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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

Tell me about a time you had to manage a critically ill child on a ventilator overnight with minimal backup. What did you do and how did it turn out?

comfort and competence working independently on night shift with high-acuity pediatric patients

Describe a time you caught a piece of equipment that wasn't functioning correctly before it caused a problem for a patient.

attentiveness to equipment safety and proactive troubleshooting habits

Tell me about a shift where you were pulled in multiple directions at once with several patients needing attention. How did you decide what came first?

prioritization and time management under the frequent-interruption conditions typical of the unit

Tell me about a time you had to teach a new hire, orientee, or student a skill or procedure. How did you make sure it actually stuck?

teaching ability and patience, since precepting is part of the role

Describe a disagreement you had with another team member, maybe a nurse or another RT, about how to handle a patient's care. How did you resolve it?

conflict resolution skills in a fast-paced, interdisciplinary clinical environment

Technical

Walk me through how you'd assess a pediatric patient in respiratory distress the moment you walk into the room, before you even touch the ventilator settings.

whether the candidate has a systematic clinical assessment process and understands pediatric-specific presentation cues

How would you adjust your approach to setting up and troubleshooting a ventilator for a newborn versus a school-age child?

depth of knowledge across the pediatric age spectrum, since the unit spans neonates through adolescents

What's your process for handing off a patient to the next therapist, especially someone who's unstable or on complex vent settings?

quality and completeness of clinical handoff communication, which the posting explicitly flags as important

If you're between an RRT and CRT credential timeline, where are you in that process, and what's your plan to get the RRT if you don't already have it?

clarity on credentialing status and whether the candidate meets the required 12-month timeline

Situational

A physician orders a treatment that you believe conflicts with the respiratory protocol or doesn't match what you're seeing in the patient. What do you do?

willingness to advocate for the patient and communicate professionally with physicians when clinical judgment differs

How do you explain a breathing treatment or a disease like asthma to a scared eight-year-old and to their parent in a way that actually helps them cooperate?

ability to tailor patient and family education across developmental levels

You notice a near miss, something almost went wrong but didn't. Walk me through what you'd actually do in that moment and afterward.

follow-through on safety reporting culture rather than just verbal commitment to it

Working every other weekend and holiday on third shift is part of this schedule. What has your experience been with rotating or overnight shifts, and how do you keep yourself sharp at 4 a.m.?

realistic self-awareness about sustaining performance on a demanding overnight schedule

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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: Pay Range: $35.50 - $53.25 ***$20,000 Sign-On Bonus Available*** * *Loan Forgiveness & Tuition Reimbursement– Up to 20K each ** G row 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 - Park Ridge - 1675 Dempster St Schedule : Full-time | 36 hrs/week | 3rd Shift (6:30pm-7am) | Every other weekend & holiday rotation 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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