Respiratory Care Practitioner Float - Full Time Variable shifts
Posted Sep 29, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 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.
About your past
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a respiratory order. How did you handle it?
What they are checking: Whether they communicate concerns professionally with physicians while keeping patient safety first.
Your shifts are variable and you cover when needed. How do you handle last-minute schedule changes?
What they are checking: Whether they are truly flexible, since the float role exists to fill gaps on short notice.
With two years or more of respiratory experience, what patient situations are you most confident in, and where do you still want to grow?
What they are checking: Whether they have honest insight into their own strengths and gaps.
What would you do
You float between McHenry, Woodstock and Huntley. How do you get up to speed on each hospital's equipment and routines?
What they are checking: Whether they have a plan for working safely across sites with different devices and teams.
You get called to a rapid response on a med-surg floor at a hospital you rarely work at. What is your role?
What they are checking: Whether they know how to manage the airway and support the team even in an unfamiliar setting.
About the work
A med-surg patient on a respiratory protocol is wheezing and their oxygen saturation has dropped to 88 percent. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they assess, treat within protocol and escalate quickly when the patient is not responding.
How do you decide when to adjust the frequency of a patient's ordered breathing treatments?
What they are checking: Whether they understand protocol-driven care and base changes on assessment rather than habit.
Walk me through how you teach a patient to use an inhaler correctly before they go home.
What they are checking: Whether they use teach-back and watch technique, since poor inhaler use leads to readmissions.
How do you communicate a change in a patient's respiratory status to the nurse and physician?
What they are checking: Whether they share clear, timely information so the whole team can act on it.
How do you clean and maintain respiratory equipment to prevent infection between patients?
What they are checking: Whether they take infection control seriously with shared equipment moving across units.
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As published by Northwestern Medicine.