Marian Regional Medical Center logo
Marian Regional Medical Center
Santa Maria, California

Respiratory Therapist I

Respiratory TherapistFull-Time

Listed compensation

$46.83-$57.67/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Where You’ll Work

Founded in 1940, Dignity Health - Marian Regional Medical Center is a 191-bed, acute care, nonprofit hospital located in Santa Maria, California.

Serving over 250,000 patients annually, the hospital offers a full complement of services including Level II Trauma Center, Level III NICU, cancer care, orthopedics, and stroke care.

Additionally, Marian Regional Medical Center has been recognized as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. It is a Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Center, and the only healthcare facility on the Central Coast to offer ECMO.

One Community. One Mission. One California

Job Summary and Responsibilities

As our Respiratory Therapist, you will provide essential direct patient care, assessing, treating, and managing patients with respiratory disorders. Your role is vital for improving patient outcomes.

Every day you will assess respiratory status, implement treatment plans (oxygen, ventilation, airway management), and educate patients/families. You'll document interventions and collaborate with physicians and medical staff.

To be successful, you will demonstrate strong clinical skills, critical thinking, and equipment proficiency. Excellent communication for patient interaction and interdisciplinary collaboration, plus a commitment to safety and continuous development, are essential.

Therapeutic use of all medical equipment: Calibrates and implements quality control measures for blood gas machines and documents results. Sets up ventilatory support systems. Cleans and maintains equipment in good working order.

Administers all Respiratory Therapy Modalities per Physician's order: Takes and records physicians verbal orders.

Timeliness, Organizational skills and Time Management: Demonstrates ability to complete RT treatments on time and assures data collection and entry are completed. Responsible for respiratory therapy documentation as assigned. Prioritizes work assignments.

Completes all mandatory competency checklists and certifications. Assumes responsibility and accountability for pursuing continued training/education in response to personal assessment and ever changing medical technology and treatment. Cross trained and shared duties including EKG's in patient focused care units.

Medical Judgement: Responds appropriately to critical or dynamic patient care situations. Responsible for assessing and reassessing patients receiving RT services.

Compliance with department policy and procedures: Attends 80% of staff development meetings on a yearly basis. Actively participates in department committees task forces.

Perform diagnostic procedures: Demonstrates knowledge and skill in procedures and tasks within the Respiratory Departments scope of practice. Completes assigned tasks efficiently with minimal supervision. Draws and runs arterial blood gases. Performs pulmonary bedside screening and chest physio-therapy.

Performs respiratory therapy and monitors ventilator patients in critical care areas with some level of direct supervision. Assists with therapeutic and diagnostic bronchoscopies. Demonstrates competency in communicating and assessing the patient's respiratory needs and clinical status.

  • Job Requirements
  • Required
  • Individuals with less than one-year experience will beconsidered on an individual basis
  • Respiratory Care Practitioner: CA, upon hire and
  • American Heart Association certifications to be obtain within 30 days:
  • BLS-CPR
  • ACLS
  • PALS
  • Neonatal Resuscitation Program, within 30 days
  • Preferred
  • A minimumof one-year experience in respiratory

Key Responsibilities

The Respiratory Therapist provides direct patient care by assessing respiratory status and implementing treatment plans including oxygen and ventilation management. They also collaborate with medical staff, document interventions, and maintain respiratory equipment to ensure high-quality patient outcomes.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Respiratory Care Practitioner license in California and obtain BLS, ACLS, PALS, and Neonatal Resuscitation Program certifications within 30 days. While less than one year of experience is considered, a minimum of one year of experience is preferred.

Certifications

NRP

Key Skills

Patient assessmentVentilator managementArterial blood gas analysisClinical documentationEquipment calibrationChest physiotherapyBronchoscopy assistanceEKG performanceSafety compliance

Respiratory Therapy Career Context

Of the 40 active Respiratory Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 3% are remote, 63% have no call, 48% require no weekends.

Respiratory Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is down 2.6% vs. the prior quarter (through Oct 2026).

Respiratory Therapy by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$97k–$120kRespiratory Therapy median $95k (middle half $79k–$108k)60 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$98k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Respiratory Therapy listings in California197 active3,970 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 3% remote · 63% no call · 48% no weekends40 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia healthcare professional listings (all specialties): 6% state a sign-on bonus (median $1k) · 7% offer loan repayment204 active listings, Nov 2026
New Respiratory Therapy listings1,233 in the last 30 days754 the 30 days before (+64%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Respiratory Therapy pay trend−2.6% 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 · 16 employers
8
<$85k
2
$85k-95k
6
$95k-105k
6
$105k-115k
3
$115k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

15 jobs
401k / retirement match
87%
Sign-on bonus
53%
Loan repayment
40%
PSLF eligible
20%
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

$34-$56.1/hr
#4

Respiratory Therapist

$37.61-$55.27/hr
+ 23 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.0this job 1.5
Below most Respiratory Therapy listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 4,000 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Santa Maria

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$645k
Typical market rent
$2,509/mo
Residents’ average commute
22 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
108.8
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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