Respiratory Therapist - NICU
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital

Job Opportunity: Respiratory Care Practitioner - NICU

Location: Santa Barbara, California
Employment Type: Travel/Contract
Contract Length: 13 weeks

Position Overview

Seeking a Respiratory Care Practitioner with experience in NICU Level III settings. The role primarily involves night shifts (3x12 hours), with some flexibility for occasional day shifts. The patient age group ranges from neonates to adolescents.

Required Experience

• Minimum 5 years of experience in Respiratory Care.
• Experience in the following settings is required:

  • Emergency Room (ER)
  • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
  • Pediatric Critical Care
  • Pediatrics
  • Patient Transports

Required Certifications and Licenses

• Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) license (must be able to intubate neonates; this is a strict requirement)
• California State Respiratory Care Licensure
• Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
• Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP)
• Intubation certification

Clinical Skills and Equipment Experience

• Ventilator management including:

  • Drager VN 500, Hamilton G5 & T1 ventilators
  • Oscillator 3100A
  • BiPAP, CPAP, High frequency oscillator, IMV
  • Troubleshooting high pressure alarms and weaning from mechanical ventilation
• Airway management skills:

  • Direct intubation (neonatal and pediatric)
  • Endotracheal tube suctioning
  • Extubation
  • Intubation assist
  • Nasal and oral airway placement and suctioning
  • Pulmonary hygiene and sputum specimen collection
  • Tracheostomy suctioning
• Neonatal/pediatric procedures and equipment:

  • Apnea monitor, bubble CPAP, Bivent, capillary blood gases
  • Neonatal transports (inter-departmental)
  • Umbilical blood gases
• Medication administration experience with:

  • Albuterol, Atrovent, Inhaled Flolan, Inhaled steroids, Lidocaine, Mucomyst, Nitric Oxide, Pulmicort, Racemic epinephrine, Spiriva, Terbutaline Sulfate
• Medication delivery systems including aerosol masks, medihalers, metered dose inhalers, and nebulizers (cold, handheld, heated, T-piece, trach collar)

Patient Care Experience

• Care of patients with:

  • Aspiration
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Pneumonia
  • Bronchopulmonary dysplasia
  • Near drowning
  • Respiratory distress syndrome
  • Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
  • Transient tachypnea of the newborn

Professional Knowledge and Skills

• Arterial blood gas (ABG) interpretation
• Basic EKG
• Chest physiotherapy
• Drawing arterial blood gases

Documentation System

• Experience with EPIC electronic health record system is required.

Shift Details

• Primarily night shifts (3 shifts of 12 hours)
• Flexibility for occasional day shifts preferred

Additional Requirements

• Valid Respiratory Care Practitioner license in California
• Minimum 5 years of experience as a Respiratory Care Practitioner
• Respiratory Care Practitioner experience within the last year
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification
• Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) certification
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification
• Experience working with adolescent patients
• Experience working with infant patients
• Experience working with neonate patients
• Experience working with pediatric patients
• Proficient in arterial blood gas (ABG) interpretation
• Basic EKG knowledge
• Skilled in chest physiotherapy
• Experience drawing arterial blood gases

Summary

This is a travel contract opportunity for an experienced Respiratory Care Practitioner with strong NICU and pediatric critical care skills, capable of neonatal intubation, and comfortable working primarily night shifts in a Level III NICU setting. Required certifications include RRT, BLS, PALS, NRP, and intubation certification. Experience with ventilators and airway management in neonatal and pediatric populations is essential.