Lead Respiratory Therapist (RT)
Posted Sep 8, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026
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
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