Respiratory Nurse for Skilled Nursing Facility
- Chicago, United States
Posted 26 days ago
About the role
Position Title: Respiratory Nurse
Department: Nursing
Reports to: Director of Nursing/Respiratory Director
Job Summary
The Respiratory Nurse delivers focused respiratory care to residents, with a primary emphasis on administering, monitoring, and documenting the use of incentive spirometry. This role plays a key part in reducing pulmonary complications, and promotes optimal lung function through direct clinical intervention, resident education, and collaboration with the interdisciplinary team.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Residents Rights
- Knows and respects patient rights.
- Ensures protected health information is kept confidential.
- Reports complaints made by patients to supervisor.
- Reports allegations of patient abuse, neglect and/or misappropriation of patient property.
Safety and Sanitation
- Follows established safety policies and procedures.
- Observes the safety needs of patients as indicated in care plan.
- Wears and/or uses safety equipment and supplies when indicated and properly trained to use.
- Ensure infection control standards are upheld when handling and cleaning IS equipment.
Staff Development
- Attends and participates in scheduled in-service training, educational classes and meetings to maintain current certification as applicable and as managed by regulatory agencies and company policies.
- Attend facility meetings including daily weekly clinical IDT’s and reports to QAPI as scheduled.
Key Responsibilities
- Initiate Incentive spirometry therapy per facility protocol and physician orders.
- Perform initial and ongoing respiratory assessments for residents using IS.
- Provide direct education and hands-on training to residents on proper IS technique, ensuring compliance and effectiveness.
- Deliver incentive spirometry care to residents with physician orders, in coordination with the nursing team.
- Reinforce and re-educate as needed to promote consistent and correct usage.
- Monitor compliance with IS therapy and identify any barriers to participation.
- Report resident concerns, noncompliance, or declining respiratory function to Director of Nursing and Respiratory Coordinator promptly.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Documentation & Compliance
- Document assessments, interventions, education, and resident compliance in accordance with facility policy and regulatory requirements.
- Ensure accurate recording of IS use, frequency, and outcomes.
- Participate in care development plans for residents receiving IS therapy.
- Assist in quality improvement tracking related to respiratory outcomes and IS compliance.
Qualifications & Experience
- LPN/RN with valid state licensure.
- CPR certification required.
- Ability to work independently while following established protocols and directives.
- Strong communication, teaching, and documentation skills.
- Understanding of respiratory conditions such as COPD, Pneumonia, CHF, and post-operative care.
- Committed to reducing pulmonary complications and supporting lung health through consistent, evidence-based incentive spirometry practices.