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

Certified Respiratory Therapist

Respiratory TherapistFull-Time

Listed compensation

$35.06-$76.68/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

111 Michigan Avenue Northwest Washington, DC 20010

Kids Are Our Everything.

Department: 10168 Respiratory Therapy

Pay Range

$35.06 - $76.68

Sign on Bonus - Up to $20,000

Shift - Day or Night

Informational Video: Join Our Team: Hiring Respiratory Therapists at Children's National

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 supervision, according to departmental and hospital standards, the Certified Respiratory Therapist I (CRT I), is responsible for administering acute and emergency department-levels of Respiratory Care to treat patients with cardiopulmonary dysfunction and/or disabilities. The CRT I performs respiratory assessments, delivers prescribed therapies, monitors patient response, maintains respiratory equipment, and documents care in accordance with organizational policies and professional standards.

What You''ll Bring

Minimum Education

  • Associate’s degree in respiratory therapy from an accredited program (Required)

Minimum Work Experience

  • Prior experience in respiratory care (Preferred)

Required Licenses and Certifications

  • Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) in the District of Columbia (Required)
  • RCP license from District of Columbia DOH Health Regulation & Licensing Administration (Required)
  • Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (BLS) (Required)
  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) (Required)

Functional Accountabilities

  • Performs respiratory assessments and identifies changes in patients’ respiratory status, escalating concerns appropriately.
  • Provides prescribed respiratory treatments and therapies, including oxygen therapy, aerosolized medications, airway clearance, and other routine respiratory interventions.
  • Monitors patients before, during, and after respiratory procedures and evaluates response to therapy.
  • Performs routine respiratory care procedures in accordance with established protocols, policies, and standards of practice.
  • Assists with airway management and emergency respiratory interventions within established competency and scope of practice.
  • Performs diagnostic procedures such as pulse oximetry, blood gas sampling, and other respiratory testing as assigned.
  • Operates, troubleshoots, cleans, and maintains respiratory care equipment.
  • Collaborates with nurses, physicians, and other healthcare professionals regarding patient respiratory needs.
  • Documents assessments, interventions, patient response, and other required information accurately and timely.
  • Provides patient and family education regarding respiratory treatments, equipment, medications, and disease management.
  • Participates in department quality, safety, education, and performance-improvement activities.
  • Develops clinical knowledge and skills through orientation, competency validation, continuing education, and experience.
  • Seeks guidance from more experienced respiratory therapists or other clinical team members when patient needs exceed current knowledge or competency.

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 Certified Respiratory Therapist is responsible for administering acute and emergency respiratory care to treat patients with cardiopulmonary dysfunction. They perform respiratory assessments, deliver prescribed therapies, monitor patient responses, and maintain respiratory equipment in accordance with hospital standards.

Requirements

Candidates must hold an Associate’s degree in respiratory therapy from an accredited program and possess a valid Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) license in the District of Columbia. Additionally, the role requires current BLS and PALS certifications.

Key Skills

Respiratory assessmentPatient educationEquipment maintenanceClinical documentation

Respiratory Therapy Career Context

Of the 40 active Respiratory Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 40% have no call, 57% 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 ~$116k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $106k 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
Listed pay$73k–$159kRespiratory Therapy median $86k (middle half $79k–$95k)576 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$106k in purchasing powerDistrict of Columbia index 109.9 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Respiratory Therapy listings in District of Columbia7 active3,965 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 40% no call · 57% no weekends40 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repayment$20k sign-onUS healthcare professional listings: 24% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 8% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Respiratory Therapy listings1,298 in the last 30 days715 the 30 days before (+82%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 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

23 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

23 jobs · 14 employers
7
<$85k
3
$85k-95k
6
$95k-105k
5
$105k-115k
2
$115k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

16 jobs · 14 employers
401k / retirement match
88% this job
Sign-on bonus
50% this job
Loan repayment
38%
PSLF eligible
13%
CME allowance
6%

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
+ 21 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

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

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 3,963 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site
Children's National Hospital logo

About Children's National Hospital

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

Benefits & Perks

Up to $20,000 Sign-On Bonus
Comprehensive Health Coverage (Medical, Prescription, Infertility, Transgender Health)
Generous PTO (Vacation from Day One, Sick Leave, Holidays, Personal Day)
401(k) Plan
Healthcare and Dependent Care Spending Accounts
Employer-Paid Life, AD&D, Long-Term Disability
Tuition Assistance
Fitness Resources

Living in Washington

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$638k
Typical market rent
$2,484/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 (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 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.