We place RRTs, CRTs and specialty-credentialed respiratory therapists on travel, per diem, contract and permanent assignments nationwide. Contract bill rates typically run $85–$115 per hour, and a licensed candidate can often start within two to three weeks. Because respiratory therapists are licensed in 49 states with no interstate compact, licensure — not sourcing — is usually what determines your start date.
Three reasons, in order of frequency. The credential was under-specified, so candidates arrive who cannot cover the unit. The license was not checked until after the offer, and there is no compact to fall back on. Or the ratio and vent population were never described, so the clinician leaves early.
All three are intake failures, not sourcing failures. We screen to the credential the unit needs and confirm licensure before you see anybody.
Respiratory demand is genuinely seasonal in a way most disciplines are not. Winter respiratory illness volume is predictable, which means it can be staffed deliberately rather than scrambled for in January. A contract RT booked in September for a November–March assignment costs meaningfully less than the same clinician booked with two weeks’ notice.
Employment for respiratory therapists is projected to grow roughly 12% between 2024 and 2034, with about 8,800 openings a year, and the training pipeline has not kept pace with demand. This is a structural shortage, not a post-pandemic hangover. It is not going to loosen.
Intake covers unit, vent population, acuity, ratio, EMR, shift pattern and the exact credential required. We screen a specialist network, speak to every candidate, and confirm state licensure status before submittal. Full detail on our process is on the employer page, and the cost breakdown is published here.
More detail on specifying the role correctly: how to hire a respiratory therapist.
Employment for respiratory therapists is projected to grow roughly 12% between 2024 and 2034, with around 8,800 openings a year, while CoARC-accredited program output has not kept pace. This is a structural shortage rather than a post-pandemic hangover, and facilities planning on the market easing are planning on something that is not going to happen.
RRT is the acute care baseline. RRT-ACCS is the adult critical care specialty and is what an ICU-heavy assignment actually requires. RRT-NPS is neonatal and pediatric and is effectively mandatory in Level III and IV NICUs. These read as near-identical on a resume and are not interchangeable on a unit. Writing “RRT preferred” on a NICU req and then rejecting candidates for lacking NPS costs three weeks every time.
Respiratory therapists are licensed in 49 states with no interstate compact and none in progress. Alaska becomes the fiftieth in January 2027. Every cross-state hire therefore begins with a fresh application, which is why respiratory fill windows vary far more by state than nursing windows do — and why an agency quoting the same timeline regardless of state has not checked.
RRT is the registered respiratory therapist baseline for acute care. ACCS is the adult critical care specialty credential for ICU-heavy assignments. NPS is the neonatal and pediatric specialty, effectively mandatory in Level III and IV NICUs.
Two to three weeks for a therapist already licensed in your state. Longer where a new state license is required, since there is no interstate compact for respiratory therapy.
Gross weekly packages typically run $2,300 to $3,600, with facility bill rates in the $85 to $115 per hour range. Specialty credentials and short-notice starts move it upward.
Tell us the credential, the unit and the start date. We come back with a realistic fill window and the current market rate.