If you want to land your next job, you have to do well in the interview. And that means being prepared. We’re here to help with this list of the 35 most common respiratory therapist interview questions and how to answer them.
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Most Common RT Interview Questions & Answers
Yes, you can Google “RT interview questions” to get a list of AI-generated questions. But those are pretty generic — the kind that are asked for pretty much any kind of job.
If you really want to nail your interview, you need to practice answering questions unique to respiratory therapy. And our list below covers them all, along with some tips on the best ways to answer them. Let's dive in.
Personal questions & motivation
1. Tell us about yourself. Why did you decide to become a respiratory therapist?
2. What do you like most about this line of work? What motivates you?
3. What are your goals — where do you see yourself in five or 10 years?
Of course, your answers will depend on your own personal story. What motivated you to become an RT? Did a family member work in respiratory care, or have a respiratory condition? Was it because you love to help others? Did you have other jobs before this one? You can be sure you'll be asked some of these questions, so practice your answer ahead of time.
4. What are your greatest strengths?
Don’t brag, and try not to come off as overconfident. Instead, briefly mention your best skills (i.e., specializing in certain breathing exercises, equipment, or “soft skills” like teamwork and patient rapport) and a few words about them.
5. What are your biggest weaknesses?
When you talk about weaknesses, make them sound more like learning opportunities than flaws. Don’t say you tend to argue with co-workers. Instead, say you're working on improving how you communicate with other clinicians.
6. Why are you leaving your current job?
7. Why do you want this job?
Talk about your desire to expand your horizons or seek new challenges, and be careful not to disparage your old employers. And do your research about the job you’re applying for — impress them by knowing about their company.
Your skills, experience & work history
8. What specific responsibilities did you have in your last job?
9. What types of respiratory conditions and/or equipment do you have experience with? Any specialized treatments or procedures?
10. What EMRs have you used?
Be ready to talk about your past jobs and experience in the best possible light — especially what you liked and what you learned. Be ready to name the specific ventilators and other equipment you've used, and to rate your knowledge of each.
11. What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
12. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced, and how did you overcome it?
13. Talk about a time when you made a mistake. How did you handle it, and what did you learn?
Draw from your experience here, either in work or in school. Like your strengths and weaknesses, you want to come off as humble and ready to learn from past mistakes.
Your clinical knowledge
14. Describe the signs and symptoms of the most common respiratory disorders, and the best treatments for each.
15. Talk about your understanding of mechanical ventilation, oxygen therapy, patient monitoring, or other job specifics.
16. Talk about your understanding of job regulations, including patient confidentiality and infection control protocols.
We can’t answer these for you — it’s information you really need to know by heart. So, be ready, don’t get flustered, and expect detailed follow-up questions!
17. Why is it important to measure pH before beginning respiratory therapy?
18. Explain the difference between various types of ventilation.
19. How would you interpret a specific ABG, or respond to a certain treatment scenario?
Be ready to answer a wide variety of questions about specific clinical scenarios. The questions above are just a sample; there’s really no way to completely anticipate them. Your best bet is to be ready to talk about the finer points of respiratory therapy and the equipment used to do it.
Your work habits
20. How do you handle stressful situations?
21. What’s your approach to effective time management?
22. What’s your approach to documentation, or developing treatment plans?
23. How do you stay on top of new technology and clinical best practices?
24. How do you deal with having to use new equipment you’re not familiar with?
Expect some tough questions here — they'll want to know exactly how you’ll react in a wide variety of situations. Be ready to talk about how you actually do your job, not just clinically, but emotionally.
Working with others
25. How do you respond to feedback or criticism?
26. How would your co-workers or former supervisors describe you?
27. How do you communicate and collaborate with the people you work with?
28. Describe a situation when you’ve had a disagreement or confrontation with someone you worked with, and how you handled it.
29. What would you do if you saw a co-worker cutting corners or failing to follow proper protocol?
Show that you’re open to feedback, collaboration, and the perspectives of others, and be ready to share examples. You’ll want to show that you can handle disagreements without open conflict, and without disrupting care.
Working with patients
30. How would your patients describe you?
31. How do you approach patient education?
32. Do you have any techniques for building rapport with patients and families, or offering motivation or emotional support?
33. How do you handle disagreements or uncooperative patients or families?
34. How do you deliver bad news?
Again, it's important to be honest — but in a way that presents you as patient, understanding, empathetic, and prioritizing the people under your care. Think of a memorable patient interaction and be ready to share it.
Questions for them
35. Do you have any questions for us?
Finally, to show you're truly interested in the job, be ready to ask a few questions of your own. Don’t ask what you can easily find on their website — like how many beds are in the facility. And don’t ask too many! Limit it to two or three. Some examples:
- What equipment do you use here?
- What's your patient intake process?
- Do you provide opportunities to earn CE credits, or time to attend workshops or seminars?
- What are the biggest challenges your current RTs experience here?
- Which of my skills do you think will be most important for this position?
- What do you like most about working here?
Ready to Explore New RT Job Opportunities?
Now that you’re ready to answer the most common respiratory therapist interview questions, it’s time to find a great new career opportunity! We've got openings all across the U.S.A. — search all open RT jobs here.
