Respiratory Care Practitioner - Pre-Licensure
Posted Sep 30, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 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.
About your past
Where are you in your licensing process, and what is your plan for getting licensed?
What they are checking: Whether they have a clear path to full licensure, which this pre-licensure role depends on.
The posting says ICU and nursery experience is preferred. What exposure have you had to critical care or newborns in your training?
What they are checking: Where their clinical experience stands so the team knows what support they need.
Tell me about a time you asked for help on something you weren't sure about.
What they are checking: Willingness to ask questions, which keeps a new practitioner from making unsafe guesses.
This is a PRN role with variable shifts. How do you see it fitting into your schedule while you finish licensing?
What they are checking: Whether they can reliably pick up shifts and understand the as-needed nature of the job.
How do you work with nurses and physicians as part of a team on a patient's respiratory plan?
What they are checking: Collaboration with the care team, which the posting names as central to good patient outcomes.
What would you do
You're with a patient whose oxygen saturation is dropping and they look like they're struggling. What do you do?
What they are checking: Acting quickly, calling for help and escalating instead of waiting or trying to handle it alone.
About the work
Walk me through how you assess a patient's breathing before giving a treatment.
What they are checking: A solid assessment routine, including lung sounds, work of breathing and vitals, that guides therapy choices.
What would make you hold or stop a nebulizer treatment?
What they are checking: Recognizing adverse reactions like a racing heart rate and knowing when to stop and report.
How do you know when a task is outside what you're allowed to do before you're licensed?
What they are checking: Clear understanding of scope of practice, which protects patients and the new practitioner.
How would you explain an inhaler or nebulizer to a patient who's never used one?
What they are checking: Clear patient teaching, which the role includes and which helps patients manage at home.
Practice this interview out loud.
Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at SSM Health from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.
Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by SSM Health.