French Hospital Medical Center logo
French Hospital Medical Center
San Luis Obispo, California

Respiratory Therapist I

Respiratory TherapistFull-Time

Listed compensation

$49.17-$60.55/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

Where You’ll Work

Founded in 1946, Dignity Health - French Hospital Medical Center is a 112-bed, acute care, nonprofit hospital located in San Luis Obispo, California. Serving over 150,000 patients annually, the hospital offers a full complement of services including heart care, orthopedics, and a family birthing center.

Additionally, French Hospital Medical Center has been recognized as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. It is a Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Center, and has achieved an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group for every reporting period since 2012.

One Community. One Mission. One California

Job Summary and Responsibilities

As a Respiratory Therapist, you will join an established team of RTs who share your passion for delivering highly specialized cardiopulmonary care to patients experiencing breathing issues.

You'll be instrumental in providing a range of treatments from breathing techniques and nebulizer treatments to ventilator management, oxygen therapies, and external ventilation support.

Every day you will apply your keen assessment skills and critical thinking to manage diverse patient needs, develop and execute effective care plans, and ensure calm, focused intervention in both routine and emergent situations.

To be successful in this role, you will demonstrate a strong sense of urgency, unwavering calm under pressure, and the ability to anticipate outcomes. Your dedication to patient well-being and exceptional problem-solving abilities will drive success in this vital role.

In keeping with French Hospital Medical Center's health care philosophy, the Respiratory Care Practitioner provides care, treatment and rehabilitation to patients with pulmonary disorders by means of respiratory therapy.

Respiratory Care Practitioners have knowledge of pharmacy, anatomy, and physiology and make judgments in consultation with a physician and other members of the health care team with regard to the respiratory care that patients receive.

Provides respiratory care to patients of all ages.

Demonstrates proficient technical skills in the performance of respiratory therapies.

Demonstrates a working knowledge of current trends in respiratory therapies; specialty technical standards, equipment supplies; safety principles and practices. Demonstrates ability to communicate effectively in writing and orally.

  • Establishes effective working relationships with other departments, medical staff, and co-workers
  • Job Requirements
  • Required
  • Experience managing trauma and emergency situations
  • Individuals with lessthan one-year experience will beconsidered on an individual basis
  • Associates Degree
  • California Respiratory Care Practitioner, upon hire and
  • American Heart Association certifications within 6 months
  • BLS-CPR
  • ACLS
  • PALS
  • Neonatal Resuscitation Program, within 6 - months
  • Preferred
  • One-year experience in an acute care hospital

Key Responsibilities

The Respiratory Therapist provides specialized cardiopulmonary care, including ventilator management, oxygen therapy, and nebulizer treatments for patients of all ages. They are responsible for assessing patient needs, developing care plans, and providing effective interventions in both routine and emergent clinical situations.

Requirements

Candidates must hold an Associate Degree and a California Respiratory Care Practitioner license. The role requires certifications in BLS-CPR, ACLS, PALS, and Neonatal Resuscitation, with experience in trauma and emergency situations preferred.

Certifications

NRP

Key Skills

Patient assessmentEmergency responseTrauma managementPatient rehabilitationCommunication

Respiratory Therapy Career Context

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

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$114k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $103k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Respiratory Therapy by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$102k–$126kRespiratory Therapy median $94k (middle half $79k–$109k)67 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$103k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Respiratory Therapy listings in California195 active3,977 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 40% no call · 57% no weekends40 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia healthcare professional listings: 6% state a sign-on bonus (median $1k) · 7% offer loan repayment202 active listings, Nov 2026
New Respiratory Therapy listings1,298 in the last 30 days715 the 30 days before (+82%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Respiratory Therapist Jobs

22 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

22 jobs · 13 employers
6
<$85k
3
$85k-95k
6
$95k-105k
5
$105k-115k
2
$115k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

16 jobs · 13 employers
401k / retirement match
88%
Sign-on bonus
50%
Loan repayment
38%
PSLF eligible
13%
CME allowance
6%

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

$37.61-$55.27/hr
#4

Respiratory Therapist RRT - Full Time - Nights

$33.16-$51.4/hr
+ 20 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.0this job 1.5
Below most Respiratory Therapy listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 3,966 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

French Hospital Medical Center logo

About French Hospital Medical Center

51-200 employees

Living in San Luis Obispo

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.10M
Typical market rent
$2,968/mo
Residents’ average commute
16 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
108.6
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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