Children's National Hospital logo
Children's National Hospital
Washington, District of Columbia

Respiratory Therapist (RCP) - Level III

Respiratory TherapistIncludes weekendsNo callNo nightsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$40.61-$83.75/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting and time off.

Posted 3mo ago

Job Description

Kids Are Our Everything.

Department: 10168 Respiratory Therapy

Pay Range

$40.61 - $83.75

Shift: Day 7a-7p

Sign on Bonus - Up to $20,000

Who We Are

Children's National Hospital is seeking dedicated Respiratory Care Practitioners to join our team at our 323-bed Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center.

Our Respiratory Department offers exciting growth opportunities through our career ladder program, allowing you to advance your career while working in various high-level care units.

These include the Heart and Kidney Unit, Short Stay Unit, Medical Surgical Units, Level IV NICU, PICU, Cardiac ICU, Emergency Department, and critical care transport via ambulance and helicopter and other units.

About the Role

Under general direction of the department manager, according to departmental and hospital standards, the Respiratory Care Practitioner, referred to as RCP-III, is responsible for administering all levels of Respiratory Care to treat patients with cardiopulmonary dysfunction and/or disabilities.

RCP-III will function at an advanced level of practice in Acute Care, ER, and two Critical Care units (either PICU, NICU and/or CICU ); also serving as a clinical resource and preceptor.

The RCP-III will maintain all skills and knowledge sufficient to provide safe, effective, and appropriate care to all ages of patients including neonates, infants, toddlers, children, adolescents, and adults.

What You'll Bring

Minimum Education

  • Associate's Degree -Completion of a minimum two years of college training in an AMA approved Respiratory Care Program (Required)
  • Bachelors of Science in a health-related field (Preferred)
  • Minimum Work Experience
  • 5 years (Required)
  • 2 years - Experience in a pediatric and/or neonatal critical care environment (Required)
  • Required Licenses and Certifications
  • Registered Respiratory Therapist (Required)
  • RCP License from District of Columbia DOH Health Regulation and Licensing Administration
  • (Required)Basic Life Support for Healthcare Provider (BLS) (Required)
  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) (Required)

Required Skills/Knowledge

Must be able to demonstrate competency of all aspects of acute care delivery, ER, and two intensive care units prior to completion of initial 90 days.

Administers all general Respiratory Therapy procedures, including humidity and aerosol therapy, lung inflation maneuvers, pulmonary secretion clearance, CP AP, BIP AP, and High-Flow Therapy.

Must demonstrate advanced mechanical ventilator management skills including use of Nitric Oxide, Heliox, and set-up and management of HFOV.

Performs CPR as indicated. Performs invasive and noninvasive monitoring and diagnostic procedures ascribed to specific care areas.

Works independently within the ER, Acute Care, and PICU, NICU and/or CICU; a minimum of 10 shifts a year in each area.

Must display sustained proficiency in all acute care areas, ER, and two of three intensive care units as exhibited through department rotation schedule

  • Must actively serve as a preceptor to new hires and students.
  • Adheres to policies and procedures established by Respiratory Care Services and Children’s National Health System.
  • Ability to organize, establish priorities, and to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
  • Must be able to perform under stressful situations using superior clinical judgment.
  • Must demonstrate compassion and patient centered orientation when dealing with patients, families, and co-workers.
  • Must have ability to perform mathematical calculations.
  • Must maintain clinical skills and required continuing education credits for department and licensure including: BLS, P ALS, NRP, FIT Testing, annual skills review, in-services, etc.
  • Must have physical ability to perform all treatment modalities.
  • Must have physical ability to move and lift up to 50lbs; frequently endure long periods of standing and walking.
  • Must have basic computer skills.
  • Credentials and proficiency will be assessed during annual review to maintain status at the RCP-III Level.

Benefits That Support You

  • Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, prescription, infertility, and transgender health services.
  • Generous paid time off, including vacation accrual from day one, sick leave, holidays, and a personal day.
  • Financial wellness support, including a 401(k) plan and healthcare and dependent care spending accounts.
  • Employer-paid life, AD&D, and long-term disability coverage, with optional supplemental plans.

Additional perks, including tuition assistance, fitness resources, employee assistance, commuter benefits, and more.

Why Join Us

Nationally Recognized Excellence – Consistently ranked among the Top 10 Children’s Hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

Leading Pediatric Care – One of the largest and most comprehensive children’s hospitals in the country, offering nationally ranked specialties and cutting-edge treatments.

Innovation & Research – A premier academic medical center with a strong commitment to pediatric research, education, and advancing the future of child health.

Mission-Driven Culture – Dedicated to providing family-centered care while fostering a collaborative, supportive environment for clinical teams.

The disclosed salary range includes the minimum and maximum rates within which Children’s National believes an individual’s base pay rate will fall for this position. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the maximum of the pay range.

The exact pay rate for this position will be based on a variety of factors in alignment with the Children’s National compensation philosophy.

These factors are legitimate and non-discriminatory including, but not limited to, the current market conditions; organizational needs; the individual’s combination of prior work experience, level of education, knowledge, skills, and other qualifications.

Children’s National is committed to providing a fair and competitive total rewards package to each of our employees. This base salary range does not include our comprehensive benefits package or any additional compensation for which this position may be eligible.

Childrens National Hospital is an equal opportunity employer that evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, identity, or other characteristics protected by law. The “Know Your Rights” poster is available here: and the pay transparency policy is available here: Know Your RightsPay Transparency Nondiscrimination Poster.

Please note that it is the policy of Children's National Hospital to ensure a “drug-free” work environment: a workplace free from the illegal use, possession or distribution of controlled substances (as defined in the Controlled Substances Act), or the misuse of legal substances, by all staff (management, employees and contractors). Though recreational and medical marijuana are now legal in the District of Columbia, Children's National and its affiliates maintain the right, in accordance with our policy, to enforce a drug-free workplace, including prohibiting recreational or prescribed marijuana.

Key Responsibilities

The RCP-III administers advanced respiratory care to patients with cardiopulmonary dysfunction across acute care, ER, and critical care units. They also serve as a clinical resource and preceptor for new hires and students.

Requirements

Requires an Associate's degree in Respiratory Care, 5 years of experience (including 2 years in pediatric/neonatal critical care), and an RRT certification. Must hold a DC DOH license and certifications in BLS and PALS.

Qualifications

Education
Associate degree
Experience
5+ years of experience

Key Skills

Nitric Oxide TherapyHFOV ManagementCPAPBiPAPClinical PreceptingPatient Centered CareInvasive Monitoring

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Respiratory Therapist (RCP) - Level III at Children's National Hospital a 6.9 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 25% in Respiratory Therapy — ranked against 3,913 active Respiratory Therapy listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no on-call duties, no night shifts.

Respiratory Therapy Career Context

Of the 40 active Respiratory Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 48% have no call, 55% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for District of Columbia is 109.9 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$129k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $118k in an average-cost state. 64.3% of District of Columbia clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Respiratory Therapy by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score6.9 / 10 · top 25% in respiratory therapyranked against 3,913 Respiratory Therapy listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed pay$84k–$174kRespiratory Therapy median $87k (middle half $80k–$96k)575 comparable listings, Oct 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$118k in purchasing powerDistrict of Columbia index 109.9 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Respiratory Therapy listings in District of Columbia9 active3,923 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 48% no call · 55% no weekends40 benchmarked listings
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (3,913 Respiratory Therapy listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Respiratory Therapist Jobs

19 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

19 jobs · 16 employers
6
<$100k
8
$100k-115k
3
$115k-130k
2
$130k-145k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

15 jobs
401k / retirement match
93% this job
Sign-on bonus
47% this job
Loan repayment
27%
PSLF eligible
20%
Relocation assistance
13%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Respiratory Therapist – CRT/RRT

Garnet Health · Middletown, New York

$45.05 - $63.70/hr
#2

Respiratory Therapist II

Olympic Medical Center · Port Angeles, Washington

$41.41-$62.92/hr
#3

Respiratory Therapist (RT), Cardiopulmonary Rehab - Full Time (36hrs/week), Egg Harbor Township

$36.14-$56.23/hr
#4

Respiratory Therapist - Providence Kodiak Island

$37.08-$55.62/hr
+ 17 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.0this job 6.9
Better work-life than 90% of Respiratory Therapy listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 3,913 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No call
  • No nights
  • Includes weekends
Children's National Hospital logo

About Children's National Hospital

Hospitals and Health Care
Washington, DC
5,001-10,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Sign-on bonus up to $20,000
Comprehensive health coverage
Generous paid time off
401(k) plan
Tuition assistance
Employer-paid life insurance
Disability coverage

Living in Washington

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$642k
Typical market rent
$2,517/mo
Residents’ average commute
30 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
108.9
State income tax
Up to 10.8%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.