ICU/ER Respiratory Therapist
Albany, Georgia
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital

Respiratory Therapist - Georgia, Albany

Job Details

• Contract Length: 17 weeks
• Setting: ICU and Emergency Room (ER)
• Shift: Nights (7 PM - 7 AM)
• Hours per Day: 12
• Hours per Week: 36
• Patient Population: Adults and pediatrics; NICU respiratory therapists are separate and report to a different manager
• Typical Workload:

  • Average 13-15 patients per shift
  • Approximately 550 treatment minutes per shift (about 15 minutes per treatment)
  • ICU therapists may manage up to 4 airways per shift
• Orientation:

  • Floor assignments: 1 week hospital/charting orientation, then gradual increase in workload over following days
  • ICU assignments: Additional week of orientation
• Equipment: Servo ventilators (U and I models)
• EMR System: Meditech
• Call: None
• Weekend/Holiday: Rotating holiday schedule; weekend shifts alternate between Monday-Thursday and Friday-Sunday teams
• Charge Role: Opportunity to serve as Charge RT and Clinical Coordinator
• Support: Hospitalist or intensivist available in-house 24/7; pharmacy available 24/7

Required Qualifications

• License: Georgia Respiratory Therapist license (RRT only)
• Certifications: BLS, ACLS, PALS (NRP required if assigned to NICU)
• Experience:

  • Minimum 2 years of respiratory therapy experience
  • Minimum 2 years of critical care experience required for ICU roles
  • Experience in a hospital with 300+ beds preferred
• Prior Travel Experience: Must have completed at least 1 prior travel contract
• Skills:

  • Comfortable and experienced with intubation and airway management
  • Ability to manage ventilators, perform bronchoscopy, place arterial lines, manage blood gases, and interpret ABGs
  • Able to handle high workload and fast-paced environment
  • Confident in making ventilator management suggestions and alerting critical values

Duties and Responsibilities

• Perform all respiratory therapy duties including:

  • Nebulizer treatments, airway management, vapotherm, BiPAP, CPAP, ventilator management
  • Arterial blood gas (ABG) collection and bedside pulmonary function tests (PFTs)
  • Chest physiotherapy (CPT)
  • Intubation and bronchoscopy in ICU
  • Placement of arterial lines and blood gas management in ICU
• Work collaboratively with hospital staff; respiratory therapists are first responders for intubations and airway emergencies

Additional Information

• Strict 75-mile radius travel rule applies
• Scrub color: Ceil blue (jacket must be ceil blue if worn)
• No floating assignments
• Patient diagnoses commonly include COPD, CHF, pneumonia, respiratory failure, ARDS, and cancers
• Therapists will be interviewed internally before final approval; no second interview required

This position is ideal for experienced respiratory therapists comfortable with critical care, intubation, and managing ventilators in a busy hospital ICU/ER setting.