JobsAdvocate Health

Respiratory Therapist (RT) - Pediatrics

Advocate Health · Oak Lawn, IL

Posted Sep 10, 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

Describe a time a physician's order didn't match what you were seeing at the bedside. What did you do?

willingness to advocate for patient safety and communicate assertively yet professionally with physicians

Tell me about a piece of respiratory equipment that malfunctioned on you mid-procedure. What did you do in the moment?

troubleshooting skill and composure when equipment fails during patient care

Have you precepted a new hire or student before? Tell me about a time it didn't go smoothly and how you handled it.

teaching ability and patience, since the role explicitly requires precepting orientees and students

Describe a near miss you caught before it became a real safety event.

engagement with the hospital's safety culture and willingness to self-report rather than stay quiet

What made you interested in pediatric and neonatal respiratory care specifically, rather than a general adult unit?

genuine motivation and fit for a population that requires extra emotional resilience and specialized skill

Tell me about a time you had to hand off a complex patient to the next shift. What did you make sure to include?

quality and clarity of clinical handoff communication, which the posting calls out specifically

Technical

Walk me through how you'd assess a newborn in the NICU who's showing signs of respiratory distress, from the moment you walk in the room.

whether the candidate has a systematic assessment approach for neonates and can correlate clinical signs with diagnostics like blood gases and chest films

Tell me about a time you had to manage a ventilator setting change on a critically ill infant or child. What data drove your decision?

comfort with specialized pediatric/neonatal ventilator management and evidence-based clinical decision making under pressure

What's different about managing an airway in a neonate versus a school-age child versus a teenager?

depth of knowledge across the full pediatric age spectrum rather than just one population

Situational

You're covering the PICU, PCICU, and general floors on the same night and two calls come in close together. How do you decide where to go first?

triage judgment and prioritization skills across multiple pediatric acuity levels on a busy night shift

How would you explain a nebulizer treatment or home oxygen plan to a scared eight-year-old and their anxious parent?

ability to adapt patient and family education to different developmental stages and emotional states

It's 3 a.m., you're exhausted, and a family member in the PICU is upset and confrontational about their child's care. How do you handle that conversation?

conflict resolution and communication skills under fatigue and emotional pressure

You need to do a two-person sliding transfer of a heavier patient at 4 a.m. with a tired coworker. Walk me through how you'd make sure it's done safely.

commitment to safe body mechanics and teamwork on physically demanding tasks, given the job's physical requirements

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The full job description

As published by Advocate Health.

Department: Status: Full time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hou rs Per Week: 36 Schedule Details/Additional Information: (3) 12 hour shifts. 7p - 7a Pay Range: $35.50 - $53.25 *** $20,000 Sign-On Bonus Available*** ***May be eligible for our Loan Forgiveness program – Up to $20,000 *** ​***Relocation Bonus Available*** Grow Your Career, Earn More:   Through our Clinical Ladder Program, eligible Respiratory Therapists can advance their careers and earn up to   $6,000 in additional yearly bonus opportunities. Location : Advocate Children's Hospital - 4440 W. 95th Street, Oak Lawn Schedule : Full-time | 36 hrs/week | 3rd Shift (7pm-7am) | Every other weekend & holiday rotation Advocate Children’s Hospital (ACH) -Oak Lawn is seeking talented, motivated respiratory therapists with a passion for the smallest of patients. New team members receive a robust orientation and build the skillset to work in the Neonatal ICU, Pediatric ICU, Pediatric Cardiac ICU, Pediatric General Floors, and Pediatric Emergency Department. The pediatric respiratory care department works solely with the neonatal/pediatric population and offers competitive professional and educational growth opportunities. Summary : Responsible for providing and coordinating comprehensive respiratory care. The Respiratory therapist administers respiratory care procedures and modalities in accordance with established standards, policies, and procedures. Using evidence-based practices, clinical decision making, and skilled communication, the therapist compassionately leads efforts to create the safest patient environment and the best patient experience across the continuum. 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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