Certified Respiratory Therapy NICU Respiratory Therapist
Athens, Georgia
Piedmont Athens Regional

RRT-NICU, Athens, Georgia

Specialty: Respiratory / Neuro Diagnostics Employment type: Travel/Contract Contract length: 12 weeks Shift: Night, 3x12 hours (19:00-07:00), 36 hours per week Locals accepted: Yes

Experience

• Required: 2 years of experience. 1st-time travelers are not accepted.
• Patient population: Neonates to geriatrics

Required Qualifications

• Certified Respiratory Therapy - NICU (2 years of experience)
• Certified Respiratory Therapy - NICU experience within the last year
• One completed travel assignment
• ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) issued by American Heart Association or American Red Cross
• BLS (Basic Life Support) issued by American Heart Association or American Red Cross
• PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) issued by American Heart Association or American Red Cross
• Required experience with Servo I, GE, Hamilton, and PB840 ventilators
• Nitric oxide experience
• CPT (Chest Physiotherapy) experience
• Experience with Epic
• Experience with GE Healthcare

Preferred or Conditional

• NRP (Neonatal Resuscitation Procedure): Listed in the source, but the requirement is to be confirmed against the unit description. AHA AAP or RQI is accepted.

Skills and Work Requirements

• Clinical skills: Ventilator management, medicated aerosol treatments, BiPAP management, open heart, intubation, ABG draws and analysis, CPT, nitric oxide, and COVID management.
• Systems familiarity: Epic, Servo I, GE, Hamilton, PB840
• Scrub color: Any color except all red or all navy blue
• Floating: Yes, within facility and scope of practice as needed
• Call: None
• Schedule: Maximum 7 days return-to-office (RTO). Every other weekend unless specified elsewhere.
• Holidays: One major holiday in the assignment means the traveler works it. Two means both are worked. Three means two are worked. Major holidays are Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving/Black Friday, Christmas Eve/Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve/New Year's Day.
• Non-billable orientation (NBO): Hours depend on contract length.

Unit and Staffing

• Department: 24/7 respiratory department. Day shift has 12-16 therapists and night shift has 10-13.
• Coverage: All hospital floors, including a 30-bed ICU, a 25-bed Open Heart unit, a 25-bed NICU, and a 47-bed Trauma ED with 5 rooms.

Health and Compliance

• Physical exam: Required within 12 months of start. Annual renewal is not required.
• TB screening: Negative PPD, QuantiFERON Gold, or T-SPOT within 12 months of start. TB questionnaire required for all candidates and updated annually. If there is a past positive result, proof of the positive test and a negative chest X-ray within 6 months of start are required.
• Immunizations: Measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella each require 2 MMR/varicella vaccines or a positive titer. Low or equivocal titers can be covered by a 2-dose record or 2 boosters. Hepatitis B requires a surface antibody titer or signed declination.
• Tdap: Highly recommended (one dose within 10 years) but not required for clearance.
• Flu vaccine: Vaccine or declination required. Vaccines are available on site. Candidates who decline must sign a digital declination in the facility tracker.
• Drug screen: Negative 10-panel drug screen within 60 days of start, including amphetamines, methamphetamines, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, cocaine, opiates, methadone, PCP, propoxyphene, and THC. Results cannot be pending at start and it does not need annual renewal.
• Color vision test: Required for all candidates. Results under 80% are escalated for review.
• Competency exam: Required by the staffing agency, not the client.
• Documents: Code of conduct acknowledgment must be signed before start. Dress and professional appearance policy must be reviewed.
• References: 2 clinical references required.
• Skills checklist: Required within 12 months and updated annually.
• Work history: Verification of most recent employer required. May be pending at start if due within 30 days post start.
• Full compliance must be complete to start on time. If not, the start is pushed back 2 weeks due to the bi-weekly orientation schedule.

Agency Offer

• The manager has 48 hours to review the profile and confirmation after the candidate signs.
• An agency offer is available only after a clinical pass within RTO guidelines and meeting facility requirements.