Respiratory Care Assistant

JOB SUMMARY:  

Works under the supervision of a licensed Respiratory Care Practitioner and performs various general respiratory care duties to include respiratory care treatments, oxygen administration, suctioning, and arterial blood gas puncture.  Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care or arrange for the provision of care for neonatal to geriatric patients.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:  

Minimum of a High School diploma or GED required.  Currently enrolled in good standing in an accredited Respiratory Care educational program approved by the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) and successful completion 1 year of such program required.

LICENSURE, CERTIFICATION, and/or REGISTRATION: 

Registered with the North Carolina Respiratory Care Board (NCRCB) as an RCA required. Completed competency evaluations for each of the duties of the job required. BLS required per policy guidelines.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Adheres to the general hospital standards to promote a cooperative work environment by utilizing communication skills, interpersonal relationships and team building.
   • Following hospital policies and procedures.
   • Following departmental policies and procedures.
   • Contributing to the overall quality of services.
   • Assuming responsibility for keeping informed about changes in policies and procedures.

 

1. Performs routine prophylactic and therapeutic breathing exercises to improve patient outcome.
   • Instructing the patient according departmental policy/procedure.
   • Using cough and deep breathe techniques.

 

1. Performs non-invasive monitoring to ensure patient safety and appropriateness of care.
   • Monitoring patients vital signs, breath sounds and oxygen saturation.
   • Reporting clinical concerns to appropriate personnel.
   • Using equipment according to departmental policy/procedure.
   • Recognizing clinical emergencies.

 

1. Completes departmental and patient charge records to assure accurate data for documentation and billing.
   • Entering and recording procedures into the data processing system to meet customers’ needs and contain costs.

 

1. Reports routine and clinical procedures regarding patients to relief personnel to ensure continuity of care for the patient.
   • Providing accurate information in reference to patients.
   • Communicating with appropriate personnel prior to report.

 

1. Ensures age/developmentally appropriate patient care is provided in accordance with Age Specific Care Guidelines for the specific age groups served.

• Demonstrating knowledge of age-specific patient care factors in the Age Specific Care Guidelines.
• Integrating age-specific care knowledge in assessing patient needs and in planning, prioritizing, delivering and documenting patient care.
• Communicating information, education and patient needs sensitive to age and development level of the individual patient/family.
• Maintaining competence related to age specific patient care.

 

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS:

• Communication skills including verbal, non-verbal listening skills.
• Ability to provide direct and indirect respiratory care
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills

 

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Clean, well-lit, comfortable office setting

 

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist is a pre-eminent academic health system based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist is part of Advocate Health, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the fifth-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist’s two main components are an integrated clinical system – anchored by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, an 885-bed tertiary-care hospital in Winston-Salem – that includes Brenner Children’s Hospital, five community hospitals, more than 300 primary and specialty care locations and more than 2,700 physicians; and Wake Forest School of Medicine, the academic core of Atrium Health Enterprise and a recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research that includes Wake Forest Innovations, a commercialization enterprise focused on advancing health care through new medical technologies and biomedical discovery.

Wake Forest Baptist Health, Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Atr