Respiratory Therapist – NICU
Washington, District of Columbia
Children's National Medical Center

Job Opportunity: Registered Respiratory Therapist - NICU

Location

• Washington, District of Columbia

Employment Type

• Travel/Contract
• Contract Length: Up to 13 weeks (standard), up to 26 weeks available upon request during interview

Specialty

• Respiratory / Neuro Diagnostics
• NICU/PICU preferred
• Pediatric experience strongly preferred

Schedule

• Shifts: 3 or 4 shifts per week
• Shift Hours: Day shift, 12 hours (7:00 AM – 7:30 PM)
• Guaranteed Hours: 36 hours/week (up to 48 hours available; overtime only after 48 hours)
• Weekend Requirement: Every other weekend
• On-Call: No
• Floating: Yes, within scope (no floating to sister facilities)
• Block Scheduling: Not available

Required Qualifications

• Valid Respiratory Therapist license in District of Columbia
• Minimum 1 year of Respiratory Therapist experience within the last year
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification
• Current Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification

Time-Off Policy

• Maximum 3 shifts off for 13-week contracts
• Maximum 8 shifts off for 26-week contracts
• Taking 1 full week off requires adding an additional week to the contract
• No time off approved during these blackout periods:

  • August 31 – September 6
  • November 23 – November 29
  • December 21 – January 3

Facility Highlights

• Level I Pediatric Trauma Center
• Teaching and Magnet Hospital
• 323 inpatient beds, including 70 NICU beds
• Charting system: Cerner
• Dress code: Any solid color scrubs, no logos; child-friendly attire required

Required Documentation & Compliance

• Government-issued photo ID (Driver’s License/State ID)
• Background checks covering all locations lived/worked/schooled in past 7 years, updated annually
• Education verification and transcript/diploma (transcript accepted if education verification pending)
• Professional license primary source verification
• Physical exam within 30 days of start (must include latex allergy info)
• Fit test for N95 or PAPR respirators within 1 year of start, updated annually
• Immunizations and titers required with lab values and reference ranges:

  • Tdap vaccine within 10 years (TD and DTap not accepted)
  • Measles, Mumps, Rubella (2 MMR vaccines or positive quantitative titer)
  • Hepatitis B series and quantitative surface antibody titer (or declination form)
  • Varicella (2 vaccines or positive quantitative titer)
• Negative TB test or chest x-ray within 60 days of start; additional documentation if positive or new converter
• 10-panel drug screen within 30 days of start (must include marijuana)
• Seasonal flu vaccination or approved medical/religious exemption required during flu season
• COVID-19 vaccine or declination required for tracking purposes
• Facility-specific modules and competency exams must be completed prior to start, including medication/pharmacology competency and color blindness testing
• Professional references: 2 within past 2 years (preferably supervisors/managers), cannot be pending at start
• Employment application and skills checklist required

Additional Notes

• Parking fees vary by shift type and location (day, night, rotation)
• No on-call responsibilities
• Floating limited to within scope, no sister facility floating
• No block scheduling available

This position is ideal for experienced respiratory therapists with pediatric and NICU/PICU backgrounds seeking a travel contract in a specialized pediatric trauma and teaching hospital setting.