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Northwestern Memorial Healthcare
Palos Heights, Illinois

COPD Navigator Respiratory Therapist Full-Time Days

Respiratory TherapistIncludes weekendsNo nightsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$38.5-$53.9/hr

The week · per this posting

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

Posted 1 day ago · Verified live

Job Description

Company Description

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry.

As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better health care, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system.

We pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, our goal is to take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

Job Description

This position is primarily functioning as the COPD navigator.

Provide individualized inpatient education on COPD, inhaler technique, prescribed oxygen use, and symptom recognition. Help patients understand their care plan and prepare for a successful transition home.

Conduct follow-up phone calls to reinforce education, identify barriers, and connect patients with needed resources. Support remote patient monitoring by reviewing reported symptoms and vital signs and escalating concerns according to established protocols.

Collaborate with providers, nursing, case management, and pulmonary rehabilitation to coordinate care. Document patient interactions and contribute to efforts to improve outcomes and reduce avoidable readmissions.

The Respiratory Care Practitioner I reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

A clinically competent, licensed professional who administers Respiratory care to the acutely ill patient through assessment, planning/evaluation, intervention and treatment. Effectively interacts with patient, significant others, and other health team members, while providing care within the scope of their training.

Responsibilities

  • Competent in all adult med surg units in all respiratory therapies and modalities.
  • Understands and implements adult respiratory protocols, policies, and guidelines that are ordered on med surg units.
  • Delivers and assesses response to ordered therapy; adjusts frequencies as appropriate.
  • Monitors, records and communicates patient condition as appropriate to other members of the healthcare team.
  • Educate patients and/or families and provide information about respiratory disease management, community support groups and other resources.
  • Competent in all adult care areas including med/surg units, emergency department, and critical care units and other units as per hospital expectations.
  • Responds to clinical emergency management situations.
  • Participates in multidisciplinary rounds; collaborates with healthcare team.
  • Evaluates and utilizes respiratory care policies and procedures based on patient outcomes, current research, and best practices.
  • Precept students.
  • Serves as positive role model for team members by working with them to promote teamwork and cooperation; consistently adheres to NM Code of Professionalism.

This position is full-time, 72 hours per pay period, 8-hour shifts, 7:30 a. m. to 4:00 p. m. with every 3rd weekend. No holidays.

Qualifications

  • Required
  • Graduate of an Accredited Respiratory Therapy Program
  • Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) or Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT)
  • Active or Pending Illinois Respiratory Care License
  • Basic Life Support (BLS)
  • Preferred
  • Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP)
  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
  • Adult Cardiovasular Life Support (ACLS)

Additional Information

Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

Background Check

Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers.

If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check.

Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act.

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events.

  • Click on or copy and paste URL to your browser to view detailed benefits information
  • NorthwesternMedicine Career Page

jobs.nm.org

Please refer to the Benefits Eligibility by Employment Classification to determine benefits eligibility for job postings.

If sign-on bonus is included in a job posting eligibility is as followed: Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign-on bonus. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position as a Registered Nurse at NM may be eligible.

  • Job Shift: Day Job (1st)
  • Salary Range Minimum: $38.50
  • Salary Range Maximum: $53.90
  • Compensation: USD 38.5 - USD 53.9 - hourly

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Patient educationOxygen therapyCare coordinationClinical documentationMultidisciplinary collaborationPatient assessmentMed-surg care

Respiratory Therapy Career Context

Of the 40 active Respiratory Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 5% are remote, 63% have no call, 57% require no weekends.

Respiratory Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is up 2.5% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Illinois is 100.0 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$96k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $96k in an average-cost state. 62.6% of Illinois clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Respiratory Therapist Jobs

12 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution12 jobs

5
<$115k
4
$115k-125k
1
$131k
2
$135k-145k

Annual compensation range

Work-Life Balance Distribution12 jobs

0
1-2
0
3-4
1
5-6
11
7-8
0
9-10

Higher = better work-life balance

#1

Respiratory Therapist

Sutter Health · Sacramento, California

$47.68-$66.75/hr
#2

Respiratory Therapist

Northwell · Terryville, New York

$80k-$136k
#3

RRT - Registered Respiratory Therapist

$58-$63/hr
#4

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

$36.14-$56.23/hr
+ 10 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.0this job 5.1
Better work-life than 80% of Respiratory Therapy listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 3,728 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No nights
  • Includes weekends

Living in Palos Heights

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$383k
Median resident rent
$2,558/mo
Residents’ average commute
30 min
State income tax
Up to 5%
Sources & methodology

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

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

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare logo

About Northwestern Memorial Healthcare

Hospitals and Health Care
Chicago, Illinois
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

Tuition Reimbursement
Loan Forgiveness
401(k) Matching
Lifecycle Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental and Vision Insurance