Cardiac Rehab Nurse

Pulmonary Health and Rehabilitation Program Staff

The pulmonary health and rehabilitation program will staff respiratory care practitioners who will be responsible for implementing the respiratory regimen and assisting with pulmonary participant support.

Responsibilities include:

• Contributing expertise to a multi-disciplinary team to offer comprehensive treatment strategies
• Communicating effectively with rehab team members about individual patient findings or concerns and about program improvement issues
• Striving toward proficiency in the clinical competencies
• Identifying appropriate psycho social adaptation to illness and/or the presence of psychopathology
• Assessing patients' risk factors that are modifiable and offering support and strategies to aid patient in successful therapeutic lifestyle changes
• Utilizing contemporary theories of health behavior change in helping participants identify learning and lifestyle modification goals
• Participating in the program's educational efforts, classes, and/or individual sessions
• Participating in the initial assessment and orientation of new participants
• Assisting in the development of individualized treatment plans with other staff members
• Applying knowledge of exercise science to a population with pulmonary disease and other potential co-morbidities
• Developing and adjusting individual exercise prescription in accordance with GXT, daily patient response in rehab, and physician recommendations
• Supervising exercise sessions, monitoring participants for inappropriate responses to exercise
• Responsible for oximetry, heart rate, and blood pressure measurement
• Assessing participants pre, during, and post exercise, making appropriate referrals and/or recommendations to the participant, other staff, and Medical Director
• Observing telemetry responses, when indicated
• Documenting initial and daily assessment data in participant records
• Reporting any new, changing, and/or significant participant conditions to the physician supervising the program
• Initiating ACLS measures and/or emergency care according to hospital policy
• Participating in the collection, analysis, and reporting of identified individual patient outcomes and program outcomes
• Keeping current in the field of pulmonary rehabilitation through journals, in-services, and conferences
• Participating in emergency drills and mock codes on a routine basis
• Attending all scheduled staff meetings