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Ascension
Appleton, Wisconsin

Respiratory Therapist

Respiratory TherapistPer Diem

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting

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Job Description

  • Your future role at a glance
  • Location: Appleton, WI
  • Facility: Ascension St. Elizabeth Hospital
  • Department: Respiratory Therapy
  • Schedule: PRN | Flexible scheduling
  • How you’ll make an impact in this role

Develop tailored respiratory care plans by assessing each patient's specific diagnosis and clinical needs to ensure they receive the exact type and frequency of treatment required for recovery.

Deliver and monitor advanced respiratory therapies, keeping a watchful eye on patient conditions and equipment to guarantee high-quality, continuous care.

Champion patient and family education by clearly explaining health conditions and connecting families with community support groups, empowering them to confidently manage their care journey.

Evaluate and evolve treatment strategies based on real-time patient outcomes, adjusting medications and modalities to maximize healing and comfort.

Provide decisive, life-saving intervention by responding rapidly to emergency resuscitation codes as a trusted member of the critical care team.

What minimum requirements you’ll need

Licensure / Certification / Registration

  • BBLS Provider obtained within 1 Month (30 days) of hire date or job transfer date required. American Heart
  • Association or American Red Cross accepted.

Respiratory Care Practitioner credentialed from the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board obtained prior to hire date or job transfer date required.

Advanced Life Support preferred. American Heart Association or American Red Cross accepted.

  • Certification specializing in Neonatal Resuscitation credentialed from the American Academy of
  • Pediatrics (AAP) preferred.

Pediatric Advanced Life Support preferred. American Heart Association or American Red Cross accepted.

Education

High School diploma equivalency with 2 years of cumulative experience OR Associate's degree/Technical degree OR 4 years of applicable cumulative job specific experience required.

  • Benefits that help you thrive
  • Retirement: 403(b) plan
  • Well-being support: Employee Assistance Program, counseling and peer support, spiritual care and stress management resources
  • Life at Ascension: Where purpose meets opportunity

Ascension is a leading nonprofit Catholic health system with a culture and associate experience grounded in service, growth, care and connection. We empower our 99,000+ associates to bring their skills and expertise every day to reimagining healthcare, together. Recognized as one of the Best 150+ Places to Work in Healthcare and a Military-Friendly Gold Employer, you'll find an inclusive and supportive environment where your contributions truly matter.

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

Ascension provides Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) to all associates and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, lactation, breastfeeding, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, all as defined by applicable law, and any other legally protected status or characteristic in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. For further information, view the EEO Know Your Rights (English) poster or EEO Know Your Rights (Spanish) poster.

Fraud Prevention Notice

Prospective applicants should be vigilant against fraudulent job offers and interview requests. Scammers may use sophisticated tactics to impersonate Ascension employees.

To ensure your safety, please remember: Ascension will never ask for payment or to provide banking or financial information as part of the job application or hiring process, our legitimate email communications will always come from an @ascension.org email address; do not trust other domains, and an official offer will only be extended to candidates who have completed a job application through our authorized applicant tracking system.

E-Verify Statement

Employer participates in the Electronic Employment Verification Program. Please click here for more information.

Key Responsibilities

Develop and monitor tailored respiratory care plans while providing advanced therapies to ensure patient recovery. Actively participate in emergency resuscitation codes and provide education to patients and their families.

Requirements

Requires a high school diploma with 2 years of experience or an associate/technical degree. Must hold a Respiratory Care Practitioner credential from the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board and BBLS certification.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Certifications

PALS (preferred)

Key Skills

Patient assessmentRespiratory care planningPatient educationClinical monitoring

Respiratory Therapy Career Context

In Wisconsin, the Respiratory Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$83k (40 salary observations; 221 listings), vs ~$86k nationally (1,293 salary observations; 9,762 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

Of the 50 active Respiratory Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 2% are remote, 68% have no call, 46% require no weekends.

Respiratory Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is down 1.0% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Wisconsin is 94.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 60.7% of Wisconsin clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top contract/1099 Respiratory Therapist Jobs

24 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution17 jobs

6
<$105k
4
$105k-115k
3
$115k-125k
2
$125k-135k
2
$135k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks14 jobs

401k / retirement match
71% this job
Sign-on bonus
43%
Relocation assistance
14%
CME allowance
7%
PSLF eligible
7%

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

Respiratory Therapist – CRT/RRT

$45.05 - $63.70/hr
#4

RRT - Registered Respiratory Therapist

$58-$63/hr
+ 22 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.0this job 2.8
Better work-life than 40% of Respiratory Therapy listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 3,773 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Appleton

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$293k
Typical market rent
$1,215/mo
Residents’ average commute
19 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
92.4
State income tax
Up to 7.7%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Appleton, WI metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

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About Ascension

Hospitals and Health Care
St. Louis, MO
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

403(b) plan
Employee Assistance Program
Counseling and peer support
Spiritual care and stress management resources