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Avera Health
Milbank, South Dakota

Respiratory Therapist

Respiratory TherapistNo callNo nightsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$29.25-$44/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Location: Avera Milbank Area Hospital

Worker Type

Regular

Work Shift

Day Shift (United States of America)

Pay Range

The pay range for this position is listed below. Actual pay rate dependent upon experience.

$29.25 - $44.00

Position Highlights

schedule telemedicine visits, attend visits and discharge follow up.

You Belong at Avera

Be part of a multidisciplinary team built with compassion and the goal of Moving Health Forward for you and our patients. Work where you matter.

A Brief Overview

Responsible for the assessment, treatment, and management, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions affecting the cardiopulmonary system for neonates, pediatrics, adolescents, and adults.

The individual must demonstrate proficiency in all modalities of respiratory care, which may include, but not limited to oxygen therapy, breathing treatments, airway clearance, blood gases, airway management, non-invasive and invasive ventilator setup and monitoring. This position may also be required to work in the sleep lab.

What You Will Do

Evaluates patients in order to receive, review, interpret, and administer the prescribing orders regarding respiratory and cardiopulmonary treatments and tests. Accurately documents patient assessment, interventions, and progress in the electronic medical record, as well as submits charges in an accurate and timely manner.

Evaluates the effectiveness of the plan of care. Initiates and implements respiratory care plans and interventions to meet the needs of the patient in conjunction with the entire healthcare team to ensure full understanding and cooperation to improve patient outcomes.

Performs administration, set-up, titration, maintenance, evaluations and documentation of supplemental oxygen, aerosol therapy, airway clearance techniques, mechanical invasive or non-invasive ventilator management, and preparation and administration of respiratory medications.

Ensures airway patency including various means of suctioning. (tracheal, nasal, and oral). Attends and assists to patients in respiratory or cardiac arrest by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency airway care.

Performs arterial and capillary punctures, runs venous, arterial and capillary blood gas samples, electrolytes and lactic acid tests and maintains and operates the Blood Gas analyzer.

May assist in Pulmonary Rehab by providing appropriate exercises and education to participants.

May assist in outpatient clinic as needed and may schedule sleep studies and obtains prior authorizations for the sleep studies when applicable.

Performs diagnostic testing through pulmonary function, stress exercise, electrocardiograms, electroencephalograms, oximetry, holter and cardiac event monitoring.

Instructs clinical staff on the use of respiratory therapy equipment and the use of the EKG equipment.

Assists with implementing and updating policies and procedures, maintenance of quality assurance reports and records, and maintenance of equipment and ordering of supplies.

Essential Qualifications

The individual must be able to work the hours specified.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job function satisfactorily including having visual acuity adequate to perform position duties and the ability to communicate effectively with others, hear, understand and distinguish speech and other sounds.

These requirements and those listed above are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the essential job functions.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions, as long as the accommodations do not cause undue hardship to the employer.

Required Education, License/Certification, or Work Experience:

  • Respiratory Therapist - Licensing Board An active license in the state of practice Upon Hire and
  • Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) - National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) Upon Hire or
  • Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) - National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) Upon Hire

Preferred Education, License/Certification, or Work Experience:

Bachelor's

1-3 years

Expectations and Standards

Commitment to the daily application of Avera’s mission, vision, core values, and social principles to serve patients, their families, and our community.

  • Promote Avera’s values of compassion, hospitality, and stewardship.
  • Uphold Avera’s standards of Communication, Attitude, Responsiveness, and Engagement (CARE) with enthusiasm and sincerity.
  • Maintain confidentiality.

Work effectively in a team environment, coordinating work flow with other team members and ensuring a productive and efficient environment.

Comply with safety principles, laws, regulations, and standards associated with, but not limited to, CMS, The Joint Commission, DHHS, and OSHA if applicable.

Benefits You Need & Then Some

Avera is proud to offer a wide range of benefits to qualifying part-time and full-time employees. We support you with opportunities to help live balanced, healthy lives. Benefits are designed to meet needs of today and into the future.

  • PTO available day 1 for eligible hires.
  • Up to 5% employer matching contribution for retirement
  • Career development guided by hands-on training and mentorship

Avera is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, Veteran Status, or other categories protected by law. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation for help with your online application, please call 1-605-504-4444 or send an email to talent@avera.org.

Online Privacy Policy

At Avera, we are committed to protecting your online privacy. For more information, please visit avera.org

Key Responsibilities

The respiratory therapist is responsible for assessing, treating, and managing cardiopulmonary interventions for patients across all age groups. They perform diagnostic testing, manage ventilator setups, and provide emergency airway care as part of a multidisciplinary healthcare team.

Requirements

Candidates must hold an active state license and be certified as a CRT or RRT by the NBRC. Proficiency in respiratory care modalities and the ability to work effectively in a clinical team environment are essential.

Qualifications

Experience
2+ years of experience

Certifications

CPR

Key Skills

Blood gas analysisPulmonary function testingPatient education

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Respiratory Therapist at Avera Health a 6.9 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 10% in Respiratory Therapy — ranked against 4,000 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, 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
Work-life score6.9 / 10 · top 10% in respiratory therapyranked against 4,000 Respiratory Therapy listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed pay$61k–$92kRespiratory Therapy median $86k (middle half $79k–$96k)575 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$86k in purchasing powerSouth Dakota index 88.6 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Respiratory Therapy listings in South Dakota14 active3,968 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 3% remote · 63% no call · 48% no weekends40 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedUS healthcare professional listings (all specialties): 24% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 8% offer loan repayment1,000 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 (4,000 Respiratory Therapy listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Location & Logistics

South Dakota has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states. At the posted ~$76k midpoint, that is roughly $3k–$5k a year versus a typical 4–7% state rate.

Top Respiratory Therapist Jobs

25 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

25 jobs · 15 employers
9
<$85k
1
$95k
6
$95k-105k
6
$105k-115k
3
$115k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

14 jobs
401k / retirement match
86% this job
Sign-on bonus
57%
Loan repayment
43%
PSLF eligible
21%
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 6.9
Among the best 10% of Respiratory Therapy listings for work-life

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

  • No call
  • No nights
Avera Health logo

About Avera Health

Non-profit Organizations
South Dakota

Benefits & Perks

PTO available day 1
Up to 5% employer matching contribution for retirement
Career development
Health insurance
Dental
Vision

Living in Milbank

Median resident rent
$548/mo
Residents’ average commute
9 min
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

Sources: U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

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