licensed practitioner’s signature. The Respiratory Care Trainee supports all members of the patient care team with the overall care plan of the patient.

Regulatory Requirements:

• Must be enrolled in the clinical portion of a COARC-accredited respiratory care education program.
• The clinical portion is -the second year of an associate degree program or the second year of a baccalaureate program or the completion of an entry-level correspondence program in Respiratory care approved by the board.
• Must have a current State of Maine Respiratory Care Trainee license.
• Current American Heart Association Healthcare Provider BLS Certification required.
• Must successfully complete Competency Based Orientation Skills List and complete the Respiratory Care skills and Competency examinations annually.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The trainee performs the following functions under supervision of a Licensed Respiratory Therapist:

• Vital Signs; Breath Sounds; Nebulizer Treatments; Basic Life Support including: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Manual ventilation and manual compression, and Oral pharyngeal airway; Oximetry; Incentive Spirometry; Metered Dose Inhaler (MDI) instruction; Intermittent Positive Pressure Breathing (IPPB); Peak flow monitoring; Oral suctioning; Oxygen rounds;
• Oxygen Therapy including: Nasal Cannula, single masks and vent masks with aerosol; and Charting/documentation with accompanying licensed practitioner signature.

Clinical Responsibilities:

• The Respiratory Care Trainees demonstrates professional competency through approved respiratory care clinical practice protocols.
• The Respiratory Care Trainee administers therapeutic treatments to all patient populations (See Skills List) and documents therapies and responses with accompanying licensed practitioner signature.

Professional Practice Responsibilities:

• The Respiratory Care Trainee accepts responsibility of identification and fulfillment of their own learning needs, and accepts responsibility for demonstrating professional behavior.
• The Respiratory Care Trainee is recognized as a specialist in the delivery of Respiratory Care through demonstrated clinical ability, the fulfillment of annual continuing education requirements and the completion of annual competency-based inventories.
• The Respiratory Care Trainee demonstrates active involvement/support for clinical education, service line and hospital wide Performance Improvement.

Organizational Responsibilities:

The Respiratory Care Trainee demonstrates effective communication skills, appropriate resource utilization and outstanding customer service skills.

What It’s Like Working At CMH:

We are all about our team members growth and health. That why we prioritize work/life balance, community-based wellness initiatives and tuition reimbursement or student loan repayment for ALL of our team members.

Language Skills:

• Able to effectively communicate in English, both verbally and in writing.

• Strong written and verbal skills.

• Additional languages preferred.

Skills:

• Basic computer knowledge.

Physical Demands:

• For physical demands of position, including vision, hearing, repetitive motion and environment, see following description.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position without compromising client care.