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 had to troubleshoot a piece of respiratory equipment that wasn't working right in the middle of patient care. What did you do?

comfort with hands-on equipment problems under time pressure and whether they escalate appropriately

Tell me about a time you had to give a patient or family member bad news or a hard piece of education about their breathing condition. How did you handle it?

communication skill and empathy when explaining disease management to patients

Describe a situation where you disagreed with a physician's order or a protocol call for a patient's respiratory treatment. What did you do?

whether they can advocate for patient safety while staying professional and working within the chain of command

Tell me about a near miss or safety event you caught before it became a real problem. What tipped you off?

safety awareness and honesty about reporting culture

Tell me about the last time you had to learn a new piece of equipment or a new protocol quickly. How did you go about it?

adaptability and willingness to keep up with changing tools and procedures

Technical

Walk me through how you'd assess a patient on a ventilator in the ICU when you first come on shift. What are you looking at and in what order?

whether the candidate has a systematic, safe assessment process integrating vitals, blood gases, and ventilator settings

What's your experience operating ventilators in both critical care and non-critical care settings, and what differences matter most to you between the two?

depth of hands-on ventilator experience across acuity levels

How do you approach patient handoff at the end of a 12-hour night shift so nothing gets lost?

communication discipline and attention to continuity of care

If you had a patient population outside your usual comfort zone, say pediatric versus geriatric, how would you adjust your approach to their respiratory care?

understanding of age-specific care principles the posting explicitly calls out

Situational

A patient's blood gas comes back showing respiratory acidosis and they're on a ventilator you're managing under protocol. What's your next move?

clinical reasoning and whether they know when to adjust versus when to call the physician

Nightshift on a med-surg unit, you're covering multiple patients and a rapid response gets called on one of them. How do you handle the rest of your workload while you respond?

prioritization and multitasking under the interruption-heavy conditions the job describes

You're precepting a new orientee and you notice they're about to make a mistake with a patient-driven protocol. How do you step in?

teaching ability and how they correct without undermining confidence, given the role's precepting duties

This unit rotates every fourth weekend and holidays on nights. What's your experience with that kind of schedule, and how do you keep your clinical sharpness up at 3 a.m.?

realistic fit with the shift pattern and self-awareness about fatigue management

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The full job description

As published by Advocate Health.

Department: 36402 Aurora St. Lukes Medical Center - Respiratory Therapy Services Status: Part time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hou rs Per Week: 24 Schedule Details/Additional Information: (4) 12 hours shifts per pay period on nightshift 1830-0700. Every fourth weekend rotations and holiday rotation as assigned. Pay Range: $33.05 - $49.60 • Sign on Bonus $10,000 • Loan Forgiveness: Up to $21,000 • Tuition Assistance: Up to $21,00 Location : Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center - Milwaukee, WI Shift/Schedule : 0.6 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 We want our teammates and their families to Live Well. Actual compensation offered in the Pay Range (above) will be based on factors such as qualifications, skills, relevant experience and/or training and internal equity. To accompany base pay, we offer a comprehensive benefits package including: • Shift differentials for PM, Nights, Weekends (based on job profile) • 401(k) company contribution: 3% of your eligible annual salary AND 401(k) employer match: Dollar for dollar match up to 3% • Opportunity for yearly merit increases within the salary range 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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