Norton Healthcare’s Respiratory Therapy Apprentice Program is the first hospital-based respiratory therapy apprentice program in Greater Louisville, with opportunities available in Kentucky and Indiana.

The program is a three-tiered, 18- to 24-month paid program designed as a pathway for students to obtain shadowing and hands-on experience while earning their degree. The program does not replace the need for an accredited college or university respiratory program.

Tier I: Respiratory Explorer

• Discover: A paid shadowing opportunity covering a variety of respiratory care areas
• 32 hours of observation with 12 of those hours at Norton Children’s Hospital
• Allows exposure to different respiratory patient populations to align with clinical immersion as apprentice (Tier II)

Requirement: Must be actively enrolled in a college program completing respiratory therapy prerequisites

Tier II: Respiratory Apprentice

• Culture: Gaining limited hands-on experience at a Norton Healthcare location
• Training on electrocardiogram, medical gas management and transport assistance
• Helping support the department as a whole and being immersed in the culture at the facility level
• Working a minimum of 20 hours per month

Requirements: Must have completed the explorer rotations and education requirements and be actively pursuing enrollment into a respiratory therapy program

Tier III: Student Practitioner

• Confidence: Students will work semiautonomously within the scope allowed by their student respiratory therapist license issued by the Kentucky Board of Respiratory Care or the Indiana Respiratory Care Board.
• Students will focus primarily on respiratory therapy skills and functions, as well as time management and patient-facing experience to transition into a licensed therapist after graduation.
• Student practitioners work 36 hours every six weeks, with 12 hours being on a weekend.

Requirement: Respiratory Therapist Student License (Kentucky or Indiana)

How to Apply

Apprentices start in either a summer or fall cohort. The application period for the summer 2026 cohort will be Monday, March 16, through Friday, April 17. Résumé or work and education history are required for application.

Students who are selected are required to submit immunization records and complete a preemployment screening.

For questions or additional information, email [email protected].