Respiratory Therapist - Full-time

Respiratory TherapistFull-Time

Listed compensation

$41-$55.18/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

  • Position: Respiratory Therapist (RT)
  • Location: San Diego, CA
  • Schedule: Full-Time, 12-Hour Shifts, NightsCompensation: $41.00 to $55.18 per hour

Our hospital is a critical illness recovery hospital committed to providing world-class inpatient post-ICU services to chronic, critically ill patients who require extended healing and recovery. We help patients during some of the most vulnerable, painful moments of their lives – and Respiratory Therapists (RT) play a central role in providing compassionate, excellent treatment every step of the way.

We Support Your Career Growth and Personal Well-being

Start Strong: Extensive Respiratory Therapist (RT) orientation program to ensure a smooth transition into our setting.

  • Advance Your Career: Tuition reimbursement, and continuing education.
  • Elevate Your Skills: Clinical ladder program.
  • Ease the Burden: Student debt benefit program.
  • Recharge & Refresh: Generous PTO for full-time team members to maintain a healthy work-life balance

Your Health Matters: Comprehensive medical/RX, health, vision, and dental plan offerings for full-time team members

Invest in Your Future: Company-matching 401(k) retirement plan, as well as life and disability protection for full-time team members

Your Impact Matters: Join a team of over 44,000 committed to providing exceptional patient care

Responsibilities

Responsibilities

  • Evaluating patients and recommending an appropriate treatment plan.
  • Providing respiratory care to patients with critical and complex medical and surgical conditions.
  • Performing insertion and removal of endotracheal tubes.
  • Promoting continuous quality improvement.
  • Teaching and counseling patients/families.

Qualifications

  • Minimum requirements:
  • Must possess "Active" CRT or RRT credential from the National Board of Respiratory Care (NBRC) or state equivalent.
  • Proof of graduation required: college transcript/diploma (preferred) or high school transcript/diploma or GED.
  • Possess a Basic Life Support (BLS) certification by start date.
  • Current state licensure is required.

ACLS is required within 6 months of hire. (Agency RT must have ACLS upon first shift, PRN staff must have ACLS upon hire).

Preferred Qualifications

  • One (1) year of related experience is preferred.
  • Additional Data

Equal Opportunity Employer/including Disabled/Veterans

We will consider for employment all qualified Applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including but not limited to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the San Diego County Fair Chance Ordinance.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Key Skills

Respiratory therapyCritical carePatient assessmentTreatment planningEndotracheal tube insertionEndotracheal tube removalPatient counselingFamily counselingAdvanced Cardiovascular Life Support

Respiratory Therapy Career Context

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

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$100k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $90k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Respiratory Therapist Jobs

20 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution20 jobs · 18 employers

9
<$105k
8
$105k-120k
2
$120k-135k
1
$139k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks15 jobs

401k / retirement match
93% this job
Sign-on bonus
33%
Loan repayment
13%
PSLF eligible
13%
Relocation assistance
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Respiratory Therapist

Sutter Health · Sacramento, California

$47.68-$66.75/hr
#2

Respiratory Therapist – CRT/RRT

Garnet Health · Middletown, New York

$45.05 - $63.70/hr
#3

Respiratory Therapist II

$41.41-$62.92/hr
#4

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

$36.14-$56.23/hr
+ 18 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 3,889 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in San Diego

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.01M
Typical market rent
$3,036/mo
Residents’ average commute
24 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
111.9
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

Select Specialty Hospital - San Diego logo

About Select Specialty Hospital - San Diego

Hospitals and Health Care
Mechanicsburg, PA
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Tuition Reimbursement
Continuing Education
Clinical Ladder Program
Student Debt Benefit Program
Generous PTO
Medical Insurance
Prescription Insurance
Health Insurance