JobsAdvocate Health

Lead Respiratory Therapist (RT)

Advocate Health · Milwaukee, WI

Posted Sep 8, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

Behavioral

Tell me about a night shift where you were the senior therapist on the floor and had to decide how to allocate coverage across multiple critical patients at once.

whether the candidate can prioritize under pressure and take informal charge without a formal title

Describe a time you had to correct or redirect a less experienced therapist's approach to a patient without undermining them in front of the team.

leadership style and comfort giving real-time feedback to peers as an informal resource, not just a technician

Tell me about a piece of respiratory equipment that failed or malfunctioned on you mid-use. What did you do in the moment and afterward?

troubleshooting instinct and follow-through on reporting/escalating equipment issues

Describe a situation where you noticed a near-miss or safety issue before it became a real problem. What did you do with that information?

proactive safety culture mindset and willingness to report, not just react

Tell me about a time you disagreed with a physician's order for respiratory therapy. What did you do?

clinical judgment paired with professional tact in a hierarchy-sensitive environment

Technical

Walk me through how you'd manage a patient on a specialized ventilator in the ICU who suddenly desaturates and starts fighting the vent.

depth of hands-on critical care ventilator troubleshooting and clinical reasoning under acute stress

How do you interpret a blood gas result that doesn't match what you'd expect from the patient's chest x-ray or hemodynamic values?

ability to synthesize multiple diagnostic data streams rather than treating one number in isolation

What's different about assessing and treating a pediatric respiratory patient versus a geriatric one, in your experience?

grasp of age-specific care principles required across the patient population this unit serves

Situational

A patient-driven protocol calls for you to wean a treatment, but the bedside nurse disagrees based on what they're seeing. How do you handle that conversation?

conflict resolution skill and respect for interdisciplinary input while still defending clinical protocol

How would you explain a home oxygen or self-care regimen to a patient who is scared and not retaining what you're telling them?

patient education skill and ability to adapt communication to the patient's emotional state

If you were covering four critically ill patients on a night shift with occasional weekend coverage and got pulled into a bedside intubation, how would you keep the rest of your patients safe in the meantime?

real-world time and resource management specific to this unit's staffing pattern

What does day-to-day oversight of a respiratory therapy team look like to you, given that this role isn't a formal manager position?

understanding of the lead role's scope as clinical resource and informal coordinator rather than administrative boss

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Advocate Health.

Department: 36402 Aurora St. Lukes Medical Center - Respiratory Therapy Services Status: Full time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hou rs Per Week: 36 Schedule Details/Additional Information: (4) 1700-0230 shifts per week with flexibility. Occasional weekend shift, no assigned holidays or weekend rotation. Pay Range: $35.50 - $53.25 May be eligible for Loan Forgiveness (up to $21k) Location : Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center - Milwaukee, WI Shift/Schedule : 0.9 FTE, Nights, Occasional weekend shift, no assigned holidays or weekend rotation. Pay Range : $35.50 - $53.25/hour Clinical Ladder Program – up to $6,000 in additional yearly bonus potential Major Responsibilities: • Collaborates with leadership within the department with the planning and management of operations to ensure patient safety, quality outcomes, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. • Demonstrates effective collaboration working in multidisciplinary teams to support site and/or organizational goals. • Oversees respiratory therapists’ day-to-day operations and acts as a clinical resource. • Acts as a resource for respiratory therapy processes to support assessment of patient utilizing a variety of skills such as pulmonary diagnostics, chest radiograph, hemodynamic values, laboratory values, and correlates blood gases and electrolytes. Can identify and address the special needs of patient population specific to department services. • Operates specialized ventilators in critical and non-critical care venues. Assists physician with bedside or other procedures as applicable to facility. • Provides medication treatments and therapies per physician order and/or patient driven respiratory protocols (PDRP's) as prescribed. • Cleans, maintains, and ensures proper functionality of equipment. Can troubleshoot equipment as necessary and identifies the need for service and/or repair. • Educates and instructs patients in purpose, technique, self-care, goal of therapy, and disease management. Facilitates clinical problem solving and collaborates with other departments to provide education on managing patients. • Under physician direction, the respiratory therapist must be able to adapt and comply to policies and procedures for a variety of different service areas, perform tasks and/or special duties as required by assignment and maintain performance standards and organizational behaviors. • Demonstrates effective communication, feedback, and conflict resolution skills. Promotes a culture of safety by recognizing and applying proper safety measures to prevent patient harm. Report’s patient safety events and near misses in a timely manner. Seeks to identify potential safety issues and assists in the implementation of corrective actions. • Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served. Must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age-specific needs, and to provide the care needed as described in the department's policies and procedures. Age-specific information is developed further in the departmental job standards.   Licensure, Registration, and/or Certification Required: • Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP) license issued by the state in which the team member practices. • Active Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential issued by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). • Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers certification issued by the American Heart Association (AHA). • See Education/Certification Addendum for any additional site-specific requirements.   Education Required: Associate's Degree in Respiratory Therapy.   Experience Required: Typically requires 3 years of experience in Respiratory Care.   Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required: • Effective organizational, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills. • Problem solving and decision making for patient care and equipment use. • Basic computer skills.   Physical Requirements and Working Conditions: • Operates all equipment necessary to perform the job. • Must be able to lift 50 lb. object from knee to waist. • Must be able to lift 50 lb. from floor to waist height occasionally. • Must be able to lift 40 lb. at waist height and carry it across various distances. • Must be able to lift 20 lb. from waist to overhead. • Must be able to push/pull while utilizing 30# of force occasionally for long distances. • Must demonstrate stand-pivot transfer from bed to chair. • Must perform sliding transfer of 150 lbs. person on a sheet across 2 feet with a second person. • Must utilize safe body mechanics at all times.     This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties. Our Commitment to You: Advocate Health offers a comprehensive suite of Total Rewards: benefits and well-being programs, competitive compensation, generous retirement offerings, programs that invest in your career development and so much more – so you can live fully at and away from work, including: Compensation • Base compensation listed within the listed pay range based on factors such as qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training • Premium pay such as shift, on call, and more based on a teammate's job • Incentive pay for select positions • Opportunity for annual increases based on performance Benefits and more • Paid Time Off programs • Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability • Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses • Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave • Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs • Educational Assistance Program Note: Eligibility for programs listed above may depend on your FTE or status (e.g., full-time, part-time, per diem, temporary, etc.); please ask a Recruiter for more information during an interview. About Advocate Health  Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.

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