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Ernest Health
Las Cruces, New Mexico

Respiratory Therapist Per Diem

Respiratory TherapistPer Diem

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting

Schedule not stated in this posting — no days, weekends, call or nights given.

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, call expectations and time off.

Posted 50m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Respiratory Therapist - Per Diem - Las Cruces, New Mexico

Join our world-class team of driven, passionate healthcare professionals who are focused on service excellence and providing top quality care!

At Rehabilitation Hospital of Southern New Mexico, we are passionate about patient care! Nationally Recognized: Our hospital has been ranked in the Top 10% nationally for rehabilitative care for 15 years and has earned The Joint Commission’s Brain Injury, Stroke and Spinal Cord Certification.

At our 40-bed hospital, we provide specialized inpatient and outpatient rehabilitative services to our patients, serving the communities of Southern New Mexico. We see patients who often are recovering from disabilities caused by injuries, illnesses, or chronic medical conditions.

We are seeking a per diem Respiratory Therapist PRN to join our team of passionate patient caregivers!

As a participating hospital of Ernest Health, we offer robust recognition, wellness, and retention programs. These programs focus to enhance the employees’ work experience, recognize, and celebrate achievements.

We also encourage employees to share their work experience through “My Ernest Journey” and through our Engagement Survey, where our approach is “You Spoke, We Listened”. These platforms provide additional avenues for employees to give feedback about their work experience and share what is important to them.

Qualifications

Required Skills

  • Current state license as a Respiratory Therapist required.
  • Current CPR Certification required.
  • One (1) year recent experience in acute care setting preferred.

Additional Qualifications/Skills

  • Knowledge of clinical operations and procedures.
  • Demonstrates general computer skills including: data entry, word processing, email, and record management.
  • Demonstrates good judgment, initiative, problem solving, decision making, prioritizing and organizational skills.
  • Effective organizational and time management skills.
  • Effective written and verbal communication skills.
  • Ability to maintain proper levels of confidentiality.
  • Ability to work closely and professionally with others.
  • Ability to maintain quality, safety, and/or infection control standards.

Responsibilities

Evaluates and treats patients with breathing disorders. Performs lab functions. Assumes primary responsibility for all respiratory care treatments. Integrates the hospital’s mission and “Guiding Principles” into daily practice.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Key Skills

Respiratory therapy

Respiratory Therapy Career Context

Of the 48 active Respiratory Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 4% are remote, 50% have no call, 50% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for New Mexico is 92.2 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 61.4% of New Mexico clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Respiratory Therapy by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score4.8 / 10 · above average in respiratory therapyranked against 3,953 Respiratory Therapy listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed paynot listedRespiratory Therapy median $124k (middle half $87k–$155k)18 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost of livingNew Mexico index 92.2US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Respiratory Therapy listings in New Mexico40 active3,964 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 4% remote · 50% no call · 50% no weekends48 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedUS healthcare professional listings: 20% state a sign-on bonus (median $13k) · 7% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Respiratory Therapy listings1,278 in the last 30 days802 the 30 days before (+59%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (3,953 Respiratory Therapy listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top contract/1099 Respiratory Therapist Jobs

33 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

27 jobs · 18 employers
13
<$85k
2
$85k-100k
9
$100k-115k
2
$115k-130k
1
$131k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

17 jobs
Sign-on bonus
71%
401k / retirement match
71%
Loan repayment
41%
PSLF eligible
18%
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

$34-$56.1/hr
#4

Respiratory Therapist

$37.61-$55.27/hr
+ 31 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.0this job 4.8
Better work-life than 70% of Respiratory Therapy listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 3,953 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Ernest Health logo

About Ernest Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Mesquite, Texas
501-1,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Wellness and Retention Programs
Employee Engagement Survey

Living in Las Cruces

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$279k
Typical market rent
$1,439/mo
Residents’ average commute
19 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
90.2
State income tax
Up to 5.9%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Las Cruces, NM metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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