Respiratory Therapist (Registered)

Summary This position is located in the Critical Care Therapy and Respiratory Care Section of the Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center. This section is currently seeking an exceptionally talented Registered Respiratory Therapist to add to their team. Ensure to describe your experience in your resume. Learn more about this agency Duties Interpreting physician orders, providing specialized therapy to critically ill patients that usually require adaptation of established technical procedures. Participating with the physician in planning, instituting, evaluating and devising a patient care plan for pulmonary hygiene. Assisting the physician in determining therapeutic objectives/goals of respiratory treatments/therapy and evaluating the physician order for appropriateness and adjusts the order if necessary. Administering various specialized modes of ventilation to patients with endotracheal tubes and tracheotomies and other complex medical problems requiring frequent adjustments in ventilator parameters based on patient response. Observing the patient closely during treatments/procedures, and, as required, takes blood pressure, pulse, obtains blood gas samples reporting vital signs and obvious changes in patient condition. Processing specimens using equipment, instruments, or techniques that are necessary to prepare them for specific analysis (pH, hematocrit, oxygen saturations, etc.). Assisting in the examination and observation of patients by performing such duties as taking diagnostic histories, conducting physical examinations, and performing diagnostic screening tests, i.e., ventilatory mechanics and obtaining blood gases. Requirements Conditions of employment U.S. Citizenship requirement or proof of being a U.S. National must be met by closing date. Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation, verification of qualifications, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, and any other job-related requirement before or after appointment. Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the Selective Service. The National Institutes of Health participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers. The NIH maintains a tobacco free work environment and campus. Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation. Based on your appointment, a one or two-year trial/probationary period may be required. A decision regarding your continued employment with NIH will be made as you near the end of this period. The work requires standing and walking for prolonged periods of time. The therapist must frequently bend, reach, stoop and stretch to set up and take apart equipment, position patients, and push/pull moderately heavy objects. Work requires dexterity to perform intricate procedures in confined areas. Frequent use of protective clothing is required to prevent disease, spread of infection and penetration of radiation from use of x-ray devices at the bedside during procedures on patients. Selectee may be subject to a medical surveillance program due to the potential exposure to hazardous environments or substances. Therapist regularly work in an intensive care unit with patients who have severe respiratory and other medical problems. There is recurring exposure to contagious diseases and hazardous gases. This position has on-call or call-back requirements. This position requires weekend hours, night shifts, regular or rotational shifts, holiday hours. This position is designated as an "emergency essential" position and the selected candidate will be considered an "emergency essential" employee. If selected, you must pass a pre-employment medical examination, provide evidence of immunization, and be free from communicable diseases. Qualifications You qualify at the GS-08 level, if you meet one of the following basic qualification requirements: One year of general experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service that demonstrates your ability to independently perform the following types of tasks: administering complex respiratory therapy treatment/procedures (e.g. performing arterial puncture, venipuncture, nasotracheal or orotracheal suctioning, and delivering Nitric Oxide and Heliox therapy; performing respiratory therapy ventilation procedures, including endotracheal intubation, tracheal lavage, and tracheotomy care; assessing the respiratory status of patients using data acquired through physical observation and clinical analysis of blood gas data, chest x-rays, and electrocardiogram to determine the effectiveness of therapy being administered; and making recommendations to physicians regarding changes in treatment. OR You must have successfully completed two years of graduate education that is directly related to the work of the position. OR A combination of post baccalaureate education and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. You will receive credit for all experience material to the position, including experience gained in religious, civic, welfare, service, and organizational activities, regardless of whether you received pay. Selective Factor(s): In order to meet minimum qualification requirements you must demonstrate possession of the selective factor(s) of this position. Selective factor(s) include(s): You must possess the required certificate as a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RPT) from the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) and a registry number, or a certificate from another body which the NBRC recognizes as its credentialing equivalent. Preview application questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12932260 Education If you qualify based on education in lieu of specialized 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 packages. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Click here for information on Foreign Education. Additional information NOTE: Salary listed does not include weekend, holiday and night pay shift differential. Shift Differential for employees who perform work during regularly scheduled hours between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. shall receive 10 percent of basic pay for those hours. Premium pay equal to 25 percent of the employee's basic hourly rate of pay is given for hours worked between midnight Friday or midnight Sunday. Employees who are required to perform regularly scheduled non-overtime work on a designated holiday shall receive pay at the rate of two times their hourly rate for actual hours worked on their tour, but not less than at least two hours. This position is designated as an "emergency essential" position and the selected candidate will be considered an "emergency essential" employee and will be required to be available, ready, willing, and able to report for duty under all circumstances (e.g., inclement weather, government closings and holidays, lapses in appropriations, non-emergency and emergency situations) for operation 24 hours a day and 365 days per year coverage. This position requires weekend hours, night shifts, regular or rotational shifts, holiday hours. Therapist regularly works in an intensive care unit with patients who have severe respiratory and other medical problems. There is recurring exposure to contagious disease and hazardous gases. PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps should apply online to this announcement to receive consideration. Visit our Applying page for helpful information on the application process. 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 here: Reasonable Accommodation. We may make additional selections for similar positions within the commuting area(s) of the locations listed through this vacancy announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s). Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions. If selected, you may be eligible to receive a salary above the minimum based on superior qualifications and/or a special need of the Government for your services. This applies to employees paid under the General Schedule (GS) and Federal Wage System (FWS) pay systems and is at the discretion of the hiring manager. A salary above the minimum must be approved before the appointment. Expand Hide  additional information 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. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.