Respiratory Therapy Manager Contacts, Timed for Respiratory Season
Ad Call reads the live respiratory therapist ads in your market and hands back, for each hospital and facility, the respiratory care manager or director most likely to own the req: name, title, email and office line, graded by confidence, with days open and reposts. Reach them while they're still planning for winter, not after it arrives.
Respiratory therapy managers plan for winter in the fall. Recruiters who call in January are calling a department already underwater.
Find the respiratory therapist hiring managers in my market — freeWho owns a respiratory therapist req
Respiratory therapists work alongside nurses but do not report to nursing. In most hospitals, respiratory care is its own department, and the Respiratory Therapy Manager (or Respiratory Care Manager) owns the req, builds the schedule and decides who can cover the ICU. The Director of Respiratory Care approves headcount and, in a smaller hospital, is often the only leader in the department, and so the hiring seat. Shift supervisors know which shifts are open. Nurse managers and the chief nursing officer rarely decide an RT hire.
- Respiratory Therapy Supervisor / Lead TherapistRuns the shift and knows which nights are short. Great for intel, doesn't own the req.
- Respiratory Therapy Manager (also Respiratory Care Manager)usually owns the reqOwns the req. Builds the schedule, decides who can work critical care, and plans winter staffing.
- Director of Respiratory Care / Director of Respiratory TherapyApproves headcount and the winter budget for overtime and contract staff. In a smaller hospital, the only leader and the right call.
- Director of Cardiopulmonary ServicesIn hospitals that combine respiratory, pulmonary function and cardiac testing, owns the budget across all of them.
- Nurse Manager (ICU, ED)Works alongside RTs and will notice when they're short, but doesn't hire them.
What Ad Call gives you for a respiratory therapist ad
Ad Call leads with the respiratory care manager and adds the director when the department has one. Signals include how long the ad has run and whether it has been reposted, plus what the posting asks for: RRT required or preferred, critical care experience, neonatal work, and shift.
Ad CallDeskFollow-upsCompaniesGuide- Three RT ads since August means the manager is building winter capacity now, while there's still time to orient people.
- RRT and adult ICU ventilator work are the two things that let a new hire cover the unit on nights.
- A month open on nights: current staff are picking up extra shifts, and the season hasn't started.
Best time to contact a respiratory therapist hiring manager: the season calendar
The CDC says U.S. flu season usually runs through fall and winter, with activity most often peaking between December and February. RSV typically begins in the fall and peaks in winter. Respiratory departments staff to that curve, so should you.Who is the hiring manager for a respiratory therapist job? Not nursing.
RTs are a hospital profession first: the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook reports that hospitals employ 80% of respiratory therapists, with nursing care facilities and physician offices far behind. BLS projects employment to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 8,600 openings a year, driven in part by more respiratory conditions such as pneumonia and COPD in an aging population.
Inside the hospital, respiratory care usually runs as its own department. The respiratory therapy manager builds the schedule, decides which therapists are competent for the ICU, NICU or emergency department, and owns the req. Nursing leaders will tell you RTs are short (they feel it at the bedside), but they don't hire them. Going to nursing first wastes a week.
Staffing is also measured differently. The AARC's Safe and Effective Staffing Guide, which the association describes as helping departments deliver safe care “even with the national shortage of RTs,” gives managers time standards for respiratory procedures. That means many managers think in workload, not just headcount: a candidate who can take a full ventilator assignment on nights relieves more workload than one who needs a lighter floor assignment. Pitch that way. Also confirm licensure: BLS notes RTs are licensed in all states except Alaska, and requirements vary by state, so a candidate moving states needs a license plan.
RRT recruiting: what each credential lets a manager do
Managers staff by credential and competency. Know what your candidate's letters mean before you pitch.| Credential | How it's earned | What the manager can do with them | How to pitch |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRT (Certified Respiratory Therapist) | Passing the NBRC's Therapist Multiple-Choice exam at the low cut score | Entry-level; some hospitals hire CRTs with a plan to earn the RRT, others require the RRT | Pitch with a timeline to the RRT and floor or long-term care experience |
| RRT (Registered Respiratory Therapist) | Passing the TMC at the high cut score, then the Clinical Simulation Examination | The AARC calls it the “standard of excellence”; many ICU and critical care roles require it | Lead with RRT plus the units covered: adult ICU, ED, NICU |
| RRT-ACCS (Adult Critical Care Specialist) | An NBRC specialty exam open to RRTs with at least one year as an RRT | Signals ICU depth; useful for complex ventilator and critical care assignments | Lead with it for ICU-heavy ads and teaching hospitals |
| Neonatal and pediatric experience | Unit experience, with specialty credentials available through the NBRC | Lets the manager cover NICU and pediatric assignments | Name the NICU level and patient volume |
Respiratory therapist recruiter tips for the manager call
Lead with the unit, not the title. “RRT, three years adult ICU, independent on ventilator management and transports” answers the manager's real question: can this person take a full assignment on nights?
Ask about the season. “How are you staffing for winter?” is a question every respiratory manager has an answer to, and the answer tells you whether they're relying on overtime, contract staff or new hires.
Be clear about permanent versus contract. Many departments add contract therapists for the season. If you're offering a permanent hire, say so and explain why it beats another season of contract cost; if you're offering contract help, be upfront about start date and length.
Respect the shift. RT managers often work clinically themselves when the department is short. If they answer and sound busy, ask for a better time and call back then. Ad Call gives you the manager's name and office line, so you can ask for them by name and skip the switchboard's guesswork.
Questions recruiters ask about respiratory therapist reqs
- Who is the hiring manager for a respiratory therapist job?
The respiratory therapy or respiratory care manager, with the director of respiratory care (or cardiopulmonary services) approving headcount. In a smaller hospital the director may be the only leader and the hiring manager. Nursing leaders don't usually hire RTs.
- When is the best time to contact a respiratory therapist hiring manager?
August through early November, while managers plan for winter. Flu activity most often peaks between December and February, according to the CDC, so avoid cold pitches then unless your candidate can start immediately. Daily, avoid the hour around 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. shift change.
- Do hospitals require the RRT?
Many do for critical care roles, and some require it for all therapists; others hire CRTs who commit to earning the RRT. Check the ad. The NBRC awards the RRT after the TMC at the high cut score and the Clinical Simulation Examination.
- How do I find the respiratory care director's email?
Ad Call puts the respiratory care manager's and director's names, emails and the hospital's office line in the results for each RT ad in your market, graded by confidence.