Neonatal Information for Respiratory Care Services

The Johns Hopkins Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a Level IV NICU, one of only two in the state of Maryland. Our 45-bed unit is staffed by highly trained and dedicated neonatal respiratory therapists who are key members of the multidisciplinary NICU team.

Our NICU respiratory therapists are responsible for neonatal therapeutic equipment and processes including:

• ventilator management with conventional as well as high-frequency oscillatory (HFO) and high-frequency jet (HFJ) ventilation
• surfactant administration
• intubation
• nitric oxide administration
• blood gas acquisition and interpretation
• blood gas lab organization and maintenance
• Attendance at high-risk deliveries
• Internal and external transports

In addition to their duties in the NICU, neonatal RCPs are also eligible to train as ECMO specialists and support the pediatric ECMO team.

Our NICU RCPs are experts in caring for neonates with compromised respiratory status, and frequently share their expertise at physician and nursing lectures. These highly-skilled practitioners maintain a great deal of autonomy in the NICU, and are viewed as valuable assets to the multidisciplinary healthcare team.

To learn more about the NICU and possible career opportunities, please contact:

Stacey Mann, B.S., R.R.T.
Manager, Respiratory Care and ECMO Services
Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
Email: [email protected]

Pediatric Respiratory Care Services

Pediatric respiratory care practitioners (RCPs) working in the Children's Center at The Johns Hopkins Hospital are highly trained therapists, providing care for patients in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), five comprehensive care units and a pediatric emergency department. RCPs that work in the newly expanded 40 bed PICU treat more than 1,300 children each year, and are a valuable asset to the healthcare team.

Pediatric RCPs care for patients ranging in age from birth through adolescence, and treat a wide variety of illnesses and complications.

Our pediatric respiratory therapists are responsible for therapeutic interventions, including:

• ventilator management with conventional as well as high-frequency oscillatory (HFO) and high-frequency jet (HFJ) ventilation
• specialty gas monitoring and/or delivery
• intubation assistance
• nitric oxide administration
• blood gas acquisition and interpretation

In addition, the PICU at Johns Hopkins is the official State of Maryland facility for pediatric trauma patients, caring for more than 1,000 pediatric trauma patients annually.

The PICU at Johns Hopkins is Maryland's only facility that provides extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for infants and children with severe cardiac and respiratory failure. The pediatric ECMO team is primarily staffed by the Children's Center RCPs. (See below for more information on the pediatric ECMO program).

For more information about pediatric respiratory care services or to inquire about career opportunities, please contact:

Stacey Mann, B.S., R.R.T.
Manager, Respiratory Care and ECMO Services
The Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
Email: [email protected]

ECMO Services

The Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Program at The Johns Hopkins Children's Center provides critical support for infants and children with life-threatening illness or injury. ECMO is a life-saving heart and lung bypass system that takes over the functions of these organs, allowing time to diagnose and treat critically ill or injured children while enabling the organs to heal.

The Johns Hopkins Children's Center is the only facility in the state of Maryland that provides this service to children and newborns. The multidisciplinary ECMO team consists of highly trained respiratory therapists who, along with other caregivers, treat patients receiving ECMO in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

Guillermo Herrera, MBA, RRT-NPS
ECMO & VAD Program Coordinator
The Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
Email: [email protected]