Skip to content

Therapy & rehab

Registered Respiratory Therapist per Diem III

UNM Health logoUNM HealthAlbuquerque, NMPosted 2d agoStill open, checked every night

How this pay compares

This posting does not state an hourly rate. Respiratory therapists employed in New Mexico earn a median of $33.11 an hour (source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025) (source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics).

Respiratory therapists in New Mexico: pay by town and employer

The Physical, Occupational, Speech & Respiratory Therapy job market: pay, applicant demand and hiring, researched nightly

Medicare rating of UNM Hospital

Medicare gives UNM Hospital 2 of 5 stars (Jul 2026; New Mexico's hospitals average 2.5). 74% of its patients said their nurses always communicated well (the middle US hospital: 79%). Medicare cut its pay for patient harm in fiscal 2026. Its central line bloodstream infections ran 47% below predicted by Medicare's measure. Patients' ratings of their care, not employees' of the job. Its other hospitals · New Mexico hospitals by rating.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Medicare lists UNM Hospital as a government hospital: the kind of employer PSLF counts (a government organization or a 501(c)(3) non-profit) for its own full-time staff, toward forgiveness of federal Direct Loans after 120 qualifying payments. The federal PSLF Help Tool confirms an employer by the EIN on your W-2. Every PSLF-eligible hospital hiring.

What New Mexico requires of a respiratory therapist

Respiratory care practitioner license, from the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department (Respiratory Care Advisory Board).

  • Completion of a CoARC-accredited respiratory care program and proof of passing the NBRC RRT exam with a current RRT credential; a CRT is accepted only if the person was licensed in a U.S. jurisdiction before January 1, 2018 (16.23.3.9 NMAC).
  • Staying active: Licenses are renewed on a September 30 cycle; the most recent deadline stated on the RLD FAQ was September 30, 2025.

Respiratory therapist jobs and requirements in New Mexico · Every state's rule

Physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapy jobs in our research

  • How long these jobs stay listed: Still listed at 7 days 87.1%
  • Applicant demand per open job on this site (1.00x is the average job): Index 0.21x · Clicks 25
  • How often these jobs state their pay: Jobs stating any pay 52.9% · Stating an hourly rate 32.3%

From every open job we read and every apply click on this site, as of 11 Nov 2026. Every figure for Physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapy jobs

About the job

Receive 17% Weekday Nights, 26% Weekend Nights and 15% Weekend Day shift differentials

Compensation Disclaimer

Compensation for this role is based on a number of factors, including but not limited to experience, education, and other business and organizational considerations.

Department: Pulmonary Services

FTE: 0.05

PRN

Shift: Nights

Position Summary

Provide clinical respiratory care. Access, evaluate and recommend intervention to obtain specific patient outcomes. Assemble, operate and troubleshoot various types of respiratory equipment used in diagnosis and treatment of respiratory disease, disability, impairment and illness. Minimum work requirement for Per Diem III is ten shifts per schedule. Two weekend shift per schedule and one summer and one winter holiday are required. This position does not qualify for out of area float pay. Ensure adherence to Hospital and Departmental Policies, Procedures and guidelines. Patient care assignment may include; Neonate, Pediatric, Adolescent, Adult and Geriatric age groups.

Detailed responsibilities

  • PATIENT SAFETY 1 - Follow patient safety-related policies, procedures and protocols
  • PATIENT SAFETY 2 - Demonstrate proactive approach to patient safety by seeking opportunities to improve patient safety through questioning of current policies and processes
  • PATIENT SAFETY 3 - Identify and report/correct environmental conditions and/or situations that may put a patient at undue risk
  • PATIENT SAFETY 4 - Report potential or actual patient safety concerns, medical errors and/or near misses in a timely manner
  • PATIENT SAFETY 5 - Encourage patients to actively participate in their own care by asking questions and reporting treatment or situations that they don't understand or may "not seem right"
  • PARTICIPATE - Participate in Hospitals cardiopulmonary resuscitation team. Provide airway maintenance, manual resuscitation and chest compression during Dr Heart codes. Assist with endotracheal tube insertion, stabilization and continued ventilatory support
  • PERFORM - Perform arterial puncture for blood gas analysis. Run blood gas sample for analysis. Interpret arterial blood gas and electrolyte results
  • PATIENT CARE - Provide patients education and consultation on disease management
  • ADMINISTER - Access patient, administer and evaluate appropriate respiratory therapy, including aerosolized medication delivery, chest physiotherapy, intermittent positive pressure breathing, oxygen supplementation, pulmonary hygiene, artificial airway care, tracheostomy care including patient education, incentive spirometry, non-invasive and invasive procedures
  • PERFORM - Perform simple bedside pulmonary function tests on intubated and non-intubated patients. Make recommendations for therapy and ventilator support
  • PERFORM - Perform oximetry for arterial oxygen saturation evaluation. Setup, evaluate and monitor ETCO2 and sleep study monitoring
  • INITIATE - Receive and initiate physician's orders for respiratory care, including verbal orders under Hospitals policy
  • PROVIDE - Provide patient clinical assessment; evaluate patient criteria for appropriateness of, and compliance with, therapeutic objectives
  • ADMINISTER - Administer and monitor medical gases and environmental control systems including oxygen, compressed air, heliox, nitrogen, and nitric oxide; participate in medical gas failure emergencies and planned outages
  • ADMINISTER - Administers aerosolized pharmacological agents, calculate dosages for continuous aerosolized therapy. Transition patients from aerosol delivery to MDIs according to department guidelines
  • ASSIST - Assist healthcare team managing patients on mechanical ventilators, monitor patients requiring mechanical life support. Follow weaning guidelines/protocols to ensure appropriate duration of mechanical ventilation
  • CUSTOMER SERVICE - Ensure customer and patient satisfaction using scripting procedure
  • PERFORM - Perform as a resource for certified respiratory therapy technicians and respiratory therapy assistants
  • RECOMMEND - Recommend appropriate mode of ventilatory support to physicians. Participate with critical care team on patient rounds and teaching
  • PARTICIPATE - Participate with Hospitals trauma team. Respond to trauma pages. Assist with intubation, airway management and ventilator support. Assist with internal transport of ventilator and patient
  • PARTICIPATE - Participate with Hospitals high-risk labor and delivery team. Respond to high-risk delivery pages and provide airway management, assist with intubation and stabilization of the endotracheal tube, administer surfactant if ordered by physician, provide ventilator support
  • PROVIDE - Provide recommendations for therapy and appropriate ventilation based on lab results
  • ASSIST - Assist facility maintenance, maintain equipment, label and route malfunctioning equipment to appropriate location
  • PATIENT CARE - Collaborate with healthcare team to implement and document in individual plan of care with age specific considerations. Include discharge plan and patient/family teaching

Qualifications

Education:

Essential

  • Associate Degree

Education specialization:

Essential

  • Related Discipline

Experience:

Essential:

Hospital respiratory therapy equipment - ability to operate Respiratory care therapy, applications and side effects comprehensive knowledge

Nonessential:

Bilingual English, Spanish, Keres, Tewa, Tiwa, Towa, Zuni, or Navajo 3 years directly related experience

Credentials:

Essential

  • CPR for Healthcare/BLS Prov or Prof Rescuers w/in 30 days
  • Advanced Cardiac Life Support Certification w/in 1 year
  • Respiratory Care Practitioner in NM
  • Registered Respiratory Therapist

Physical Conditions:

Heavy Work: Exerting 50 to 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 25 to 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or 10 to 20 pounds of force constantly to move objects or people. Physical Demand requirements are in excess of those for Medium Work.

Working conditions:

Essential

  • Med Haz: Mod exposure to chemicals/dangerous equip/materials
  • May perform subordinate tasks in high census/vol
  • May be required or is required to perform on-call duties
  • May work rotating shifts, holidays and weekends
  • Tuberculosis testing is completed upon hire and additionally as required

From UNM Health's job posting, checked 12 Nov 2026. The employer's own page is the final word on requirements and availability.

Selected agencies hiring now

All agencies and apps →
  • AHS Staffing logo

    AHS StaffingTravel nursing agency

    Places travel and local contract nurses and allied professionals.

    Places: Nurses, CNAs & PCTs, Therapy & rehab, Mental health

  • HealthTrust Workforce Solutions logo

    HealthTrust Workforce SolutionsPer diem shift app

    HCA Healthcare's staffing arm, placing nurses, techs and CNAs in per diem and travel shifts at HCA hospitals.

    Places: Nurses, CNAs & PCTs, Surgical, EMS

These agencies and apps pay CareJobs.Now a referral fee when someone we introduce is placed or signs up. It costs you nothing and never changes your pay. Hospital and clinic jobs below keep their own order.

Sponsored

Sponsored jobs from job networks, which pay CareJobs.Now when you click one.

Free tools for this application: check your resume against this job, answer the application's questions or see every free tool.

New physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapy jobs in New Mexico, by email

One email a week with the newest ones, straight from the employers' own careers sites, with the pay each posting states. Free, stop anytime.

About UNM Health

UNM Health hires nurses, pharmacy staff and advanced practice providers in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Hires in New MexicoPay on its listings: 4.3% of its open jobs state an hourly rate

More open jobs at UNM Health

More physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapy jobs

A licensed therapist?

One profile for every employer here. Hospitals, clinics and care companies ask us for people with a specific license, specialty, language or schedule: add yours once, and when a job fits, we introduce you, only with your yes. Free.

Create my profile

UNM Health openings, sent to you weekly

Each week we send the newest postings from UNM Health's own careers site, along with similar openings at other hospitals and care employers. It costs nothing and you can stop anytime.