Respiratory Therapist 

UnityPoint Health - Fort Dodge

FTE: .9 (Full-time, 36 hours per week)
Shift: 7pm-7am with every other weekend and holiday

At UnityPoint Health, you matter. We’re proud to be recognized as a Top 150 Place to Work in Healthcare by Becker's Healthcare several years in a row for our commitment to our team members.  

Our competitive Total Rewards program offers benefits options that align with your needs and priorities, no matter what life stage you’re in.  Here are just a few:      

• Expect paid time off, parental leave, 401K matching and an employee recognition program.   

• Dental and health insurance, paid holidays, short and long-term disability and more. We even offer pet insurance for your four-legged family members.  

• Early access to earned wages with Daily Pay, tuition reimbursement to help further your career and adoption assistance to help you grow your family.   

With a collective goal to champion a culture of belonging where everyone feels valued and respected, we honor the ways people are unique and embrace what brings us together.   

And, we believe equipping you with support and development opportunities is a vital part of delivering an exceptional employment experience. 

Find a fulfilling career and make a difference with UnityPoint Health.

• Reviews physician orders and patient information to assess patient condition and review guidelines for treatment such as type and duration of therapy, medication and doses.
• Determines precautions to be observed, and modifications which may be needed that will be compatible with physician’s orders.
• Administers therapy modalities to pediatric, adolescent, adult patients which include, but are not limited to: handheld nebulizer (HHN), metered dose inhaler (MDI), intermittent positive pressure breathing (I.P.P.B.) and chest physiotherapy (CPT).
• Administers oxygen therapies to pediatric, adolescent, young/middle/mature adult patients which include, but are not limited to: aerosol, non‑aerosol and helium‑oxygen mixtures (heliox).
• Performs ventilator therapies on adults, pediatrics, and infants. This includes airway management, clinical assessments, and all modes of ventilation including, but not limited to, controlled mechanical ventilation (CMV), assist‑control ventilation (A/C), synchronous intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV), flow‑by, pressure support ventilation (PSV), positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP), and pressure control ventilation (PCV).
• Performs physiologic monitoring which includes, but is not limited to, arterial blood sampling, bedside spirometry, ECG, Holter monitor application, and pulse oximetry (SpO₂).
• Operates blood gas analyzer to determine the acid‑base balance and the efficiency of ventilation.
• Performs specialized procedures which include, but are not limited to, airway management during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), tracheal suctioning, and tracheostomy care. Assignment to the Pulmonary Function Lab involves performing diagnostic procedures to identify and quantify dysfunction by spirometry, gas diffusion, and body plethysmography.
• Explains purpose and procedure of therapy, tests, and equipment to the patient.
• Monitors patient’s physiological responses to therapy such as vital signs and arterial blood gases.

Education:      

• Must be a graduate of an approved school of Respiratory Care.
• Must be credentialed at minimum level of Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) through the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC), or eligible for credentialing and willing to attempt the necessary examination to obtain credentialed status

Licensure:              

• Must be licensed by the State of Iowa for Respiratory Care as a Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP), or become licensed at the earliest time required by the State.  
• Must be certified in Basic Life Support (BLS), or become certified within three (3) months after hire date.

Experience:           

• Previous respiratory care experience preferred. 

Skills/Abilities:

• Must be able to work independently.
• Demonstrates effective written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from the patient, their family, physicians, and other health care professionals with understanding and tact.
• Completion of Respiratory Care department and hospital orientation and competencies.
• Must be able to provide patient care appropriate to the infant, pediatric, young/middle/mature patient.
• Ability to delegate wisely, exercise good judgment, maintain good interpersonal relationships, adapt to change, evaluate critically, think creatively and implement.
• Member of the support stroke team requiring 2 hours of annual stroke