Respiratory Therapist (RT)
Posted Sep 10, 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 time you had to troubleshoot a piece of equipment in the middle of patient care. What did you do and what happened?
real hands-on equipment competence and whether they stay calm and methodical under pressure
Tell me about a patient you had to educate on a therapy they were resistant to, maybe something like a new inhaler routine or oxygen use at home. How did you get them on board?
patient education skill and ability to adapt communication to different levels of understanding and motivation
Describe a time you disagreed with a physician's order or a colleague's approach to a patient. What did you do?
conflict resolution skill and whether they can advocate for patient safety without becoming combative or passive
Tell me about a time you caught a safety issue before it became a real problem, maybe a near miss with equipment or a medication.
proactive safety mindset and whether they actually report and follow through rather than letting it slide
Have you precepted a new hire or student before? What did you focus on teaching them first, and why that?
teaching ability and what they consider foundational, which reveals their own clinical priorities
Technical
Walk me through how you'd assess a patient who's just been put on mechanical ventilation. What data are you pulling together before you make a change to the vent settings?
whether the candidate can integrate blood gases, hemodynamics, and diagnostics into a coherent clinical picture rather than reacting to one number
What's your experience with age-specific care, say treating a pediatric patient versus a geriatric one on the same shift? What actually changes in your approach?
whether they genuinely adjust technique and communication across the lifespan rather than giving lip service to it
What's your experience with the electronic medical record and documenting respiratory treatments? Any specific systems you've worked in?
basic technical readiness and how much ramp-up time they'll need on Advocate's systems
Situational
Say you're on a night shift and a patient on a vent starts desatting fast. You suspect it's the tube, not the patient. Talk me through what you check first and in what order.
clinical prioritization and whether they have a systematic troubleshooting sequence versus panicking or guessing
How do you decide when to escalate a patient's status to the physician versus handling it yourself under existing protocols?
judgment about scope of practice and comfort acting independently within protocol-driven care
You're covering multiple units on nights and get called to two things at once, a rapid response and a routine treatment that's overdue. How do you handle it?
prioritization and time management under the interruption-heavy, multi-unit conditions this role actually involves
A patient's family is anxious and keeps interrupting your treatment schedule with questions in the middle of the night. How do you manage that while still getting your rounds done?
ability to balance compassion and communication against the practical demands of covering an assigned patient load
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