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Health First Careers
Melbourne, Florida

Registered Respiratory Therapist -Respiratory Therapy

Respiratory TherapistIncludes callPer Diem

Compensation

Pay not disclosed

The week · per this posting

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

Posted 1mo ago

Job Description

Job Requirements

Sign On Bonus and Relocation Assistance may be available!

Position Summary

The Respiratory Therapist performs clinical respiratory care techniques in the adult and neonatal critical care areas. The Respiratory Therapist operates in all respiratory care modalities, making judgment decisions, and provides recommendations to licensed practitioners in regard to respiratory care modalities. The Respiratory Therapist evaluates these techniques and reports their findings to the licensed practitioner.

Primary Accountabilities

1. Initiates and manages invasive and non-invasive ventilation per physicians' orders, including troubleshooting and discontinuation including BiPAP, CPAP, and all modes of mechanical ventilation.

2. Documents care according to Health First policies and procedures, via random check(s), completing shift duties and other assigned tasks in a timely manner, while Maintains confidentiality in all dealings with patients and Associates.

3. Provides exact procedure to correct patient by checking two patient identifiers, and charges appropriately for care provided.

4. Maintains equipment in good working order and troubleshoots when necessary; reports all malfunctioning equipment to appropriate area with detailed documentation of problem.

5. Completes documentation, including patient care, interdisciplinary Plan of Care, patient education, and charges appropriately for care provided.

6. Delivers report to oncoming shift on all patients regarding procedures, assuring completion of workload.

7. Removes only one patient's medication at a time from Pyxis system, and uses Pyxis med slip to appropriately identify two patient identifiers.

8. Reads back and verifies all verbal and telephone orders, reports patient information to the appropriate Associate in a timely manner, following established approach for reporting including an opportunity to ask and respond to questions.

9. Responds to STAT calls within appropriate time frame with proper equipment.

10. Follows proper infection control procedures for care provided, and proper hand washing technique.

11. Communicates effectively to educate patients, family and staff on Respiratory Care procedures, while participating in patient experience initiatives.

12. Participates in department education, committees, or skills fairs as required by leadership.

Work Experience

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

  • Education: Associate’s degree in Health Sciences, or a relevant field.
  • Work Experience: None
  • Licensure: Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) licensure in the State of Florida.
  • Certification: o Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential from the National Board of Respiratory Care (NBRC) prior to start date and maintained. o American Heart Association Basic Life Support (AHA BLS) Healthcare Provider Completion Card prior to start date and maintained. o American Heart Association Advanced Cardiac Life Support (AHA ACLS) Healthcare Provider Completion Card within ninety (90) days of start date and maintained. o If in Hospital Environment: American Heart Association Pediatric Advanced Life Support (AHA PALS) Healthcare Provider Completion Card within ninety (90) days of start date and maintained.
  • Skills/Knowledge/Abilities: o Must have good communication and interpersonal skills. o Must have good organizational and prioritizing skills. o Must have good communication and interpersonal skills. o Must be able to prioritize and have excellent organizational ability. o Ability to make decisions concerning appropriate therapy and patient care. o Ability to rapidly respond to life threatening situations. o Keeps abreast of issues regarding departmental changes, and new modalities in the field of Respiratory Care. o Ability to be self-motivated and self-disciplined and able to work independently. o Ability to perform acute and intensive care functions for the adult/pediatric patient. o Demonstrate ability to interpret CXR for ETT, Pulmonary Artery, and IABP catheter placement, as well as the ability to interpret basic cardiac/pulmonary complications. o Demonstrates ability to initiate Heliox therapy. Understands indications, contraindications, and complications. o Demonstrate knowledge and ability to perform emergent intubation, elective oral and nasal intubations. o Demonstrates knowledge and ability to perform arterial line insertions. o Ability to initiate, troubleshoot, and manage IABP modalities. o Proficiency in SVO2 monitoring and calibrations. o Ability to pull IABP catheters according to policy (if applicable). o Ability to perform bedside pulmonary function testing. o Ability to observe and interpret hemodynamic monitoring and cardiac arrhythmias. o Ability to auscultate and assess breath sounds. o Additional skill checks and competency may include ECG. o Must have ability to attend staff meetings and in-services as required; reads and signs off on all staff meeting minutes needed.

Page 3 of 3 o Demonstrates good stewardship of all hospital equipment and supplies.

Physical Requirements

  • Physically agile; requires walking, standing, running, bending, stooping, kneeling, climbing, or crouching majority of the shift.
  • Heavy work that frequently includes lifting or moving objects up to 100 pounds or more with or without assistance.
  • May require moving self in different positions to accomplish tasks in various environments including tight and confined spaces, including reaching out and above shoulders or overhead.
  • May lift, turn, pull, push, or ambulate people and/or equipment with or without assistance up to 90% of the assigned shift.
  • May be exposed to inside environments and outside environments with extreme temperatures, air contamination, dirt, grease, or water.
  • May require working with biohazards such as blood/body fluids and airborne particles following OSHA and CDC guidelines.
  • May operate various types of manual and motorized equipment used in the transportation of materials.
  • May be exposed to intense noise or vibration and awkward or confined work position.
  • Communicating with others to exchange information.
  • Visual acuity and hand-eye coordination to perform tasks.
  • Workspace may vary from open to confined.
  • May require travel to various facilities within and beyond county perimeter; may require use of personal vehicle

Schedule: Per Diem

Shift Times: 700am_700pm

Paygrade: PG-PG-PG-PG-34

Key Responsibilities

The Respiratory Therapist performs clinical respiratory care techniques in adult and neonatal critical care areas, including managing invasive and non-invasive ventilation. They are responsible for evaluating patient status, documenting care, maintaining equipment, and responding to emergency STAT calls.

Requirements

Candidates must hold an Associate's degree in Health Sciences and possess a valid Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) license in Florida. Required certifications include NBRC credentialing, AHA BLS, and the ability to obtain ACLS and PALS certifications within 90 days.

Qualifications

Education
Associate degree

Key Skills

Respiratory therapyNeonatal carePatient assessmentArterial line insertionEmergency responseCardiac arrhythmia interpretation

Respiratory Therapy Career Context

Of the 50 active Respiratory Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 2% are remote, 64% have no call, 52% require no weekends.

Respiratory Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is up 4.6% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Florida is 103.4 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 58.1% of Florida clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Location & Logistics

Florida has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states.

Top Respiratory Therapist Jobs

23 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution18 jobs

3
<$95k
9
$95k-110k
3
$110k-125k
3
$125k-140k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks14 jobs

401k / retirement match
64%
CME allowance
29%
Sign-on bonus
21% this job
Relocation assistance
14% this job

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#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

$35.94-$55.43/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 3,671 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes call

Living in Melbourne

Typical market rent
$1,823/mo
Residents’ average commute
23 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
100.0
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

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About Health First Careers

Hospitals and Health Care
Rockledge, Florida
5,001-10,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Sign On Bonus (may be available)
Relocation Assistance (may be available)