Supervisory Registered Respiratory Therapist - Assistant Chief

The Assistant Chief of Respiratory Care Services (RCS) serves as the full assistant to the Chief of Respiratory Care Services within the Puget Sound VA Medical Center. The incumbent will be assigned to supervise respiratory therapists working in Respiratory Care Services, Home Oxygen Program, and Pulmonary Diagnostic Services (including Pulmonary Function Testing and Bronchoscopy) under the Chief of Respiratory Care Services and the Medical Director of Respiratory Therapy.

Major duties

Functions or Scope of Assigned Duties include but are not limited to: Personnel Functions. Incumbent will work with the Chief of Respiratory Care Services and the Administrative Specialist (SAS), who is under DHSM to complete the following: Keep track of time and attendance of staff members. Schedule and review employee leave requests including formal requests for training. Periodically review job descriptions. Counsel employees on issues that cannot be solved at a lower level. Take informal or formal corrective action on conduct or performance issues. Initiate proposals for disciplinary actions where needed. Work with union Stewards and EEO Counselors when required. Assist with conduct staff meetings on a regular recurring basis. Ensure all accident and incident reports for assigned employees are submitted. Assist in the preparation of formal requests for filling vacancies, promotions, details, etc. Plan staffing needs and interview and select new employees. Orient new employees to respiratory therapy and pulmonary diagnostic services. Document and assure equipment and procedure competency annually. Support development and evaluation of quality assurance program. Incumbent is responsible for furthering the goals of equal employment opportunity (EEO) by adhering to nondiscriminatory employment practices regarding race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or handicap. Incumbent will work with the SAS and Chief of Respiratory Care Services to ensure all clinical practice within the department meets Joint Commission standards. Incumbents will work with the SAS to ensure that patient scheduling practices meet VHA criteria for privacy, timeliness, and documentation. The incumbent will serve as a voting or Ad Hoc member in the following committees: Cardiopulmonary, Critical Care, Infection Control, Commodity Standards, Home Care Advisory board, Home Oxygen/DME, BCMA, and Community Nursing Home/Non-Institutional Care. The incumbent will monitor compliance with all Joint Commission requirements for his/her areas which include coordinating Fire Safety, Infection Control, Blood Borne Pathogens, Chemical Hazards, CPR, education documentation, patient confidentiality, employee orientation, and employee competency. The incumbent will assist with the clinical coordination of the Home Oxygen program, which includes inpatient to outpatient transition through Medical Center Protocol, home visits, and the interdisciplinary process with the Vendor The incumbent makes recommendations and implements changes in the Respiratory Therapy and Pulmonary Diagnostic Services to improve services and patient care. The incumbent will assist with overseeing and explaining the requirements for Respiratory Therapy and Pulmonary Diagnostic Services procedures. He/she resolves technical work problems with the aid of references, such as manuals, troubleshooting guides, and other reference sources. The incumbent will assist with updating manuals, procedures and policies, which will keep Respiratory Therapy and Pulmonary Diagnostic Services up to date. The incumbent will ensure supervisors and other employees are informed of all matters that affect them such as changes in policies and procedures or need for additional staff or equipment. The incumbent will prepare formal evaluations of performance of employees under his/her supervision. The incumbent will direct or delegate the planning and implementing of effective educational programs for in-services, orientation, continuing education, and other personnel training in Respiratory Therapy and Pulmonary Diagnostic Services. The incumbent deals with the Union Steward and others where applicable on personnel matters. The incumbent will audit Respiratory Care Services, Home Oxygen Program, and Pulmonary Diagnostic Services, and initiate or recommend changes when indicated. The incumbent oversees the training of Respiratory Therapy and Pulmonary Diagnostic Services, and, medical students, house staff, nursing staff, other Medical Center personnel, and patients. The incumbent, when working with patients, will provide care based on physical, psychosocial, educational, safety, and related criteria, appropriate to the patients served in his/her assigned area (i.e. adult and geriatric patient populations) and involve family/significant others in decision making related to plan of care. The knowledge, abilities, and skills needed to provide such care will be refined through continuing education, training, and experience. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm. Telework: Ad-hoc only and based on agency policy, not regular or reoccurring. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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. Education. Individuals must have successfully completed a respiratory care program accredited by the CoARC or its successor. Licensure. Persons appointed or reassigned to RRT positions in the GS-0601 series must possess and maintain for the duration of employment a full, current and unrestricted license from a state to practice as an RRT. Credential. Persons appointed or reassigned to RRT positions in the GS-0601 series must possess and maintain for the duration of employment a valid, current, unrestricted credential of RRT. Loss of Licensure, Certification or Credentials. An employee in this occupation, who fails to maintain the required certifications, RRT credential or license must be removed from the occupation, which may also result in the termination of employment. Once credentialed, licensed or certified, RTs/RRTs must maintain a full, valid and unrestricted license, credential and certification to practice respiratory care. English Language Proficiency. RTs/RRTs appointed to direct patient-care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment above, all individuals referred and assigned to this occupation must meet all the qualification requirements and KSAs defined in the specific assignment as follows: Supervisory Registered Respiratory Therapist, GS-13. Experience, Licensure and Credential. Candidates must:

• Have one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level demonstrating the clinical competencies described at that level.
• It is highly desirable that the candidate possess certification in one or more functional specialties.
• Hold an active license and RRT credential.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the requirements above, candidates must demonstrate all the following KSAs:

• Ability to supervise employees.
• Ability to assist in establishing a completely integrated program.
• Skill in recommending improvements to operations, including new and emerging procedures based on evaluation of data.
• Ability to forecast resource needs and to manage fiscal matters.
• Skill in problem solving including conflict resolution.
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with employees at varying levels of background.
• Knowledge of complex and non-standard examinations, treatments, procedures and techniques.

Preferred Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level demonstrating the clinical competencies described at that level. It is highly desirable that the candidate possess certification in one or more functional specialties: critical care, pulmonary, education, and sleep medicine. Prior supervisory experience preferred. Minimum of 5 years' experience at a high acuity medical center required. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

Education

IMPORTANT: This position has a positive education or training requirement. An unofficial copy of college transcripts showing completion of the required degree or program is required and must include the name of the school, your name, date conferred or completed, and degree or certificate type. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.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/.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.