JobsAdvocate Health

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 time you caught something on a chest X-ray, blood gas, or lab value that changed your treatment plan.

clinical judgment and whether they actually integrate diagnostic data rather than just following orders

Tell me about a time a patient or family member pushed back on a treatment or education plan you gave them. How did you handle it?

patient education skills and ability to build rapport and handle resistance calmly

Tell me about a time you had to hand off a patient to another therapist or shift under difficult circumstances.

quality of communication during handoff and attention to patient safety continuity

What's your experience precepting new therapists, orientees, or students, and how do you approach teaching someone who's struggling?

willingness and ability to mentor, since precepting is a stated job duty

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

proactive safety mindset and willingness to report, not just react

Tell me about a disagreement you had with a physician or another team member over a patient's care. How did it get resolved?

conflict resolution skills and ability to advocate for patients professionally

Technical

Walk me through how you assess a patient who's just been placed on a ventilator in critical care. What are you looking at first?

whether the candidate has a structured, safe approach to ventilator management and patient assessment

Describe how you'd approach caring for a pediatric patient versus an elderly patient with a similar respiratory issue.

understanding of age-specific care principles across the lifespan, as required by the job

What's your comfort level with the equipment side of the job, cleaning, maintaining, and troubleshooting ventilators and other devices before and during use?

hands-on equipment competency and attention to detail on functionality checks

Situational

Say you're managing a night shift with several critical patients and a piece of ventilator equipment starts malfunctioning. Walk me through what you do.

troubleshooting ability and prioritization under pressure with limited backup at night

How do you decide when to escalate a concern to the physician versus handling something within your own scope?

understanding of scope of practice and comfort with escalation

You're covering multiple units and get pulled in three directions at once during a busy night. How do you decide what comes first?

time management and prioritization skills in a high-interruption environment

This role is nights, every fourth weekend, with a holiday rotation. How do you think that schedule will work for you long term?

realistic commitment to the shift pattern and retention risk

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: 30 Schedule Details/Additional Information: (5) 12 hr 1830-0700 shifts/pay period with every 4th weekend and holiday rotation as assigned. Pay Range: $33.05 - $49.60 • Sign on Bonus $10,000 • May be eligible for Loan Forgiveness (up to $21k) Location : Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center - Milwaukee, WI Shift/Schedule : 0.75 FTE, Nights, every 4th weekend, and a holiday rotation. Pay Range : $33.05 - $49.60/hour Clinical Ladder Program – up to $6,000 in additional yearly bonus potential 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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