Saint Joseph Hospital - Lexington logo
Saint Joseph Hospital - Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky, United States

Certified Respiratory Therapist

Respiratory TherapistFull-Time

Listed compensation

$24.88-$37/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

Welcome to Saint Joseph Hospital, a 433-bed hospital founded in 1877 by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth as the first hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. Led by Sister Euphrasia Stafford, the mission to provide compassionate care to the underserved is still carried out today. Saint Joseph Hospital holds over two dozen national ranks and recognitions and is recognized as a 2024 Best Place to Work in Kentucky.

Saint Joseph is part of CommonSpirit Health, a non-profit, Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people. With approximately 175,000 team members and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians.

Our commitment to serve the common good is delivered through the dedicated work of thousands of physicians, advanced practice clinicians, nurses, and staff; through clinical excellence delivered across a system of 140 hospitals and more than 2,200 care centers serving 24 states.

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.

Plans and administers non-medicated aerosol and humidity therapy. Plans and administers oxygen therapy (including implementation of oxygen therapy protocol where appropriate).

Plans and administers aerosolized medication and specialty gas therapy. Plans and administers COPD care program.

Performs airway management. Plans and administers incentive spirometry.

Cleans and reprocesses respiratory therapy equipment and stocks supplies for immediate use. Plans and administers bronchial hygiene and performs chest physiotherapy (including implementation of bronchial hygiene protocol where appropriate).

Performs cardiopulmonary resuscitation and manual ventilation during resuscitation attempts and aides in rapid response calls when appropriate. Collects, analyzes and reports arterial blood samples.

Operates mechanical ventilators (invasive and non-invasive) and manages ventilator settings and weaning per protocols and provider orders. Performs electrocardiography studies.

  • ## Sign On Bonus up to $25,000 and Educational Assistance (Student Loan Payback) up to $24,000 for Eligible Hires
  • Job Requirements

Required

  • Associates Of Science in Respiratory Care, upon hire or
  • Respiratory Care from an accredited respiratory therapy educational program, upon hire and
  • Respiratory Care Practitioner: KY, upon hire and
  • Certified Respiratory Therapist, upon hire and
  • Basic Life Support - CPR, within 14 - days and
  • Advanced Cardiac Life Support, within 90 Days and
  • Preferred
  • One Year of experience in respiratory critical care.
  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support, within 90 Days and
  • Neonatal Resuscitation Program, within 90 Days

Key Responsibilities

The Respiratory Therapist provides specialized cardiopulmonary care, including ventilator management, oxygen therapy, and aerosolized medication administration. They also perform critical assessments, airway management, and participate in rapid response calls and resuscitation efforts.

Requirements

Candidates must hold an Associate of Science in Respiratory Care and possess a valid Kentucky Respiratory Care Practitioner license. Certification as a Respiratory Therapist and current BLS/ACLS certifications are required upon hire.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Certifications

PALSNRP

Key Skills

Aerosol therapyArterial blood gas analysisPatient assessment

Respiratory Therapy Career Context

Of the 40 active Respiratory Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 3% are remote, 60% have no call, 45% require no weekends.

Respiratory Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is up 1.3% vs. the prior quarter (through Oct 2026).

Respiratory Therapy by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$52k–$77kRespiratory Therapy median $86k (middle half $79k–$96k)582 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$71k in purchasing powerKentucky index 90.2 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Respiratory Therapy listings in Kentucky66 active3,912 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 3% remote · 60% no call · 45% no weekends40 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repayment$25k sign-on · $24k loan repaymentUS healthcare professional listings (all specialties): 24% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 9% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Respiratory Therapy listings1,246 in the last 30 days727 the 30 days before (+71%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Respiratory Therapy pay trend+1.3% vs prior quarter—through Oct 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

23 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

23 jobs · 14 employers
8
<$85k
3
$85k-95k
5
$95k-105k
5
$105k-115k
2
$115k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

15 jobs · 14 employers
401k / retirement match
87%
Sign-on bonus
60% this job
Loan repayment
40% this job
PSLF eligible
20%
CME allowance
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Senior Respiratory Therapist -Dayshift

Sentara Health · Norfolk, Virginia

$41.74-$62.48/hr
#2

Respiratory Therapist

St Francis Hospital · Colorado Springs, Colorado

$34-$56.1/hr
#3

Respiratory Therapist

$37.61-$55.27/hr
#4

Respiratory Therapist (RT) - Adults

$35.5-$53.25/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 3,922 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site
Saint Joseph Hospital - Lexington logo

About Saint Joseph Hospital - Lexington

Hospitals and Health Care
Lexington, Kentucky
501-1,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Sign-on bonus up to $25,000
Educational assistance/student loan payback up to $24,000
Comprehensive benefits through CommonSpirit Health

Living in Lexington

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$312k
Typical market rent
$1,631/mo
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
92.9
State income tax
Up to 4.5%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026).

BEA 2024 · Lexington-Fayette, KY metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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