How to hire respiratory therapists
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Enforce safety rules and ensure careful adherence to physicians' orders. • Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information. • Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur. • Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. • Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition. • Relay blood analysis results to a physician. • Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment. • Work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals to manage patient care by assisting with medical procedures or related duties. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Associate's degree] • Strong active listening, critical thinking, monitoring, reading comprehension, speaking and active learning skills • Working knowledge of customer and personal service, medicine and dentistry, public safety and security and English Language • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $39.56 an hour ($82,280 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for respiratory therapists
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to enforce safety rules and ensure careful adherence to physicians' orders. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What respiratory therapists do
- Enforce safety rules and ensure careful adherence to physicians' orders.
- Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information.
- Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur.
- Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
- Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition.
- Relay blood analysis results to a physician.
- Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.
- Work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals to manage patient care by assisting with medical procedures or related duties.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for respiratory therapists
- Typical education to start: Associate's degree (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 1 to 2 years (O*NET)
- Job outlook: +8.5% over ten years, much faster than average · about 8,600 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay respiratory therapists
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| New York | $107,810 |
| California | $104,820 |
| Massachusetts | $102,170 |
| Washington | $101,130 |
| New Jersey | $100,810 |
| West Virginia | $68,670 |
| Alabama | $66,150 |
| Mississippi | $63,270 |
See respiratory therapists pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians
- Paramedics
- Registered Nurses
- Radiation Therapists
- Physical Therapist Assistants
- Physical Therapists
- Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Physical Therapist Aides
- Physician Assistants
- Cardiologists
Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.