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Registered Respiratory Therapist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration

Summary

The Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center in Wichita Kansas is seeking a highly qualified candidate for a PRN/Intermittent Registered Respiratory Therapist position in Wichita.




Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted this week · Apply by 07/30/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 30, 2026
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$74,678 - $97,087 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Promotion potential
11
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Intermittent
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Excepted Service
Represented by a union
Yes
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CBSS-13016424-26-JMB
Control number
877582100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open to All U.S. Citizens and Veterans Preference applies. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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Duties

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  • Identify and distinguish the indications, contraindications, and general hazards, complications in preparation, performance, and post care of bronchoscopic procedures.
  • Role of a respiratory therapist in diagnostic bronchoscopy procedures.
  • Monitor and evaluate the patient's clinical condition with pulse oximetry, electrocardiogram, exhaled gas analysis, and other related diagnostic devices.
  • Develop, administer, evaluate, and modify respiratory care plans in the acute-care setting, using evidence-based medicine, protocols, and clinical practice guidelines.
  • Communicate and educate to empower and engage patients.
  • Understand the etiology, anatomy, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiopulmonary diseases (e.g., asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and comorbidities.
  • Use of evidence-based medicine in the development and application of hospital- based respiratory care protocols.
  • Evaluate and treat patients in a variety of settings, using the appropriate respiratory care protocols.
  • Patient Assessment: Complete the assessment through direct contact, chart review, and other means as appropriate and share the information with healthcare team members.
  • Review and interpret pulmonary function studies (spirometry) and pulse oximetry.
  • Inspect the chest and extremities to detect deformation, cyanosis, edema, clubbing, and other anomalies.
  • Measure and document oxygen saturation with oximetry under all appropriate conditions (with or without oxygen at rest and during sleep, ambulation, and exercise).
  • Essential functions may change from time to time to reflect the current trends within the field of respiratory therapy, and to meet the cardio-pulmonary needs of the patients served.
  • Maintain interdepartmental relations with other services to accomplish medical center goals.
  • Perform basic life support (BLS), advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS) according to American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines.
  • Participate in mass-casualty staffing to provide airway management, manual and mechanical ventilatory life support, medical gas administration, aerosol delivery of bronchodilators and other agents in the resuscitation of respiratory and cardiovascular failure.
  • Make treatment recommendations based on waveform graphics, pulmonary mechanics, and imaging studies.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: There is no set schedule or guaranteed amount of hours.
Functional Statement #: 000000

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
  • To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
  • This is a drug testing position. 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.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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. RTs/RRTs appointed to direct patient-care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. ยง 7403(f).

Education. Individuals must have successfully completed a respiratory care program accredited by the CoARC or its successor. Transcripts must be provided to verify education.

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.

A RRT employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard 3/12/2021 are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the grandfathering provisions outlined in the RRT qualification will apply. You can view the qualification standard at https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/

Grade Determinations:

Registered Respiratory Therapist, GS-11.

Experience, Licensure and Credential. Candidates must have: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level demonstrating the clinical competencies described at that level. AND hold an active license and RRT credential.

  • Clinical Competencies: The RRTs should have skill in performing therapeutic modalities related to respiratory care, the ability to collaboratively consult with physicians and other healthcare professionals to help provide favorable patient outcomes, skill in assessing oxygenation and ventilation, and the ability to perform airway management to include artificial airways and mechanical ventilation. They also obtain, interpret and analyze physiological specimens and data. RRTs assess and evaluate patients to determine and recommend intervention to develop and implement a plan of care, such as, implementing protocols, intubation, monitoring critical systems and uses advanced modes of ventilation. They provide outpatient services such as home ventilators, PAP therapy, oxygen therapy and COPD care.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the requirements above, candidates must demonstrate all the following KSAs:
  • Ability to collaboratively consult with physicians and other healthcare professionals for complex respiratory care to develop care plans to provide favorable patient outcomes.
  • Skill in evaluating the efficacies of therapeutic modalities.
  • Skill in performing advanced airway and ventilation management.
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-11.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination.

Education

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/.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Veterans Health Administration

Veterans CHOOSE and TRUST Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center because of exceptional staff, with a heart for service, who pledge to provide service excellence in the delivery of high-quality health care. Dole VA is located in the heart of Wichita, Kansas, the largest city in the state of Kansas with a metro population of roughly 500,000. Wichita is charming in appearance with a reasonably priced housing market, 8 shopping districts, 28 art galleries, 33 museums, and award-winning cultural opportunities such as The Wichita Grand Opera, Music Theater of Wichita, and the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. Services offered at the Dole VA include (but not limited to):

  • Primary Care Services in Wichita, Dodge City, Hays, Hutchinson, Parsons, and Salina, serving over 24,000 veterans per year.
  • 22 Medical and Surgical Specialties, serving over 50,000 veterans per year.
  • 6 Surgery suites, performing 2,000 cases per year.
  • 9 bed Emergency Department, serving 22,000 veterans per year.
  • 30 bed Community Living Center combined with at 10 bed Hospice unit.
  • Behavioral Health provides support for over 65,000 veterans per year.
  • 8 bed Intensive Care Unit and 4 bed Step Down Unit.
  • 29 Medical/Surgical beds (soon to be all private rooms).
  • Home Based Primary Care serving over 200 veterans.
  • Telehealth services and other virtual care options available for all veterans.
  • Substance Abuse Residential Rehab Treatment Facility with 14 beds.

Agency contact information

John Balmer
Phone
316-469-0755
Email
John.Balmer@va.gov
Address
Robert J Dole VA Medical and Regional Office Center
5500 East Kellogg Drive
Wichita, KS 67218
US

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