Respiratory Therapist (RT)
Posted Sep 11, 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
Tell me about a time you had to make a call on a ventilator setting or treatment without a physician immediately available to consult.
What they are checking: comfort with autonomous decision-making, which matters at a smaller community hospital without in-house intensivist coverage overnight
Describe a time you had to teach a patient or family member something about their disease or self-care and it wasn't landing. What did you change?
What they are checking: patient education skill and adaptability when a standard explanation isn't working
Tell me about a time you caught an equipment problem before it became a patient safety issue.
What they are checking: vigilance and follow-through on equipment checks, tied directly to the job's safety-reporting expectations
You've precepted students or new hires before, or if not, imagine you're training someone new to nights. What's the first thing you make sure they understand before you let them touch a vent alone?
What they are checking: teaching instinct and judgment about what actually matters for patient safety versus procedural trivia
What would you do
You're on a night shift and a ventilator alarms with high pressure on a patient who was stable ten minutes ago. What's your first move?
What they are checking: systematic troubleshooting under pressure and whether they rule out the most dangerous causes first, like a mucus plug or pneumothorax, before anything else
This unit runs every third weekend, night shift, with call. What does a stretch of consecutive twelve-hour nights actually look like for you in terms of staying sharp by hour eleven?
What they are checking: realistic self-awareness about fatigue management on a demanding schedule, not just a willing agreement to the hours
A physician gives you a verbal order you're not comfortable with because it doesn't match the patient's current status. What do you do in that moment?
What they are checking: willingness to advocate for the patient and communicate up the chain without being combative or passive
Tell me about a shift where two patients needed you at the same time. How did you decide who came first?
What they are checking: triage judgment and time management in an environment with frequent interruptions, as the posting describes
There's a sliding transfer task in this job, moving a 150-pound patient across a bed with a second person, plus regular lifting up to 50 pounds. Any concerns about the physical demands of the role as described?
What they are checking: honest self-assessment against the stated physical requirements before it becomes an issue on the floor
About the work
Walk me through how you'd assess a patient who's just been intubated and put on a ventilator. What data are you pulling together before you settle on your settings?
What they are checking: whether the candidate can integrate blood gases, hemodynamics, chest imaging, and labs into one coherent clinical picture rather than working from a single number
How do you interpret a blood gas that doesn't match what you're seeing clinically at the bedside?
What they are checking: depth of understanding beyond memorized normal ranges, and whether they trust the patient over the number when the two conflict
How do you give a handoff report when the next therapist is going to be managing a patient you've had all night on complex settings?
What they are checking: clarity and completeness of communication, since incomplete handoffs are a known source of error in respiratory care
This role covers a wide age range, from pediatric to geriatric patients. How do you adjust your approach to assessment or treatment depending on who's in front of you?
What they are checking: whether they genuinely tailor care to age-specific physiology rather than applying one protocol to everyone
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Advocate Health.