143Live RRT Travel Jobs · August 18 700+ 5-Star Reviews

Travel Respiratory Therapist Jobs

Scan today's RT travel openings, see weekly pay and start dates on every card, then narrow by state and shift.

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Respiratory Therapist · nationwide
143
live jobs
$1,979
avg weekly pay iMarket pay is the average weekly rate across active assignments matching your specialty and location. Each job’s pay tier compares its weekly pay to this average.
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Browse Respiratory Therapist jobs by state
Michigan 12 Massachusetts 8 Ohio 8 South Carolina 8 Florida 7 Texas 7 Colorado 6
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    Inside Travel Respiratory Therapy Assignments

    Respiratory therapists keep ventilators, airways, and oxygen therapy running for the sickest patients in the hospital, and travel respiratory therapist jobs are concentrated in exactly those high-acuity units. Demand is durable and clinical: the BLS projects 12% growth for the field through 2034, much faster than average, driven by an aging population and rising COPD and pneumonia cases, most of it in hospitals. Travel RT contracts currently run $1,367 to $2,997 a week, with 143 openings in states like Michigan, Massachusetts, and Ohio. Browse the respiratory therapist assignments above and filter by shift, contract length, and start date to line up your next contract.

    Highest weekly pay · RRT

    What respiratory therapy pays right now

    Updated today

    Here's where travel RTs are earning the most this week, pulled from the contracts open right now. A state usually climbs because its hospitals are short on respiratory staff or because it's an expensive place to live, both lift the weekly pay, since your stipends are baked in.

    Massachusetts $2,556
    Maine $2,321
    Wisconsin $2,266
    New Hampshire $2,192
    Illinois $2,149

    Weekly pay reflects current open Advantis Respiratory Therapist contracts: marketplace contract value, not a staff wage.

    What's Driving Respiratory Therapist Demand

    Respiratory therapy is one of the faster-growing clinical fields in U.S. healthcare. The BLS projects 12% employment growth through 2034, much faster than the average occupation, with about 8,800 openings a year, and ties that demand to an aging population and the rising prevalence of COPD, pneumonia, and similar conditions, concentrated mostly in hospitals. Those are the high-acuity inpatient settings, ICUs, emergency departments, and pulmonary units, that lean hardest on travelers during surges. Most hospital and travel assignments expect the advanced Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential from the NBRC, the field's recognized standard beyond the entry-level CRT. For credentialed RRTs, that steady demand means reliable assignment availability nationwide.

    Hospitals Staffing Travel RTs

    Facility cards surface current RT openings across ICUs, emergency departments, neonatal teams, and respiratory care programs using live job data.

    Mission Hospital Magnet

    850 beds · Asheville, NC

    Hiring now CT Tech IR Tech MRI Tech Ultrasound Tech

    Magnet-recognized Level I trauma center in Asheville, NC, an 850-bed hospital with radiation therapy and respiratory therapy.

    Ascension St. Vincent - Indianapolis Acute Level I Trauma

    840 beds · Indianapolis, IN

    Hiring now CT Tech IR Tech MRI Tech X-Ray Tech

    Level I trauma center in Indianapolis, IN, an 840-bed hospital with interventional radiology and respiratory therapy.

    Ascension St. Alexius Alverno Level II Trauma

    310 beds · Hoffman Estates, IL

    Hiring now Cath Lab Tech CT Tech MRI Tech X-Ray Tech

    Level II trauma center in Hoffman Estates, IL, a 310-bed hospital with cardiac cath lab and interventional radiology.

    WellStar - Cobb Hospital Level III Trauma

    Austell, GA

    Hiring now CT Tech MRI Tech Surgical Tech X-Ray Tech

    A Level III trauma center in Austell, GA, with echocardiography, surgical services, and physical and occupational therapy.

    OSF - Saint Francis Medical Center Magnet

    Peoria, IL

    Hiring now Cath Lab Tech CT Tech IR Tech X-Ray Tech

    An academic medical center in Peoria, IL, the area's only Level I trauma center, with acute and outpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

    Mercy Hospital Springfield Level I Trauma

    886 beds · Springfield, MO

    Hiring now CT Tech IR Tech MRI Tech X-Ray Tech

    An 886-bed Level I trauma and comprehensive stroke center in Springfield, MO, with inpatient and outpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

    Good to know

    Travel Respiratory Therapist Jobs - FAQs

    What pushes a respiratory travel rate up or down?
    Staffing pressure, the city's cost of living, and shift do the moving. A short-staffed ICU-heavy program, a pricier market where stipends lift the weekly total, or a night and weekend rotation all push the number up, while daytime floor coverage anchors the lower band. Every listing carries its own rate, so compare the shift and unit mix alongside the number.
    How is travel respiratory therapy different from sleep-lab work?
    They share airway physiology but little else. A travel RRT manages ventilators, airways, and oxygen therapy across ICUs, EDs, and floors on acute timelines, while sleep techs run overnight diagnostic studies in a controlled lab. Contracts hire for one or the other, and acute respiratory experience is what hospital travel assignments screen for, sleep-lab hours alone rarely qualify. If you hold both backgrounds, lead with the acute side.
    Do travel respiratory therapists need their RRT?
    Most hospital and travel assignments expect the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential from the NBRC, the field's advanced standard beyond the entry-level CRT. Respiratory therapists must also be licensed in every state except Alaska. Keep your NBRC number handy when you apply, licensure verification in a new state is usually the slowest credentialing step for respiratory travelers.
    What settings do travel respiratory therapists work in?
    Travel respiratory therapists most often work hospital units (ICUs, emergency departments, pulmonary floors, and neonatal ICUs) managing ventilators, airways, and oxygen therapy. BLS ties the field's growth to hospital-concentrated demand from COPD, pneumonia, and an aging population. Vent-heavy ICU and NICU coverage is where demand concentrates, so travelers comfortable with critical-care equipment qualify for the widest slice of the board.
    Beyond the RRT, which cards do respiratory contracts want current?
    Beyond the RRT, most contracts want BLS, and many add ACLS, plus PALS for pediatrics or NRP if you'll cover a NICU. Which ones matter depends on the unit, so check the assignment before you apply and keep your cards current to avoid a credentialing delay. A lapsed PALS or NRP card is the classic avoidable delay, so renew before your current contract ends.
    When is a respiratory therapist ready for a first travel contract?
    Usually after one to two years of recent acute-care work with independent ventilator management. Contracts assume you can take an ICU or ED assignment after a short orientation, so hospital travelers who have only floor or clinic experience should build critical-care hours first. Keep the RRT, BLS, and unit-specific cards current, and be ready to name the vent platforms you have run, it is the first screening question.
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