Tailoring guide
Respiratory Therapist resume keywords and example
Respiratory therapist postings check the NBRC credential first, usually the RRT, or the CRT for some entry roles, along with a state license and BLS. Hospitals then read for critical care depth: mechanical ventilation, ABGs, noninvasive ventilation, rapid response and code coverage, plus ACLS, PALS or NRP when the unit serves children or newborns. Below are the keywords that recur, a sample summary, skills grouped by type, and example bullets across seniority levels.
Updated 14 November 2026. Keyword research current as of November 2026, sourced from public ATS keyword guides, not Weydr's own usage data.
Respiratory Therapist keywords that repeat in job postings
- Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT)
- State RT License
- Mechanical Ventilation
- Arterial Blood Gases (ABG)
- BiPAP / CPAP
- ACLS
- PALS / NRP
- Airway Management
- Critical Care / ICU
Only include the ones that are true for you. A keyword you can't back up in an interview costs more than it gains.
Sample professional summary
Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) with 5 years in adult ICU and emergency care, licensed in the state and certified in BLS and ACLS. Manages invasive and noninvasive ventilation, draws and analyzes ABGs, and responds to rapid responses and codes. Follows ventilator weaning protocols with the ICU team and documents in Epic.
Illustrative example. Swap in your own years, domain, tools and results.
Skills to list on a respiratory therapist resume
Hard skills
- Ventilator setup, management and weaning
- Noninvasive ventilation (BiPAP, CPAP)
- ABG sampling and interpretation
- Airway management and intubation assist
- Aerosol and bronchodilator therapy
- Pulmonary function testing
- Patient transport on ventilators
Soft skills
- Composure during codes
- Clear handoffs to nurses and physicians
- Patient and family education
- Prioritizing across a full assignment
- Following protocols precisely
Tools
- Hamilton ventilators
- Servo ventilators
- Puritan Bennett ventilators
- Blood gas analyzers
- Epic
- High-flow nasal cannula systems
A tailored bullet, before and after
Took care of ventilator patients in the ICU.
Managed ventilators for up to 8 adult ICU patients per shift, running spontaneous breathing trials under the weaning protocol and adjusting settings from ABG results with the intensivist.
Example resume bullets by seniority
Illustrative examples: the companies, numbers and outcomes are made up to show the structure (action, scope, tool, result). Use your own real figures.
Entry level
- Delivered aerosol treatments and oxygen therapy across 3 medical-surgical floors, documenting assessments and responses in Epic.
- Responded to rapid response calls and codes as the second therapist, managing bag-mask ventilation and setting up equipment for intubation.
Mid level
- Covered a 20-bed adult ICU, managing invasive and noninvasive ventilation and drawing and running ABGs on the blood gas analyzer.
- Transported ventilated patients to CT and interventional radiology, keeping settings stable during transfers.
Senior
- Served as shift lead for an 11-therapist department, assigning coverage across ICU, ED and floors and handling equipment issues.
- Helped revise the ventilator weaning protocol with critical care physicians and trained staff therapists on the new process.
Gaps candidates miss most
- The NBRC credential (RRT or CRT) and state license, written in full and as acronyms
- Life support certifications by name, such as ACLS, PALS and NRP
- The patient populations and units you cover, including neonatal or pediatric intensive care
Common respiratory therapist resume mistakes
- Listing "ventilators" with no detail on modes, weaning or patient count.
- Leaving out ABG skills, which critical care postings often name.
- Not stating whether you are an RRT or a CRT working toward the RRT.
- Skipping code and rapid response coverage, a core part of hospital RT work.
- Letting ACLS or PALS lapse and still listing them as current.
Before you stuff in keywords
- Does ATS really reject 75% of résumés?: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How to tailor your résumé to a job description: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- What an ATS résumé checker can and can't tell you: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- Tailoring a résumé to a job description: a worked example: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How to explain an employment gap on your résumé: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How to write a cover letter for a specific job: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- Résumé summary examples, and how to write your own: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How long should a résumé be?: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How to write a career change résumé: what the research says about ATS filtering.
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