Registered Respiratory Therapist I

About the role

The Registered Respiratory Therapist I (RRT I) provides respiratory care to patients in a high-acuity inpatient hospital setting, including intensive care, emergency department, and step-down units. This role is responsible for managing patients with complex and rapidly changing cardiopulmonary conditions, requiring strong clinical judgment, critical thinking, and the ability to respond quickly in emergent situations. The RRT I reports directly to the Respiratory Therapy Manager and indirectly to the Respiratory Therapy Shift Lead (RTSL). The RRT I serves as a key member of the interdisciplinary critical care team, supporting patients requiring advanced life-support therapies such as mechanical ventilation, airway management, patient transport, and specialty respiratory interventions in a comprehensive academic medical center providing tertiary-level care. Weekend, holiday, and disaster response team coverage is required based on department needs.

Responsibilities

• Delivers respiratory care across ICU, Emergency Department, step-down, and acute care settings in a fast-paced, high-acuity environment.
• Routinely cares for critically ill patients in rapidly changing clinical conditions, including those with complex disease processes.
• Maintains strict adherence to infection prevention standards and PPE use while collaborating with interdisciplinary critical care teams to ensure timely, coordinated, and high-quality patient care.
• Provides airway management, responds to emergent situations (rapid response and code events), supports intubation, and delivers ventilatory support.
• Administers a full range of respiratory modalities.
• Performs and interprets diagnostic studies, including arterial blood gases and bedside respiratory measurements, to guide clinical decision-making.
• Safely manages high-acuity patients during transport and mobility.
• Ensures accurate documentation and compliance with safety and quality standards.
• Serves as an integral member of the care team through real-time communication and care planning.
• Provides education to patients and families.
• Maintains ongoing clinical competency in a critical care environment.
• Works in Ashley River Tower Heart and Vascular, Oncology, Digestive Health Acute Care Floors, Heart and Lung Transplantation, Cardiothoracic ICU, Medical Surgical ICU, Cardiac ICU, Cath Lab, PACU, IR, CT surgery stepdown, Medical Surgical Stepdown, Specialty and Women’s Emergency Department, Rapid and Code Response Team.

Requirements

• Graduate of an NBRC-approved Respiratory Therapy program
• Associate degree in Respiratory Care from a CoARC-accredited program required
• RRT (NBRC) certification
• South Carolina Respiratory Care License
• BLS required
• 0-2 years of work experience

Qualifications

• ACLS preferred (Adult)
• AARC membership preferred

Pay

• Pay Rate Type: Hourly
• Pay Grade: Health-26
• Scheduled Weekly Hours: 36

Schedule

Work Shift: Nights (United States of America)