Directed clinical experience that develops therapeutic clinical skills for critical care areas and diagnostic labs. Emphasis is on assessing needs, designing care plans, and implementing and evaluating the procedures especially for mechanical ventilator support and systemic oxygenation. Fifteen hours per week.
Goals, Topics, and Objectives
- Monitoring Mechanical Ventilatory Support
- Diagnostic testing
- Pulmonary rehabilitation
- Home care
- Determine the indication for mechanical ventilation.
- Assemble and verify proper function of the ventilator before placement on the patient.
- Initiate, conduct and modify prescribed ventilator settings including modes of ventilation to achieve adequate acid/base balance, ventilation and oxygenation while monitoring patient’s response to respiratory therapy.
- Evaluate a patient’s ventilation and oxygenation status through the use of invasive and noninvasive monitoring including but not limited to patient assessment skills, pulse oximetry, capnography, electrocardiography (ECG), bedside pulmonary mechanics, Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) results and/or hemodynamic parameters.
- Demonstrate a comprehensive patient-ventilator system check.
- Conduct therapeutic procedures to achieve maintenance of a patent airway, removal of bronchopulmonary secretions, adequate spontaneous ventilation and/or arterial and tissue oxygenation according to individual patient needs.
- Provide emergency care, cardiopulmonary resuscitation or some portion of the procedures involving patients to include intubation, extubation, bronchoscopies, and transport for special procedures.
- Demonstrate the proper procedure for arterial blood sampling through arterial puncture and arterial line sampling.
- Incorporate all respiratory modalities as required during a typical shift assignment.
- Demonstrate compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) guidelines when dealing with patients & their medical records in the health care setting.
- Apply appropriate professional behaviors when dealing with physicians, hospital staff, fellow students, patients & patient families.
- Use correct universal precautions and infection control procedures in the clinical setting.
- Correlate learned theory and techniques and apply that knowledge to direct patient care included in a critical care assignment. (i.e. ventilatory support, equipment, monitoring patients, etc.)
- Communicate verbally in language appropriate to patients and professional staff.
- Communicate appropriately and accurately in written form in appropriate notes and reports.
Assessment and Requirements
Written documentation, observation of clinical practice, weekly clinical logs, shared feedback forms, physician interaction reports, affective and clinical management final evaluations, and clinical competency evaluations are used to assess attainment of objectives in the area of knowledge, skills, and affective behaviors.
Students must pass this course with a “C” grade or higher to remain in the RTH program.
To be determined by program faculty.