RESPIRATORY CARE PRACTITIONER

Position/Program Information

Department of Health Services

FIRST FILING DATE: May 4, 2018 at 8:00 a.m. (PST)
Until the needs of the service are met and is subject to closure without prior notice.

EXAM NUMBER: Y5588B

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT
Open Competitive Job Opportunity

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS A REBULLETIN TO UPDATE THE EXAMINATION CONTENT INFORMATION.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES:

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) is the second largest municipal health system in the nation. DHS operates as an integrated health system, operating 25 health centers and four acute care hospitals, in addition to providing health care to youth in the juvenile justice system and inmates in the LA County jails. Across the network of DHS' directly operated clinical sites and through partnerships with community-based clinics, DHS cares for about 600,000 unique patients each year, employs over 23,000 staff, and has an annual operating budget of 6.9 billion.

Through academic affiliations with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Southern California (USC), and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Sciences (CDU), DHS hospitals are training sites for physicians completing their Graduate Medical Education in nearly every medical specialty and subspecialty. In addition, to its direct clinical services, DHS also runs the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency and the County's 911 emergency response system, as well as Housing for Health and the Office of Diversion and Re-entry, each with a critical role in connecting vulnerable populations, including those released from correctional and institutional settings, to supportive housing.

MISSION:

To advance the health of our patients and our communities by providing extraordinary care.

DEFINITION:
Provides basic respiratory care, including continuous ventilation, to patients with respiratory disorders or deficiencies.

Essential Job Functions

• Assesses patients' overall cardiopulmonary status by inspection, palpitation, percussion, auscultation, and patient interview; documents patients' vital signs.
• Performs the basic range of ventilatory care services as prescribed by a physician including selecting, setting up, and operating a variety of devices such as medication delivery units, humidifiers, and positive-pressure breathing machines.
• Performs arterial punctures and may perform intubations and other procedures as ordered by a physician and designated according to the facility's policies and procedures.
• Administers chest physiotherapy to patients using postural drainage and/or chest wall percussion and vibration techniques by hand or by mechanical devices.
• Performs cardiopulmonary resuscitation in life threatening situations, which includes establishment of an airway by inserting an endotracheal tube, performance of chest compressions, and the application of ventilatory support.
• Monitors patients undergoing respiratory care, reporting changes in condition such as significant variations in heart beat or breathing to medical or nursing personnel, making recommendations when a change in care is indicated, and recording relevant information in the patient's chart, including effectiveness of procedures, techniques, and equipment.
• Interprets results of blood gas analyses and notifies physician when blood gas deficiencies indicate a need for a change in treatment.
• Instructs patients in various breathing techniques.
• Provides complete unit-based shift reports to staff at shift change.
• Performs equipment troubleshooting.

Requirements

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
OPTION I - An Associate's degree* in respiratory therapy from an accredited college.

-OR-

OPTION II - A certificate* of completion of an approved two-year training program in respiratory therapy.

-OR-

OPTION III - One year of experience in the service of the County of Los Angeles as a Respiratory Care Practitioner I.**

Physical Class III - Moderate: Includes standing or walking most of the time, with bending, stooping, squatting, twisting, and reaching; includes working on irregular surfaces, occasionally lifting objects weighting over 25 pounds, and frequent lifting of 10-25 pounds.

LICENSE:

A current*** California State Respiratory Care Practitioner's License or an interim permit issued by the Respiratory Care Board of California.

A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

Desirable Qualifications

• Current certificate****of completion in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) issued by the American Heart Association.
• Current certificate****of completion in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) issued by the American Heart Association.
• Current certificate****of completion in the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) issued by the American Heart Association.

*Applicants who expect to qualify under OPTION I or OPTION II must submit a legible photocopy of the Associate Degree in respiratory therapy -or- a certificate of completion of an approved two-year training program in respiratory therapy, or official transcripts to their application at the time of filing or fax the copy of certificate to us within 15 calendar days of filing online.

**Applicants who expect to qualify under OPTION III through experience as a Respiratory Care Practitioner I, must have held that County payroll title for the required time. No out-of-class experience will be accepted.

***A legible photocopy of your current State of California Respiratory Care Practitioner's License issued by the Respiratory Board of California must be submitted with your application at the time of filing or fax the copy of license to us within 15 calendar days of filing online.

All required licenses and certifications must be active and unrestricted or your application will not be accepted.

****In order to receive credit for any certificate of completion in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), or the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), applicants must submit a legible photocopy with their application at the time of filing or email the analyst copies of certificates within 15 calendar days of filing online.

Additional Information

EXAMINATION CONTENT

This examination will consist of an evaluation of education, experience and desirable qualifications based on application weighted 100%.

Candidates must achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on the examination in order to be placed on the eligible register.

Notification Letters and other correspondences will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. It is important that applicants provide a valid email address. Please add jsaldana @dhs.lacounty.gov and info@governmentjobs.com to your email address book and to the list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as SPAM/JUNK mail.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
Applications will be processed on an "as received" basis and those receiving a passing score will be promulgated to the eligible register accordingly.

The names of candidates receiving a passing grade on the examination will be placed on the Eligible Register and will appear in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months following the date of eligibility.

No person may compete in this examination more than once every twelve (12) months.

SPECIAL INFORMATION
Appointees may be required to work any shift, including evenings, nights, weekends and holidays.

AVAILABLE SHIFT: Any

VACANCY INFORMATION
The eligible register resulting from this examination will be used to fill vacancies throughout the Department of Health Services as they occur.

APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION

APPLICATIONS MUST BE FILED ONLINE ONLY. APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY U.S. MAIL, FAX OR IN PERSON WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Applications will be processed on an as received basis. Apply online by clicking on the "Apply" button for this posting. You can also track the status of your application using the website.

All information is subject to verification. We may reject your application at any time during the examination and hiring process, including after appointment has been made. Falsification of any information may result in disqualification or rescission of appointment.

Utilizing VERBIAGE from Class Specification and Minimum Requirements serving as your description of duties WILL NOT be sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the requirements. Doing so may result in an INCOMPLETE APPLICATION AND YOU MAY ALSO BE DISQUALIFIED.

This examination will remain open until the needs of the service are met. Application filing may be suspended at any time with or without advance notice.

Fill out your application completely. The acceptance of your application depends on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the REQUIREMENTS. Provide any relevant education, training, and experience in the spaces provided so we can evaluate your qualifications for the job. For each job held, give the name and address of your employer, your job title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, description of work performed, and salary earned. If your application is incomplete, it will be rejected.

Applications electronically received after 5:00 p.m., PST, on the last date of filing will not be accepted.

NOTE: If you are unable to attach required documents, you must e-mail the documents to the exam analyst, within 15 calendar days of filing online. Please include the exam number and the exam title.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER
Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES
For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

NO SHARING OF USER ID AND PASSWORD
All applicants must file their application online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password my erase a candidate's original application record.

ADA COORDINATOR PHONE
(323) 914-7111

CALIFORNIA RELAY SERVICES PHONE
800-735-2922

DEPARTMENT CONTACT:
Jaquelyne Saldana, Exam Analyst
jsaldana@dhs.lacounty.gov (Best way to contact due to telework)
(213) 288-7000

For detailed information, please click here

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