Summary
The Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) is a direct patient care allied health specialist. He/she is directly involved in the emergency, intensive and long term care as well as management, evaluation and treatment of the respiratory disabled patient.
Responsibilities
The incumbent, in general will educate, diagnose, and treat people who are suffering from heart and lung problems. Specialized in both cardiac and pulmonary care RRT will collaborate with specialists in pulmonology, sleep apnea physicians and anesthesia in various aspects of clinical care of patients. The RRT will work in all patient care areas of the medical center, CBOC both inpatient & outpatient,The RRT will provide respiratory care therapy, treatments and testing to Veterans according to orders written by medical providers including those patients that require ventilator support by mechanical means. Frequently, this involves examinations, assessments and/or treatment that require innovative and adaptive approaches. Work Schedule: intermittent
General duties include delivering respiratory therapy and testing for inpatients and outpatients. Therapy consist of but not limited to providing oxygen therapy, home oxygen evaluations, medication administration (bronchodilators), non invasive and invasive ventilation, high-flow oxygen devices. pulmonary function testing, CPAP/BiPAP therapy, support specialty clinics and diagnostic procedures ie. Bronchoscopy, EBUS (endoscopy bronchoscopy ultrasound scope) and pleuroscopy.
Clinical: Use of mechanical ventilators including the initial set-up and readjustment of patient and alarm parameters. Set-up and use of special respiratory equipment as well as the routine modes of therapy. Maintaining proper connections and breathing circuits and identifying complications and/or abnormal patient responses. Recognizing and/or correct electrical and mechanical equipment failures and/or malfunctions on life support systems. Proper use and set-up of all types of monitoring equipment and data including ventilator monitoring, hemodynamic monitoring and arterial blood gases. Understand the use, action or reaction to medications and/or combinations of medications and oxygen and/or special gas mixes. Use of therapeutic and rehabilitation techniques such as postural drainage, chest physical therapy, chest percussion and incentive spirometry. The education and training of home patients, or those going home and their families, on the use of home therapy equipment and home therapy techniques. Rotation as therapist of Intensive Care Unit which includes the responsibility for the clinical Respiratory Care for the patients within the unit. Maintain constant contact and consulting with nursing staff, physicians physician assistants and other health care team members regarding changes in the patient's respiratory status, and to provide expertise and consultation for difficult and/or emergency situations. 11. Quickly and accurately analyzes patient data and makes intelligent decisions regarding the patients and/or life support equipment status. 12. Assists in endotracheal intubation insertion of nasopharyngeal airway, re-insertion or changing of tracheostomy tube, emergency/scheduled bronchoscopy, assisting and/or initiating cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and transportation of critically ill patients. 13. Performing arterial punctures or canalizations for arterial blood gas analysis and evaluation.14. Participate with Pulmonary Function Testing. 15. Maintain and assist with all airway management, along with deep endotracheal/trachea/stoma suctioning. 16. Maintain professional, clean work attire.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
Alternatively:
1 . May serve as back-up to schedule patients in CPAP group class. May set-up and use CPAP equipment. May attend to all patient requests during walk-in clinic hours. May recognizing and/or correct electrical and mechanical equipment failures and/or malfunctions on PAP equipment. May Place consults into prosthetics using CPRS for all patient equipment to be dispensed. May complete all consults in a timely manner per VA policy. May return all telephone messages in a timely manner. May educate and train home patients. or those going home and their families, on the use of home therapy equipment and home therapy techniques. May evaluate inpatients to determine need for home oxygen. May maintain constant contact and consulting with nursing staff, physicians, physician assistants and other health care team members regarding changes in the patients respiratory status, and to provide expertise and consultation for difficult and/or emergency situations. 10. May perform In-home oxygen visitations to maintain compliance with VISN 10 Home Oxygen Program. May be administratively responsible for the quality assurance activities of home oxygen program. May serve as liaison between clinicians, patients in need of therapy, prosthetic service, and the home oxygen vendor to facilitate the efficient, effective, and cost effective delivery with a variety types of home oxygen and/or PAP equipment and delivery systems to inpatients and outpatients with respiratory disorders that require this therapy. Administrative: Assists with or accept the responsibility for the teaching and training of respiratory care procedures and techniques to nurses, physicians, allied health technicians, health care students and new staff team members. May be call on to be lead therapist on his/her shift. Assist the chief therapist/assistant chief of respiratory care with work schedules, time schedules, workload statistics, quality assurance and employee evaluations. May also be called upon to be acting supervisor in the absence of Chief or Asst. Chief of Respiratory Care. Demonstrates the ability to adjust to change, "work" pressures, handle differences professionally and function as a team member to accomplish the goals and mission of service and facility.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/19/2020.
Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. · English Language Proficiency. RRTs appointed to direct patient-care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English · Certificate as an RRT from the NBRC (National Board for Respiratory Care) and a registry number, or a certificate from another bodywhich the NBRC recognizes as its credentialing equivalent. This includes registration based on either: (1) Having fulfilled the requirements and passed the registry examination administered by the NBRC since 1983, or
(2) Having fulfilled the requirements and passed the registry examination for a registered inhalation or respiratory therapist administered by the (1) National Board for Respiratory Therapy from July 1974 through 1982 or (2) American Registry of Inhalation Therapists from 1961 through June 1974. Preferred Experience: See the duties and responsibilities listed, prefer candidates that meet the GS-8 requirements
Grade Determinations:
In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates.
GS-8. Candidates must have all of the following:
At least 1 year of successful experience related to respiratory therapy at the GS-7 level or equivalent. Qualifying experience at this level is work which includes duties such as: administering assisted and controlled ventilation to patients with tracheotomies and other complex medicalproblems requiring frequent adjustments in ventilator parameters; administering and monitoring advanced ventilator techniques such as positive end expiratory pressure and continuous positive airwa