Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) – Neonatal & Adult ICU
Lake Charles, Louisiana
CHRISTUS Lake Area Hospital

Respiratory Therapist (RRT) - Travel Position

Location: Lake Charles, Louisiana
Specialty: Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT)
Employment Type: Travel
Contract Length: 13 weeks

Job Summary

Provide pulmonary care for critical, non-critical, and chronically ill adult, pediatric, and neonatal patients with minimal supervision. Perform patient assessments and implement respiratory care plans across all hospital areas, including NICU and adult ICU settings.

Work Schedule

• Night shift: 7 PM – 7 AM (may change to 6 PM – 6 AM when floating)
• Floating between two facilities (Lake Charles and St. Patrick)
• Potential weekend scheduling
• No on-call required

Unit & Patient Care Details

• Level III NICU experience required
• Ability to work independently in NICU with ventilators, oscillations, nitric oxide therapy, arterial line draws
• Attend all C-sections
• Adult ICU experience with ventilators and cardiac surgery patients preferred
• Nurse to patient ratio: 1 therapist to 5 ventilated patients
• Both facilities have full standing ER

Responsibilities

• Emergency response (Code Blue and White)
• Airway management (nasotracheal & endotracheal suctioning)
• Aerosolized drug delivery
• Ventilator setup and management
• Oral hygiene and airway device maintenance
• Management of BiPAP, CPAP, oxygen delivery devices
• Chest film analysis, blood gas collection and analysis
• EKG analysis
• Accurate documentation
• Equipment cleaning and stocking
• Participation in CAP and JC surveys
• May serve as Shift Leader or Team Leader
• Advanced skills (optional): therapeutic gas management (INO, HeO2), pulmonary function testing, bronchoscopy assist, hemodynamic monitoring, waveform analysis, nocturnal SpO2 evaluation, polysomnography, patient transport

Requirements

Licenses & Certifications

• RT or RCP License in Louisiana (required)
• Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) by NBRC (required)
• Current BLS certification (AHA)
• Current ACLS certification (AHA)
• Current PALS certification (AHA)
• Current NRP certification

Experience

• 1 to 3 years preferred

Additional Information

• Permanent position may be available if openings arise
• EMR system used: EPIC