JobsAdvocate Health

Respiratory Therapist (RT) Weekend Program

Advocate Health · Milwaukee, WI

Posted Sep 9, 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 critical airway or ventilator emergency with minimal backup around, since it was overnight or on a weekend.

comfort operating with reduced staffing and confidence making independent judgment calls in high-acuity moments

Tell me about a time you caught a near miss or a safety issue before it became a real problem.

proactive safety culture behavior and willingness to report, not just react

Describe a situation where you had to explain a treatment plan or self-care technique to a patient or family who didn't understand medical terms.

patient education skill and ability to translate clinical information for a general audience

Have you precepted a new therapist or student before? What was your approach to teaching someone who was still building confidence?

willingness and ability to mentor, since precepting orientees is a stated job duty

Tell me about a disagreement you had with a nurse, physician, or another therapist over a patient's care. How did you handle it?

conflict resolution skills in a team-based, interdisciplinary setting

Walk me through a time you had to physically move or reposition a patient safely, maybe a sliding transfer with another team member.

awareness of body mechanics and safe patient handling given the physical lifting and transfer demands of the job

Technical

Walk me through how you'd assess a patient who's been on the ventilator overnight and starts showing signs of distress. What do you look at first?

whether the candidate has a systematic clinical assessment process combining labs, blood gases, and hemodynamics rather than a single data point

How do you approach a handoff at the end of a night shift when the incoming therapist is walking into a patient who's unstable?

clarity and completeness of clinical communication during transitions of care

How do you adjust your approach when you're treating a pediatric patient versus an elderly patient with the same respiratory issue?

understanding of age-specific care requirements across the lifespan, as called out in the job description

Situational

You're covering multiple units overnight and get called to a rapid response while you still have a treatment due on another floor. How do you prioritize?

triage and time management skills under the frequent-interruption, multi-unit reality of night shift

Say you find a ventilator that isn't functioning the way it should mid-shift. What do you do in that moment, and how do you make sure the patient stays safe while you sort it out?

equipment troubleshooting knowledge paired with patient safety instincts, not just technical fix-it skills

A physician gives you an order that conflicts with the respiratory protocol you'd normally follow for that patient. What do you do?

judgment in navigating physician direction versus protocol-driven care, and comfort raising concerns appropriately

This role runs Saturday and Sunday nights plus a rotating weekday, six thirty in the evening to seven in the morning, with holidays as assigned. How do you know this schedule works for you long term?

realistic self-assessment of fit with a demanding, non-standard weekend night schedule and retention risk

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The full job description

As published by Advocate Health.

Department: 36402 Aurora St. Lukes Medical Center - Respiratory Therapy Services Status: Full time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hou rs Per Week: 36 Schedule Details/Additional Information: nightshift weekend program (Saturday & Sunday) with a rotating weekday. 1830-0700. Holidays as assigned. Pay Range: $33.05 - $49.60 Location:  St. Luke’s – Milwaukee, WI Sign On Bonus : $20,000 Pay Range:  $33.05 - $49.60/hour Loan Forgiveness: Up to $21,000 Tuition Assistance: Up to $21,000 Schedule: 0.9 FTE, Nights, and a Large Differential for Weekend Program (Saturday & Sunday) with a rotating weekday Clinical Ladder Program – up to $6,000 in additional yearly bonus potential 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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