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

Respiratory Therapist (RCP) - Level III

Respiratory TherapistFull-Time

Listed compensation

$41.83-$86.26/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 49m ago · Verified live

Job Description

111 Michigan Avenue Northwest Washington, DC 20010

Kids Are Our Everything.

Department: 10168 Respiratory Therapy

Pay Range

$41.83 - $86.26

Shift - Days 7a-7p or Nights 7p-7a

Qualified candidates are eligible for up to a $40,000 sign-on bonus.

This position is eligible for the Student Loan Repayment Benefit for qualified candidates.

Who We Are

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

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 direction of the department manager, according to departmental and hospital standards, the Respiratory Care Practitioner, referred to as RCP-III, is responsible for administering all levels of Respiratory Care to treat patients with cardiopulmonary dysfunction and/or disabilities.

RCP-III will function at an advanced level of practice in Acute Care, ER, and two Critical Care units (either PICU, NICU and/or CICU); also serving as a clinical resource and preceptor.

The RCP-III will maintain all skills and knowledge sufficient to provide safe, effective, and appropriate care to all ages of patients including neonates, infants, toddlers, children, adolescents, and adults.

What You'll Bring

Minimum Education

Associate's degree Completion of a minimum two years of college training in an AMA approved Respiratory Care Program (Required)

  • Bachelor of Science in a health-related field (Preferred)
  • Minimum Work Experience
  • 5 years (Required)
  • 2 years' Experience in a pediatric and/or neonatal critical care environment (Required)
  • Required Licenses and Certifications
  • Registered Respiratory Therapist (Required)
  • RCP License from District of Columbia DOH Health Regulation and Licensing Administration
  • (Required)Basic Life Support for Healthcare Provider (BLS) (Required)
  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) (Required)

Required Skills/Knowledge

Must be able to demonstrate competency of all aspects of acute care delivery, ER, and two intensive care units prior to completion of initial 90 days.

Administers all general Respiratory Therapy procedures, including humidity and aerosol therapy, lung inflation maneuvers, pulmonary secretion clearance, CP AP, BIP AP, and High-Flow Therapy.

Must demonstrate advanced mechanical ventilator management skills including use of Nitric Oxide, Heliox, and set-up and management of HFOV.

Performs CPR as indicated. Performs invasive and noninvasive monitoring and diagnostic procedures ascribed to specific care areas.

Works independently within the ER, Acute Care, and PICU, NICU and/or CICU; a minimum of 10 shifts a year in each area.

Must display sustained proficiency in all acute care areas, ER, and two of three intensive care units as exhibited through department rotation schedule

  • Must actively serve as a preceptor to new hires and students.
  • Adheres to policies and procedures established by Respiratory Care Services and Children’s National Health System.
  • Ability to organize, establish priorities, and to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
  • Must be able to perform under stressful situations using superior clinical judgment.
  • Must demonstrate compassion and patient centered orientation when dealing with patients, families, and co-workers.
  • Must have ability to perform mathematical calculations.
  • Must maintain clinical skills and required continuing education credits for department and licensure including: BLS, P ALS, NRP, FIT Testing, annual skills review, in-services, etc.
  • Must have physical ability to perform all treatment modalities.
  • Must have physical ability to move and lift up to 50lbs; frequently endure long periods of standing and walking.
  • Must have basic computer skills.
  • Credentials and proficiency will be assessed during annual review to maintain status at the RCP-III Level.

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 RCP-III is responsible for administering advanced respiratory care to patients with cardiopulmonary dysfunction across acute and critical care units. They also serve as a clinical resource and preceptor for new hires and students.

Requirements

Candidates must hold an Associate's degree in Respiratory Care and have at least 5 years of experience, including 2 years in a pediatric or neonatal critical care environment. Required certifications include RRT, DC RCP license, BLS, and PALS.

Qualifications

Education
Associate degree
Experience
5+ years of experience

Key Skills

Nitric oxide administrationHeliox administrationCPAPBIPAPPatient assessmentPreceptingInvasive monitoring

Respiratory Therapy Career Context

Of the 40 active Respiratory Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 3% are remote, 57% have no call, 53% require no weekends.

Respiratory Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is down 1.2% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for District of Columbia is 109.9 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$133k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $121k in an average-cost state. 64.3% of District of Columbia clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Respiratory Therapist Jobs

13 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution13 jobs

6
<$115k
4
$115k-125k
2
$125k-135k
1
$139k

Annual compensation range

Work-Life Balance Distribution13 jobs

0
1-2
0
3-4
1
5-6
12
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 II

Marian Regional Medical Center · Santa Maria, California

$52.03-$64.05/hr
#3

Respiratory Therapist – CRT/RRT

$45.05 - $63.70/hr
#4

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

$36.14-$56.23/hr
+ 11 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 3,787 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site

Living in Washington

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$642k
Typical market rent
$2,517/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 (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 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.

Children's National Hospital logo

About Children's National Hospital

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

Benefits & Perks

Comprehensive health coverage (medical, prescription, infertility, transgender health services)
Generous paid time off (vacation from day one, sick leave, holidays, personal day)
401(k) plan
Healthcare and dependent care spending accounts
Employer-paid life, AD&D, and long-term disability coverage
Tuition assistance
Fitness resources
Employee assistance program