Registered 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: Typically 13 weeks; up to 26 weeks available upon request during interview

Specialty

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

Schedule

• Day shifts, 3 shifts per week (12 hours each, 7:00 AM – 7:30 PM)
• 36 guaranteed hours per week; up to 48 hours available (overtime after 48 hours)
• Weekend requirement: every other weekend
• Floating within scope allowed; no floating to sister facilities
• No on-call duties
• Block scheduling not available

Required Qualifications

• Valid Respiratory Therapist license in District of Columbia
• Minimum 1 year of recent Respiratory Therapist experience, including pediatric respiratory therapy
• 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-designated hospital
• 323 inpatient beds, including 70 NICU beds
• Charting system: Cerner
• Dress code: Any solid color scrubs without 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 copy and primary source verification
• Physical exam within 30 days of start, including latex allergy information
• Fit test for N95 or PAPR respirators within 1 year of start, updated annually
• Immunizations and titers:

  • Tdap vaccine within 10 years (TD and DTap not accepted)
  • Negative TB test or chest x-ray per facility guidelines
  • Measles, Mumps, Rubella (2 MMR vaccines or positive quantitative titer with lab values)
  • Hepatitis B series and quantitative surface antibody titer
  • Varicella (2 vaccines or positive quantitative titer with lab values)
• 10-panel drug screen within 30 days of start (must include marijuana)
• Seasonal flu vaccination or approved medical/religious exemption (documentation required)
• COVID-19 vaccine or declination for tracking purposes
• Facility-specific forms including emergency contact, photo for badge, and various compliance modules

Additional Requirements

• Professional references: 2 references dated within past 2 years (preferably supervisors/managers), cannot be pending at start
• Employment application and skills checklist required
• Completion of facility-specific training modules prior to start, including safety and infection control
• Medication and pharmacology competency exams required
• Color blindness testing required (can be completed online or as part of physical)

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.