• Any editable section on the Exam Bulletin has been updated.
• Any editable section on the Exam Bulletin has been updated.

Effective July 1, 2025, in accordance with the applicable Memorandum of Understanding, the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025) was implemented. PLP 2025 requires each full-time employee in Bargaining Unit 20, and related Excluded, Exempt and Statutory Exempt employees, will have their base salary reduced by 3 percent and will receive 5 PLP 2025 leave credits monthly through June 2027. Salaries do not reflect the recent changes. Part-time employees are subject to the same conditions as full-time employees, on a prorated basis equivalent to their time-base. Permanent intermittent employees are subject to the same condition as full-time employees, based on the number of hours worked in the pay period. 

Upcoming Filing Cutoff Dates:

• 4/1/2026
• 5/1/2026
• 6/1/2026
• 7/1/2026
• 8/3/2026
• 9/1/2026
• 10/1/2026
• 11/2/2026
• 12/1/2026

Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) must be received or postmarked by the filing date indicated above. Applications postmarked, personally delivered or received via interoffice mail after the filing date will be processed in the next group.

The information below will help you determine which classification(s) is(are) appropriate for you. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications as stated on this bulletin to compete in this examination.

Open and Open, Non-Promotional Examination(s):

• RESPIRATORY CARE PRACTITIONER, CORRECTIONAL FACILITY - Open

For all Classifications, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 3 months:

Exam Code(s):

2332

Submit an Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) to apply for this examination.

Electronic applications can be submitted through your account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov.

You may apply by mail to:

• California Correctional Health Care Services
  Examination Services Section
  PO Box 588500, Personnel D-1
  Elk Grove, CA 95758
  

Indicate the Examination Code and Classification(s) on your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678).

You may drop off your application and any applicable or required documents at:

• California Correctional Health Care Services
  Examination Services Section
  8280 Longleaf Drive
  Building D - Lobby Drop Box
  Elk Grove, CA 95758
  8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Indicate the Examination Code and Classification(s) on your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678). All applicants must provide proof of identification. Accepted forms of identification are: 1) a photo identification card or 2) two forms of signed identification.

Applications MUST include “to” and “from” dates (month/day/year), time base, civil service class title(s), and range (if applicable) for all work experience. College course information MUST include title, number of semester or quarter units, name of institution, completion dates, and degree (if applicable). Applications received without this information may have delays in processing and/or may be rejected. 

If you require assistance or alternative testing arrangements due to a disability, indicate on your application that you need reasonable accommodation. You will be contacted by a representative of the testing department to make the necessary arrangements. If you have not been contacted by the time you receive notification of testing, please contact the testing department listed in the Contact section of this bulletin.

If you are unable to submit your application or complete the test due to a disability, please contact the testing department listed in the Contact section of this bulletin.

All applicants must meet the education and/or experience requirements as stated on this exam bulletin to be accepted to the examination.

Unless otherwise stated in the Minimum Qualifications, qualifying experience may be combined on a proportionate basis if the requirements stated below include more than one pattern and are distinguished as "Either" 1, "or" 2, "or" 3, etc. For example, applicants possessing qualifying experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern 1 and additional experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern 2 may be accepted to an examination as meeting 100% of the overall experience requirement.

Education: Graduation from an approved respiratory therapy program accredited by the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care or its predecessor, the Joint Review Committee for Respiratory Therapy Education. And

A license to practice Respiratory Care issued by the Respiratory Care Board of California.

Applicants possessing the required license/certificate at the time of application must show the number, title, and expiration date on their Examination Application (Std. Form 678).

Special Personal Characteristics:  Empathetic understanding of patients of a State correctional facility; willingness to work in a State correctional facility; tact; alertness; keenness of observation; aptitude for and interest in working with acute and chronically ill respiratory clients; sympathetic understanding of respiratory clients, their attitudes and problems; willingness to comply with prescribed procedures; patience and emotional stability; and aptitude and interest in working with long-term ventilator and immunosuppressed dependent clients.

Special Physical Characteristics:  Persons appointed to this position must be reasonably expected to have and maintain sufficient strength, agility, and endurance to perform during stressful (physical, mental, and emotional) situations encountered on the job without compromising their health and well-being or that of their fellow employees or that of incarcerated patients.

Assignments may include sole responsibility for the supervision of incarcerated patients and/or the protection of personal and real property.

State Civil Service Out of Class Experience:  A completion of an “out-of-class (OOC) assignment memorandum”, dated within one year of assignment completion, is required to use OOC experience to meet the minimum qualifications for examination purposes. Employees may obtain this documentation from their Classification and Pay Analyst or institutional Personnel Liaison. OOC experience without the required documentation cannot be considered for examination purposes.

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) are committed to transforming the correctional landscape to create safer, more professional, and more fulfilling environments for our employees, the incarcerated population, and those supervised in our communities. Through systemwide improvements grounded in proven and emerging practices, we aim to strengthen rehabilitation, enhance workplace satisfaction, and support successful reentry into the community through our institutions, parole, and community partnerships. Our shared mission is to promote safety, wellness, and human dignity while fostering positive change for all those who live and work within our institutions and communities.

CDCR and CCHCS are committed to building an inclusive respectful workplace. We are determined to attract and hire candidates from all communities and empower employees from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and personal experiences. We are proud to foster inclusion and drive collaborative efforts at all levels of the Department.

Across our organization, our programs work cooperatively to provide the highest level of health care possible to a diverse correctional population. We encourage creativity and ingenuity while treating others fairly, honestly, and with respect, all of which are critical to the success of the CDCR and CCHCS mission.

This examination consists of the following component(s):

A final score of 70% must be attained to be placed on the eligible list.

In addition to evaluating the applicant's relative knowledge, skill and ability as demonstrated by quality and breadth of education/experience, emphasis in each test component will be on measuring competitively, relative to job demands, each applicant's:

Knowledge of:

1. Fundamentals of cardiopulmonary physiology, fluids, and electrolytes;
2. Recognition, interpretation, and recording of signs and symptoms of respiratory dysfunction and medication side effects, particularly those that require notification of a physician;
3. Initiation and maintenance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other life support procedures;
4. Prevention of contamination and of transfer of infection through appropriate aseptic techniques;
5. Mechanics of ventilation and ventilator function;
6. Principles of airway maintenance including endotracheal and tracheostomy care;
7. Effective and safe use of equipment for administering oxygen and other therapeutic gases, and for providing humidification, nebulization, and medication;
8. Pulmonary function testing and blood gas analysis;
9. Methods that assist in the removal of secretions from the bronchial tree, such as hydration, breathing and coughing exercises, postural drainage, therapeutic percussions and vibration, and mechanical clearing of the airway through proper suctional technique;
10. Procedures and observations to be followed during and after extubation;
11. Recognition of, and attention required for, the psychological needs of the clients;
12. Basic principles of training and supervision;
13. Basic pathology of respiratory disorders and nursing care.

Ability to:

1. Perform various respiratory therapy procedures safely and effectively;
2. Apply emergency methods of cardiopulmonary resuscitation;
3. Employ appropriate tests and measures for evaluation of pulmonary dysfunction and to properly interpret results;
4. Obtain the confidence and cooperation of clients;
5. Analyze situations accurately and take appropriate action.

A Departmental Open eligible list for the RESPIRATORY CARE PRACTITIONER, CORRECTIONAL FACILITY Classification will be established for:

• California Correctional Health Care Services

The names of successful competitors will be merged onto the eligible list(s) in order of final score regardless of test date. Eligibility expires 12 months after it is established. Applicants must then retake the examination to reestablish eligibility.

Veterans' Preference will be granted for this examination. Veterans' Preference is an assistance program for veterans, veteran widows and widowers, and spouses of 100% disabled veterans who seek employment with the state. Veterans' Preference is also extended to currently serving military members nearing their retirement or separation date.

You are not eligible for Veteran's Preference if you are:

• A veteran who has been dishonorably discharged or released.
• A veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a 100 percent disabled veteran who currently has permanent civil service status. (Permanent civil service status is the status of an employee who is lawfully retained in his/her position after completion of the applicable probationary period. This does not include limited term).

Veterans' Preference is codified in Government Code Sections 18973 – 18979.

Veteran status is verified by the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR). Directions to apply for Veterans' Preference are on the Veterans' Preference Application (Std. Form 1093), which is available at www.CalCareers.ca.gov, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Career Credits are not granted for examination(s) administered on an Open basis or a Promotional basis.

• California Correctional Health Care Services

Questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice). TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Examination and/or Employment Application (STD 678) forms are available at the California Department of Human Resources, local offices of the Employment Development Department, and through your CalCareer Account (www.CalCareers.ca.gov).

If you meet the requirements stated on this examination bulletin, you may take this examination, which is competitive. Possession of the entrance requirements does not assure a place on the eligible list. Your performance in the examination described in this bulletin will be rated against a predetermined job-related rating, and all applicants who pass will be ranked according to their scores.

California Correctional Health Care Services reserves the right to revise the examination plan to better meet the needs of the service, if the circumstances under which this examination was planned change. Such revision will be in accordance with civil service laws and rules and all applicants will be notified.

General Qualifications: Applicants must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, the ability to work cooperatively with others, and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class. A medical examination may be required. In open examinations, investigation may be made of employment records and personal history and fingerprinting may be required.

Eligible Lists: Eligible lists established by competitive examination, regardless of date, must be used in the following order: 1) sub-divisional promotional, 2) departmental promotional, 3) multi-departmental promotional, 4) service-wide promotional, 5) departmental open, 6) open. When there are two lists of the same kind, the older must be used first. Eligible lists will expire in one to four years unless otherwise stated on the bulletin.

High School Equivalence: Equivalence to completion of the 12th grade may be demonstrated in any one of the following ways: 1) passing the General Education Development (GED) Test; 2) completion of 12 semester units of college-level work; 3) certification from the State Department of Education, a local school board, or high school authorities that the competitor is considered to have education equivalent to graduation from high school; or 4) for clerical and accounting classes, substitution of business college work in place of high school on a year-for-year basis.

Accepted applicants must provide proof of identification at each in-person test session. Acceptable identification consists of a photo identification card or two forms of signed identification.