Respiratory Therapist (RRT, CRT, RT), Children's Hospitals
Hiring a respiratory therapist for a children's hospital means separating pediatric bedside experience from credentials that do not establish that experience.
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What does this hire really come down to?
We recruit respiratory therapists for permanent roles across pediatric wards, emergency departments, intensive care units, and neonatal services. Before searching, we ask where your therapist will work, which age groups they will see, and what support is available during nights, admissions, and transfers.
A therapist covering pediatric wards may manage oxygen equipment, deliver ordered treatments, assess responses, and escalate changes. A PICU assignment may include ventilator management, blood gas review, and participation in urgent airway responses. Ask candidates to describe their own duties rather than accepting a unit name as proof.
Neonatal work deserves a separate discussion. Experience with older children does not establish readiness for premature infants or delivery attendance. If your position floats between services, define the expected assignments and orientation. Our screening distinguishes neonatal bedside duties from observation and checks experience with infant respiratory equipment. Your team verifies credentials and assesses skills for the assigned nursery or NICU.
What do we ask candidates about?
- Verify NBRC RRT or CRT status and the required state RT license. Ask which credential the candidate holds and whether the license is current. Match your accepted credential to the assignment rather than treating RRT, CRT, and RT as interchangeable labels.
- Ask, “Which pediatric ventilators have you used, and what did you handle during a shift?” Useful answers distinguish routine checks, ordered changes, alarm assessment, documentation, and escalation from tasks observed during training.
- Ask, “How did ABG results enter your team's decisions?” Look for a clear account of sampling responsibilities, result review, communication, and reassessment. Confirm whether neonatal experience involved ABGs, other blood gas samples, or both.
- Review PALS for pediatric assignments, NRP for neonatal assignments, and ACLS if your hospital requires it. Ask where candidates used that training and how recently. Check expiration dates and your service's expectations; a course card alone does not establish neonatal or pediatric experience.
- Ask, “Describe a handoff involving respiratory support and a pending concern.” A useful answer identifies equipment settings, recent changes, outstanding orders, and who received the concern. Probe what happened when transport interrupted the handoff.
- Ask, “What assignments would need supervised orientation here?” Strong answers name unfamiliar devices, age groups, or procedures. Compare those gaps with your educator support instead of treating confidence as evidence of independent practice.
We discuss experience and qualifications. Your team assesses clinical ability and completes the credential checks before hiring.
Where do we look, and why would they move?
We source from hospitals, LTACHs, home respiratory providers, and CoARC-accredited RT programs. Hospital candidates may bring pediatric rounds or critical care exposure. LTACH candidates may bring prolonged ventilation experience, but we ask which patient ages they treated and whether their duties match your pediatric service.
Home respiratory backgrounds can offer equipment teaching and family communication experience, not automatic readiness for inpatient pediatric ventilation. Program graduates need a clearly supported entry assignment. Candidates may consider moving for pediatric training, a different shift pattern, or more consistent service assignments; we ask rather than assume.
Which mistakes stall the search?
Avoid advertising one hospital-wide RT role without naming float destinations. If neonatal coverage is included, candidates need to know before interviews, not after accepting an offer.
Avoid counting adult ventilation years as pediatric experience. Ask for patient ages, devices, and actual responsibilities before deciding how much orientation a candidate needs.
Do not leave night-shift support undefined. Explain who responds to airway concerns, who provides respiratory supervision, and how therapists reach medical staff when several patients need attention.
How does your search work?
Tell us who you need
We ask about the job, your team, the requirements and what you can offer.
We find and contact people
We research suitable backgrounds and speak with candidates about their experience and interest.
You meet the strongest candidates
We explain why we recommend each person and arrange introductions for your interviews.
We help you complete the hire
We help with feedback, the offer, notice and practical questions before the start.
Tell us the job, setting and location. We will discuss your requirements and the terms before a search begins.
What happens next
- The initial conversation clarifies the work, location and search terms.
- Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
- When we recommend someone, you get reasons for fit and open questions to assess. We support interviews and offer discussions.
- Fees.
- No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement.
- Exclusivity.
- Set out in the signed client agreement.
- Confidentiality.
- We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity.
- No hire.
- No hire means no fee on standard searches.
The role and the setting
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What do employers ask us?
Should we accept CRT candidates for this children's hospital role?
That depends on your credential standards and assigned duties. State the accepted NBRC credential clearly, then assess pediatric experience separately from the required state RT license.
Can an adult ICU therapist move into our PICU?
Possibly, with an assignment and orientation that reflect the experience gap. Ask about pediatric exposure, device familiarity, and age-specific training before deciding what supervision is needed.
Does PALS establish readiness for neonatal coverage?
No: discuss NRP, delivery attendance, neonatal respiratory support experience, and your service's credential expectations separately. Your clinical team must assess readiness for the actual neonatal assignment.
What should we ask about family teaching?
Ask how the therapist explained prescribed equipment or treatments to a caregiver. Look for teach-back, documented concerns, and communication with the care team when the caregiver needed further help.
How should we evaluate pediatric transport experience?
Ask whether candidates accompanied patients or only prepared equipment. Have them describe handoffs, equipment checks, and their responsibilities during transport, then compare that account with your assigned transport duties.
What should you send us about this role?
Send us the role, where the person will work and what needs to change with this hire. We will ask about the work, not just the title. Share any license or schedule limits that could rule someone out before we begin the search.
Tell us which pediatric services need coverage and what your orientation can support. We will build the search around the work you need this therapist to perform.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What happens next
- The initial conversation clarifies the work, location and search terms.
- Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
- When we recommend someone, you get reasons for fit and open questions to assess. We support interviews and offer discussions.
- Fees.
- No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement.
- Exclusivity.
- Set out in the signed client agreement.
- Confidentiality.
- We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity.
- No hire.
- No hire means no fee on standard searches.