Respiratory Therapist

Summary

The purpose of the position is to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate the delivery of respiratory therapy services for neonatal, pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients with acute or chronic cardiopulmonary disorders. This position is located in a clinical service within an Indian Health Service (IHS) hospital at Northern Navajo Medical Center, Shiprock, NM. A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021).

Duties

• Performs routine airway care including tracheostomy and endotracheal tube maintenance, cuff pressure monitoring and equipment troubleshooting. Maintains ventilatory support during intra-facility transport and modifies therapy in response to clinical changes. Works with patients and their families, physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other allied health professionals throughout the facility of inpatient units, intensive care areas, emergency departments, outpatient clinics, and during patient transport who may be anxious, critically ill, or experiencing significant distress. Performs basic pulmonary diagnostic procedures including spirometry and limited pulmonary function testing. Explains respiratory procedures, treatment plans, and equipment use to patients and families. Responds to respiratory and cardiopulmonary emergencies including respiratory distress, trauma, and cardiac arrest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. BASIC REQUIREMENT(S): Individual Occupational Requirements Specialized Experience For positions at GS-4 and above: Qualifying specialized experience must have demonstrated a knowledge of basic equipment used in respiratory therapy and included duties such as: Making regular rounds on hospital nursing units to review or collect clinical data to insure that the respiratory equipment is operating properly and in compliance with physicians' orders. Transporting, setting up, or testing the operation of and changing simple oxygen administering devices, e.g., masks and nasal cannulas with cylinder or centralized medical gas systems. Disassembling, cleaning, assembling, and sterilizing reusable respiratory equipment such as oxygen analyzers and regulators, including recognizing and reporting variations from expected results. Examples of qualifying experience include work as a practical nurse, nursing assistant, medical machine aid, medical technician, or respiratory therapy aid if the above duties were performed. In addition to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: GS07: Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks: Drawing blood samples and performing blood gas analyses. Providing aerosol therapy, chest physiotherapy, postural drainage, airway and secretion-management interventions. Administering oxygen therapy. Performing basic trouble shooting of related respiratory equipment. Ensuring proper cleaning, assembly and safety checks of equipment. OR One full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-7. Graduate education in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. GS08: Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks: Operating ventilator and related respiratory equipment. Performing blood gas analysis and interpreting blood gas results. Communicating treatment recommendations to care team. Performing basic pulmonary diagnostic procedures. Responding to respiratory and cardiopulmonary emergencies. Providing orientation and in-service training. Time In Grade Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP). You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Requirements

Selectee may be subject to a probationary period ESEP appointees typically serve a two year trial period U.S. Citizenship is required Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children. Due to this requirement, the agency must ensure that persons hired for these positions have not been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes. Confidential Financial Disclosure Form required. The selected individual is required to obtain and maintain medical staff clinical privileges, including any licensure requirements. If privileges are not obtained or maintained during employment, the employee will be subject to adverse actions, up to and including removal from Federal service. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/. You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you. Background Investigation Requirement: This position requires the successful completion of a federal background investigation as a condition of employment. A background investigation is a standard process used by the Federal Government to verify an individual's identity, employment history, education, and other relevant information to determine suitability for Federal service. Upon receipt of instructions, applicants must complete all required background investigation forms within five (5) calendar days of issuance. Timely completion is critical to avoid delays in processing or a determination of unsuitability. Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize this requirement and to maintain regular communication with their assigned Personnel Security Specialist throughout the process. Prior to the appointment, candidates must present two valid forms of identification. If one of the documents is a state-issued ID or driver's license, it must be REAL ID-compliant.

Education

This position has an education requirement.If you are substituting education for experience; You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: https://www.ed.gov/accreditation. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. You may update your application documents and some questions related to your personal information at any time during the announcement open period. Upon application, you may be provided a testing window to complete additional assessments. This testing window may stipulate a completion deadline before the announcement closes. It is your responsibility to complete the additional online assessments within the timeline provided to remain in consideration for this vacancy announcement. Failure to complete the online assessments within the testing window for this announcement will not preclude you from being considered for and completing the online assessments during a testing window on a future announcement. For additional questions please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) found here: https://www.ihs.gov/jobs/faq/. Financial Suitability Requirement: This position requires a review of the applicant's financial history as part of the personnel security and suitability determination. Applicants must demonstrate financial responsibility, maintain good standing with creditors, and satisfy all legal financial obligations prior to applying. Individuals with substantial delinquent or unresolved financial obligations-including, but not limited to, delinquent federal or state tax liabilities, defaulted federal student loans, court-ordered fines or fees, or child support arrears-may be deemed unsuitable for employment with the Indian Health Service (IHS).