Standards
Respiratory Therapist Series, 0651
Associated Group Standard
Use the Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Technical and Medical Support Positions for this series in conjunction with the Individual Occupational Requirements described below.
Individual Occupational Requirements
Specialized Experience
(for positions at GS-4 and above): Qualifying specialized experience must have demonstrated a knowledge of basic equipment used in respiratory therapy and included duties such as:
Making regular rounds on hospital nursing units to review or collect clinical data to insure that the respiratory equipment is operating properly and in compliance with physicians' orders.
Transporting, setting up, or testing the operation of and changing simple oxygen administering devices, e.g., masks and nasal cannulas with cylinder or centralized medical gas systems.
Disassembling, cleaning, assembling, and sterilizing reusable respiratory equipment such as oxygen analyzers and regulators, including recognizing and reporting variations from expected results.
Examples of qualifying experience include work as a practical nurse, nursing assistant, medical machine aid, medical technician, or respiratory therapy aid if the above duties were performed.
OR
Education and Training:
For GS-4:
Successful completion of a 2-year accredited course of study leading to an associate's degree in respiratory therapy.
For GS-5:
Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in respiratory therapy.
