JobsAdvocate Health

Registered Respiratory Therapist

Advocate Health · Park Ridge, IL

Posted Sep 13, 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 time you had to manage a patient on a ventilator in a critical care setting where something changed quickly. What did you do?

hands-on experience with critical ventilator management and calm decision-making under pressure

Describe a situation where you found a piece of equipment wasn't working right in the middle of patient care. What did you do in the moment and afterward?

troubleshooting skill and follow-through on reporting and equipment safety

Tell me about a time you had to teach a patient or family member about managing a chronic respiratory condition. How did you make sure they actually understood?

patient education skill and ability to simplify complex information

Have you precepted a new therapist or student before? What was hardest about it?

teaching ability and comfort mentoring less experienced staff, since the role requires precepting

Tell me about a near-miss or safety concern you noticed before it became a real problem. What did you do about it?

proactive safety mindset and comfort reporting issues rather than staying quiet

Tell me about a time you disagreed with a coworker or physician about a patient's care plan. How did you handle it?

conflict resolution skill and ability to maintain professional relationships under disagreement

Technical

Walk me through how you'd assess a patient in respiratory distress before you even look at the ventilator settings. What are you checking first?

whether the candidate has a systematic clinical assessment process rather than jumping straight to equipment

How do you correlate blood gas results with a patient's electrolytes and clinical picture when you're deciding on a treatment adjustment?

depth of clinical reasoning connecting diagnostics rather than rote protocol following

How do you handle a patient handoff when you're moving between units or shifts, especially on a complex respiratory case?

clarity and completeness of communication practices that prevent errors during transitions

How does your approach to respiratory care change between treating a newborn, a school-age child, and an elderly adult?

understanding of age-specific care requirements across the lifespan, which the posting explicitly calls out

Situational

You get floated to a hospital you've never worked at before and the unit is short-staffed. How do you get oriented fast enough to safely take patients?

how the candidate handles the resource team's core demand of adapting quickly across unfamiliar units and equipment

If a physician's order for a treatment doesn't match what you're seeing in the patient, what do you do?

willingness to advocate for the patient and communicate clearly with physicians without overstepping scope

Working every third weekend and floating between four different hospitals means constant change. What keeps you organized and steady when your environment keeps shifting?

realistic fit with the resource team's schedule and float demands, not just enthusiasm for the pay differential

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The full job description

As published by Advocate Health.

Department: 34142 Advocate Aurora Health Corporate - Resource Team: IL Status: Full time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hou rs Per Week: 40 Schedule Details/Additional Information: Every 3rd weekend. FLOAT: • Advocate Condell Medical Center - 801 S Milwaukee Ave • Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital - 450 W Highway 22 • Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center - 836 W Wellington Ave • Advocate Lutheran General Hospital - 1775 Dempster St 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 • Work across multiple hospitals and units • Gain experience in a variety of care settings • Maintain flexibility while supporting high-priority patient care needs 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 • Receive a $12/hour Resource Team differential • Equivalent to $22,000+ in additional annual earnings 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 & 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 • Education and certification reimbursement • Student loan forgiveness eligibility • Clinical Advancement Program (up to $8,000 per year) • Comprehensive benefits package • Paid Time Off (PTO) • Opportunity to participate in Professional Governance Pay Range: $35.50 - $53.25 Major Responsibilities: • Uses 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 as prescribed. • Cleans, maintains, and ensures proper functionality of equipment. Troubleshoots 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. Provides clear, concise, timely, and accurate patient handoff. • Promotes a culture of safety by recognizing and applying proper safety measures to prevent patient harm. Reports patient safety events and near misses in a timely manner. Seeks to identify potential safety issues and assists in the implementation of corrective actions. • Teaches, educates, and precepts new teammates, orientees, and students. • 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.   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) within 12 months OR active Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) credential issued by the NBRC if credential received prior to January 1, 2023. • 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: Graduate from an accredited respiratory care program, with a minimum of an associate degree.    Experience Required: No experience required.   Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required: • Effective organizational, interpersonal and problem-solving skills. • Problem solving and decision making for patient care and equipment use. • Proficient computer skills, use of e-mail and electronic medical record systems. • Excellent communication (written and verbal), listening and interpersonal skills. • Demonstrates human relation skills with the ability to develop rapport and maintain positive, professional relationships with a variety of patients, team members, and physicians. Ability to take initiative and work collaboratively with others. • Demonstrates time management skills with an ability to multi-task and prioritize in an environment with frequent interruptions.   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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