RRT at this grade in this assignment are designated as Chiefs. They manage complexity level 1 and 2 respiratory care department. They manage all administrative and clinical aspects of the organizational unit. The organizational unit may be located at one facility or multiple divisions of a facility.They have broad and overall responsibility for the service-level department and full responsibility for clinical practice and supervision for employees whose work involves providing high acuity care.

Duties

The following is a summary of the major essential functions of this job. The incumbent may perform other related duties as assigned, both major and minor not mentioned below; periodically specific functions may change. - Manages, directs, or assists in managing or directing, one or more programs to deliver health care services to Veterans. - Assumes a high level of supervision of a large, complex section and, as necessary, provides supervision to subordinate supervisors. - Directly contributes to the administrative management of the VAMC Albany and is the principle advisor for planning, organizing, developing, managing, and evaluating the programs under their supervision. - Develops and implements the organizational vision that integrates program goals, strategic priorities, ICARE values, and other factors. - Plans the sequence of operations, recommends and implements changes in organization or work assignments to improve work, services, job satisfaction, etc. - Develops statements of goals, policies, priorities and plans for the full range of department related concerns, including guidelines and policies for non-routine or complex assignments. - Resolves technical work problems, including those not covered by precedents or established policies. - Prepares formal requests for filling vacancies and for addition personnel to meet work requirements, reviews candidates, performs interviews and selects staff. - Serves as a consultant and works in collaboration with case managers, discharge coordinators, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and ancillary staff regarding the respiratory care provided. - Acts as a resource person in planning, reviewing, or revising facility policies and procedures that impact patient care. - Consults with affiliates and works collaboratively with the Medical Center's managers, and discipline specific functional area professional and clinical leaders to develop and enhance program opportunities and performance in support of mission objectives. - Represents the department at interdisciplinary meetings and facility level committees and to VISN level leadership. - Prepares special reports and responses for the medical center leadership, VISN or central office, which may be highly sensitive, confidential, and of a complex nature. - Provides oversight in developing procedures and methodologies for monitoring quality assurance and continuous improvement programs. - Analyzes quality and performance improvement data to assess compliance with multiple specific and technical guidelines and functions and makes recommendations for changes to ensure desired outcomes - Uses sound judgment in decision-making that focuses on meeting and improving quality customer service and the delivery of patient focused outcome-orientated health care - Performs administrative and personnel management functions relative to the staff supervised and has authority to prepare and follow up on actions for most supervisory personnel functions - Establishes a master staffing plan, including numbers and skills for staff based on patient needs, staffing guidelines, staff qualifications, infection control concerns, work area geography, and human resources supply and demand - Assigns and explains work requirements relative to respiratory care for new or changed, as well as existing programs. - Develops performance improvement plans, recommending personnel actions as necessary; proposes and effects disciplinary measures as appropriate to the authority delegated in this area. - Plans and implements an effective educational program for in-services, orientation, continuing education and other personnel training including; respiratory therapists, medical students, residents, house staff, nursing staff, patients/families/caregivers and other Medical Center personnel - Formulates training and education plans for subordinates and arranges for appropriate training courses. - Develops and maintains competencies for department staff - Plans instruction and participates as an instructor for the facility. - Responsible for ensuring all legal, regulatory, quality and safety standards for his/her areas are met, including; Joint Commission, AWE and OIG requirements, Fire Safety, Infection Control, Blood Borne Pathogens, Chemical Hazards, CPR, education documentation, patient confidentiality, employee orientation, and employee competency - Maintains a leadership role in the evaluation and recommendation of new services and equipment - Works with logistics and contracting to set up appropriate contracts with vendors - Assumes other duties and responsibilities as needed or assigned Work Schedule: Tour Varies Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21T81O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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. 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. Physical Standards. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements. 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). Grandfathering Provision. The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all hybrid title 38 qualification standards. Some of these provisions may not apply to this occupation. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education, credential or certification requirements that apply to this occupation. All persons employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series and performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education, credential or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) Employees in an occupation that does not require a licensure, certification or registration, may be reassigned, promoted or demoted within the occupation. (2) Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure, certification or registration, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level or demoted within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the full performance level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (3) Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure, certification or registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure, certification or registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels. (4) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (5) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure, certification or registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. (6) If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation or employment with the VA, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation and/or VA. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment in paragraph above, all individuals referred and assigned to this occupation must meet all the qualification requirements and KSAs below: Supervisory Registered Respiratory Therapist, GS-14 Do you have the following experience, licensure and credential? Have 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 such as critical care, pulmonary, education and sleep medicine. Hold an active license and RRT credential. Education. It is highly desirable that the candidate possess a Bachelor of Science degree from a nationally accredited college or university in respiratory care; cardiopulmonary science; or a health-related field. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are also desirable. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Skill in implementing patient care and operations change by recognizing opportunities for improvement and analyzing data. Skill in the development and implementation of appropriate standards of care for respiratory care. Ability establish a completely integrated program that emulates "best practice" and follows national policies. Ability to supervise employees. Ability to forecast resource needs to manage fiscal matters. Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity and range of variety and must be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. RRTs at this grade in this assignment are designated as Chiefs. They manage complexity level 1 and 2 respiratory care department. They manage all administrative and clinical aspects of the organizational unit. The organizational unit may be located at one facility or multiple divisions of a facility. Decisions are made exercising wide latitude and independent judgment. They have broad and overall responsibility for the service-level department and full responsibility for clinical practice, program management, education, human resources management, budget management and supervision for employees whose work involves providing high acuity care. They provide leadership with objective, independent assessments and recommendations for policy, operational and administrative issues and initiatives requiring decision and action. They plan, assess and evaluate programs to ensure coordination between care delivered by the program and overall delivery of health care within the facility. Supervisory RRTs initiate and conduct audits and analyze a wide variety of data related to program planning and the specialized needs of the Veteran, the service and the medical center. They advise leadership on policy implications, key issues, relationships to both internal and external interest groups and recommend courses of action. They maintain interdepartmental relations with other services to accomplish medical center goals. They coordinate and negotiate resolutions to complex problems and report progress and resolution of problems in achieving goals and objectives to higher levels of management. They prepare special reports and responses, Congressional responses, briefing papers, issue briefs and decision papers for the medical center leadership, VISN or central office, which may be highly sensitive, confidential and of a complex nature. They develop policies, procedures and protocols, performance and quality standards, position descriptions and functional statements. They represent the department at interdisciplinary meetings and on facility level committees. They represent the facility to VISN-level leadership.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G11.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Samuel S Stratton VA Medical Center - Albany 113 Holland Ave Albany, NY 12208 US
• Name: Sarah Cassidy
• Email: [email protected]