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Advocate Health
Park Ridge, New Jersey

Respiratory Therapist (RT) - Pediatrics

Respiratory TherapistIncludes callIncludes weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$35.5-$53.25/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 59m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Department: 36401 Advocate Lutheran General Hospital - Respiratory Therapy Services: ACH

Status: Benefits Eligible:

Yes

Hours Per Week

36

Schedule Details/Additional Information

Pay Range

$35.50 - $53.25

  • ## $15,000 Sign-On Bonus Available
  • ## Loan Forgiveness & Tuition Reimbursement– Up to 20K each

Grow 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.

Key Responsibilities

The respiratory therapist performs pulmonary diagnostics, operates specialized ventilators, and administers medication treatments to patients in critical and non-critical care settings. They also educate patients on disease management and collaborate with the healthcare team to ensure safe, high-quality patient care.

Requirements

Candidates must hold an associate degree from an accredited respiratory care program and possess a valid Respiratory Care Practitioner license. Additionally, they must maintain active RRT or CRT credentials and BLS certification.

Key Skills

Ventilator operationPatient assessmentMedication administrationEquipment maintenancePatient educationSafety protocolsElectronic medical records

Pediatrics Career Context

Of the 40 active Respiratory Therapist listings this role was benchmarked against, 40% have no call, 60% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for New Jersey is 108.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$92k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $85k in an average-cost state. 63.8% of New Jersey clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

What does the Respiratory Therapist market look like in New Jersey?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$74k–$111kRespiratory Therapist median $99k (middle half $94k–$103k)25 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$85k in purchasing powerNew Jersey index 108.8 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Respiratory Therapist listings in New Jersey96 active4,153 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 40% no call · 60% no weekends40 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repayment$20k sign-on · $20k loan repaymentUS healthcare professional listings: 25% state a sign-on bonus (median $11k) · 8% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Pediatrics listings1,226 in the last 30 days760 the 30 days before (+61%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Respiratory Therapist pay trend+1.1% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Respiratory Therapist Jobs

25 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

25 jobs · 14 employers
9
<$85k
3
$85k-95k
6
$95k-105k
5
$105k-115k
2
$115k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

15 jobs · 14 employers
401k / retirement match
87% this job
Sign-on bonus
47% this job
Loan repayment
33% this job
PSLF eligible
13%
CME allowance
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Respiratory Therapist II

Olympic Medical Center · Port Angeles, Washington

$41.41-$62.92/hr
#2

Senior Respiratory Therapist -Dayshift

Sentara Health · Norfolk, Virginia

$41.74-$62.48/hr
#3

Respiratory Therapist

$37.61-$55.27/hr
#4

Respiratory Therapist RRT - Full Time - Nights

$33.16-$51.4/hr
+ 23 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.0this job 3.0
Better work-life than 50% of Pediatrics (Respiratory Therapy) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 46 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site
  • Includes call
  • Includes weekends
Advocate Health logo

About Advocate Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Charlotte, North Carolina
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

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
$15,000 Sign-On Bonus
Loan Forgiveness & Tuition Reimbursement – Up to 20K each

Living in Park Ridge

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$846k
Typical market rent
$3,041/mo
Residents’ average commute
27 min
State income tax
Up to 10.8%
Sources & methodology

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

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