Respiratory Therapist jobs in Libertyville, IL

Walk me through how you'd manage ventilator settings for a NICU patient versus an adult trauma patient in the same shift.

whether the candidate can actually flex between drastically different physiology and protocols, since this role covers both populations

Tell me about a time you had to make a quick call on a patient who was decompensating fast, maybe in a trauma or code situation.

composure and clinical judgment under real time pressure in a Level I trauma setting

A NICU infant on the vent starts desaturating and the numbers don't match what you're seeing at the bedside. What do you do first?

whether they trust clinical assessment over monitors and follow a logical troubleshooting sequence, not panic

How do you approach weaning a ventilator patient, and what tells you they're not ready yet even if the numbers look okay?

depth of hands-on ventilator management experience versus textbook knowledge

Tell me about a time you had to teach a new grad or student a skill they were struggling with.

mentoring ability, since the job explicitly includes training new teammates and students

You're covering a large patient load overnight and two rooms need urgent respiratory interventions at once. How do you decide who you see first and how do you communicate that to the team?

triage judgment and communication skills when working solo overnight with thin coverage

What's your experience with administering aerosolized medications and how do you handle a family who's anxious or resistant during patient education?

comfort with both the clinical task and the softer skill of family communication

Describe a situation where you disagreed with a physician's respiratory care plan. What did you do?

whether they can advocate for the patient professionally without becoming combative or passive