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Respiratory Therapist

Department of Health and Human Services
Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services
Office of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE ANNOUNCEMENT PRIOR TO SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION
This position is an episodic, intermittent position on irregular or occasional work hours and you are only compensated for time worked. You also may not hold dual federal employment.


Additional selections may be made across the Department of Health and Human Services in multiple locations through this vacancy announcement.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
07/31/2020 to 08/31/2020
Salary
$19.79 to - $25.73 per hour

The salary indicated above is basic pay and your locality pay will be assigned at the time of selection.

Pay scale & grade
GS 8
Locations
Anchorage, AK
many vacancies
Mobile, AL
many vacancies
Little Rock, AR
many vacancies
Tucson, AZ
many vacancies
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
76% or greater - 95% Domestic and 5% International
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Intermittent
Work schedule
Intermittent
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
8
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Q Access Authorization
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
HHS-NDMS-DH-20-10871485
Control number
574938800

Duties

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This position is located with the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS). NDMS supports state, local, tribal and territorial (SLTT) authorities following disasters and emergencies by supplementing health and medical systems and response capabilities. The HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, in its role as Coordinator of Emergency Support Function 8 (ESF-8), Public Health and Medical Services, of the National Response Framework, employs the NDMS to provide patient care, patient movement, and definitive care, as well as veterinary services, and fatality management support when requested by authorities from States, localities, Tribes and Territories, or other federal departments. In a disease outbreak, they may provide mass prophylaxis. During a special event, they stand ready to serve in case of an emergency. But no matter what the specific mission is, DMAT teams provide expert patient care that protects individual health and promotes national health security.

  1. Provides therapeutic health services to patients under the continuing guidance of a physician.
  2. Instruct patients on the proper use of respiratory therapy equipment.
  3. Records pertinent data associated with treatment such as type of therapy administered, equipment and medications used, patient progress, and general observations of vital signs.
  4. Works closely with other Respiratory Therapists and Respiratory Therapy Technicians in training, preparedness, and response/recovery operations.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required
  • Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service - http://www.sss.gov
  • Suitable for federal employment
  • Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. All information concerning qualifications is subject to investigation.
  • Documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System.
  • All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.
  • All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
  • Financial disclosure statement may be required.
  • One-year probationary period may be required.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Government issued credit card
  • Immunization required

Qualifications

During deployments, the work is primarily related to readiness for and deployment for response during the aftermath of a disaster or public health emergency, where work may be field-based, in a tent environment that is remote and austere, caring for sick, injured, dying, or deceased persons. This work requires above average health, physical, and mental conditioning with routine long periods of repetitive walking, bending, lifting, and carrying, such as carrying NDMS equipment or heavy patients on litters. Incumbent must be capable of working in a high-stress, high security, remote, austere, and uncharacterized environment, void of infrastructure and vital services, requiring specific physical demands, such as the ability to lift 50 pounds, and work characteristics that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. For these reasons, employees are required to complete a physical and health screening process, meet and maintain certain physical standards, as well as mental, behavioral, and cognitive competencies. Work may be performed in an office setting or indoor and outdoor field sites, sometimes in adverse weather. During emergency situations, the work environment may be situated in austere conditions and environment in terms of destroyed infrastructure (e.g., food and water, housing, electricity, communications), the presence of endemic diseases, and limited health and sanitation facilities requiring special safety precautions.

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; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to gain employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

NOTE: This vacancy will be filled through OPM's Direct Hire authority. Veterans' Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to positions filled under this announcement. Please click here for more information on OPM's Authorization of Direct Hire authority. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/direct-hire-authority/

To qualify for this position, you must meet ALL of the following requirements:

  • Have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service 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; 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; and disassembling, cleaning, assembling, and sterilizing reusable respiratory equipment such as oxygen analyzers and regulators, including recognizing and reporting variations from expected results.
  • Professional Certification for respiratory therapy from one of the following programs: Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) as entry-level credential for graduates from an accredited associate's degree program in respiratory therapy and Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) as the advanced credential that may be pursued by graduates of Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC)-accredited respiratory therapy programs or CRTs who possess at least four years of clinical experience following their CRT certification
  • A minimum of one year experience as CRT or RRT

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Travel and transportation expenses may be paid: No

Bargaining Unit Position: No

Drug Screening Required: No

Recruitment incentives may be authorized: No

Student loan repayment incentive may be authorized: No

Annual leave for non-federal service may be authorized: No

Immunization required: Yes

For information on "People with Disabilities" please visit http://opm.gov/disability/PeopleWithDisabilities.asp

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position. Information about CTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: http://www.opm.gov/ctap.

CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:
1. A copy of your RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate, notice of disability annuity termination, or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement.
2. A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action'', documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc.;
3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP eligible see http://opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictap. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position.

ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:
1. A copy of your RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate, notice of disability annuity termination, or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement.
2. A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action'', documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc.;
3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

For Most Effective Resumes Tips visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Most_Effective_Resumes.

If you are unable to apply online, please go to https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information for more information on our alternate application method.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.

Traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply to this vacancy. Applications will be evaluated against the basic qualifications. Qualified candidates will be referred for consideration in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management direct hire guidelines. Veteran's Preference does not apply to the direct hire recruitment procedures. Selections made under this announcement will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would, therefore, be given new appointments to the civil service.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

  • Minimum Qualifications
To preview the assessment questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10871485

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