How to hire a respiratory therapy aide

How to hire a respiratory therapy aide, step by step

Here's a step-by-step respiratory therapy aide hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a respiratory therapy aide job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new respiratory therapy aide
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the respiratory therapy aide you need to hire. Certain respiratory therapy aide roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect respiratory therapy aide also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of respiratory therapy aide salaries for various roles:

   Type of Respiratory Therapy Aide	Description	Hourly rate
   Respiratory Therapy Aide		$11-32
   Rehabilitation Technician	A rehabilitation technician is responsible for assisting therapists and other medical personnel on supporting the patients in their daily activities and physical therapy sessions. Rehabilitation technicians provide high-quality care services for the patients by administering medications, accompanying them on medical appointments, and ensuring the cleanliness and orderliness of all equipment and facilities to prevent hazards within the premises... Show more	$11-17
   Therapy Technician	A therapy technician is responsible for supporting therapists in providing the highest quality care services for the patients, administering treatment plans, and guiding patients to full recovery. Therapy technicians also perform administrative duties, such as updating patients' information on the database, monitoring patients' condition, reviewing medical charts, processing payments for therapy procedures, and performing medical examinations under the supervision of medical professionals... Show more	$10-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • BLS
   • Ventilation
   • CPR
   • Life Support
   • Acls
   • Blood Gases
   • Critical Care
   • Resuscitation
   • Patient Education
   • Nebulizer
   • Family Education
   • Vital Signs
   • Respiratory Care Procedures

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform EKG's and pulmonary function test.
   • Hand hold nebulizer treatments via mask, blowby and inline.
   • Perform various technical duties to administer respiratory therapy treatments to assign patients.
   • Facilitate respiratory weaning protocols with the medical director in efforts to wean patients from ventilator machines and tracheostomy tubes.
   • Maintain knowledge of treatment protocols for respiratory conditions including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, asthma, cystic fibrosis, pneumonia.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your respiratory therapy aide job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A respiratory therapy aide salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, respiratory therapy aides' average salary in georgia is 43% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level respiratory therapy aides earn 65% less than senior-level respiratory therapy aides.
   • Certifications. A respiratory therapy aide with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a respiratory therapy aide's salary.

   Average respiratory therapy aide salary

   $40,669yearly

   $19.55 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level respiratory therapy aide salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 27, 2025

4. Writing a respiratory therapy aide job description

   A respiratory therapy aide job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a respiratory therapy aide job description:

   Respiratory therapy aide job description example

   Provides respiratory care through patient assessment, planning, intervention, education and evaluation. Performs all general and critical care respiratory care procedures and diagnostics on patients ages infant through adult. These duties include but are not limited to; mechanical ventilation, airway management, critical care transport, arterial blood gas puncture, medication delivery, bronchial hygiene, patient assessments and education.
   Education Qualifications:
   
   Graduate from an accredited respiratory care/therapy program.
   
   Licensure/Certification Qualifications:
   
   For staff hired before June of 2019: Must hold certification by the National Board of Respiratory Care (NBRC) as a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) or a Certified Respiratory Therapists, or equivalent.
   
   For staff hired after June of 2019: Staff must obtain and maintain certification as a Registered Respiratory Therapist within 18 months of hire or transfer.
   
   Must hold state licensure in appropriate state of practice upon hire. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certified within 1 month and ACLS within 1 year.
   
   FTE
   
   1
   
   Shift Rotation
   
   Day/Eve/Night Rotation (United States of America)
   
   Shift Start Time
   
   Varies
   
   Shift End Time
   
   Varies
   
   Pay Range
   
   $29.68 - $44.52 / hour
   
   The approximate base compensation range is posted, but the actual offer will reflect our total compensation and benefits package. The offer will be determined by a number of factors including the selected candidate's experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, FTE, as well as internal equity among our team.
   
   Weekends
   
   Varies
   
   Holidays
   
   Yes
   
   Effective December 1, 2019: Job offers are contingent upon successful completion of a post-offer assessment, including a urine drug screen, immunization review, proof of required vaccinations, and background check. Essentia Health is committed to maintaining a work environment free from the influence of illegal drugs and alcohol.
   
   Essentia Health EEO:
   
   Essentia Health is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, sexual identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
   
   Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) at Essentia
   
   It is our policy to afford EEO to all individuals, regardless of race, religion, color, sex, pregnancy, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, family medical history, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, military service or veteran status, culture, socio-economic status, status with regard to public assistance, and other factors not related to qualifications, including employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or membership or activity in a local human rights commission, or any other category as defined by law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find respiratory therapy aides for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any respiratory therapy aides they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level respiratory therapy aides with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your respiratory therapy aide job on Zippia to find and recruit respiratory therapy aide candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit respiratory therapy aides, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new respiratory therapy aide

   Once you've decided on a perfect respiratory therapy aide candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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