VA Portland Health Care System is a Complexity Level 1a Facility and provides extensive primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary care in outpatient, inpatient, residential, and community settings. VAPORHCS is a multi-site medical system that includes a major medical facility in Portland, Oregon, outpatient and residential facilities in Vancouver, Washington, and 10 Community Based Outpatient Clinics.

Duties

The duties of this position include but are not limited to the following: The incumbent will be located at the Veterans Affairs Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS). The incumbent reports to the Chief of Respiratory Care Services (RCS) who reports to the Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and the Clinical Director of Division of Hospital & Specialty Medicine (DHSM). The Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care has staff authority of the overall functioning of the Inpatient Respiratory Care Department and reports to the Clinical Director of the Division of Hospital & Specialty Medicine who reports to the Chief of Staff. The Assistant Chief of Respiratory Care Services (RCS) is responsible for providing basic and advanced respiratory services to adults and geriatric patients at the Portland VA Health Care System. The therapist plans, implements, and evaluates the effectiveness of respiratory care procedures and must be able to operate a variety of equipment including: mechanical ventilators, continuous positive pressure devices, pulmonary function equipment, arterial blood gas sampling, oxygen monitors/analyzers and co-oximeters. The employee is the Assistant Chief of Respiratory Care Services and oversees all work of the inpatient respiratory therapy staff. The incumbent will also oversee staff development and all educational and competency training. Incumbent is responsible for quality assurance and will actively lead Respiratory Care specific evidence-based improvement processes. Incumbent is responsible for day-to-day operations of the inpatient respiratory therapy service and will act as a backup to the Chief of RCS and will assist in covering the Home 02/PFT (outpatient RT services) along with the sleep lab (day and night operations). The incumbent provides direct supervision to staff of 20 to 25 therapists composed of both registered respiratory therapists (RRT) and certified respiratory therapists (CRT)located at both VAPORHCS and CLC located in Vancouver, WA. This includes daily supervision of the staff and providing guidance and technical direction necessary for accomplishing the work. The incumbent will supervise/oversee the four Respiratory Care Service Shift Supervisors on a daily basis regarding the function of the inpatient respiratory care department here at VAPORHCS and the CLC HIN unit. Supervisory responsibilities also include writing position descriptions, evaluating work performance, counseling of employees whose performance is marginal or unsatisfactory, initiating disciplinary actions when necessary, and resolving conflict within staff members The incumbent plans work to be accomplished, sets short and long-term goals; assigns work based on priorities; instructs employees on work and administrative matters. She/he also initiates recruitment actions, interviews and selects new employees, determines staff training needs and obtains resources for continuing education of employees. Incumbent will review, collect and evaluate relevant clinical data from medical records, care team, patients and patients' family to insure appropriate care. Incumbent will be capable of performing both basic and complex therapeutic procedures for adults and geriatric patient's, including, monitoring patients receiving mechanical ventilation, assisting with bronchoscopy, using techniques that include interpretation of clinical data, and describing and reporting arterial blood values including acid base balance. Incumbent will provide effective and relevant education to the patient, family, students, and facility staff when appropriate. Incumbent will perform both fundamental and advanced diagnostic procedures, including pulse oximetry, arterial puncture, and blood gas analysis. Incumbent will perform both emergency and acute Respiratory Care procedures in accordance with departmental guidelines and industry standards. Incumbent will actively participate in departmental quality assurance and hospital organizational performance improvement. The therapist will comply with all medical center policies and procedures regarding safety practices. The therapist will demonstrate working knowledge of the appropriate safety protocols. Incumbent will also participate in ICU Meetings. Preferred Experience: Previous management experience preferred (which would include but not limited to, staff schedules, payroll, employee file management, creation of department SOP, ability to address difficult scenarios, ability to work independently) Work Schedule: Monday-Thursday, 05:00am-3:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorize

Requirements

Qualifications

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. Grade Determinations: GS-13 Supervisory Registered Respiratory Therapist (Assistant Chief):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 assist in establishing a completely integrated patient care program. Ability to organize work, delegate tasks, evaluate performance, manage fiscal matters and meet multiple deadlines. Ability to supervise and manage subordinate employees. Skill in interpersonal relationships including conflict resolution. Ability to establish and monitor standards and priorities for production and patient care. Skill in recommending improvements to operations based on evaluation of data. References: VA Handbook Part II Appendix G11

Education

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

Contacts

• Address VA Portland Health Care System 3710 Southwest US Veterans Hospital Road Portland, OR 97239 US
• Name: Scott Newburn
• Phone: 208-422-1000 X7576
• Email: [email protected]