A method for ventilating a patient with a ventilator includes consecutively delivering a plurality of substantially equal volume amounts into a closed ventilator circuit during a ventilator self-test, receiving a pressure measurement for each volume delivery, calculating a change in pressure for each volume delivery, consecutively releasing a plurality of substantially equal volume amounts from the closed ventilator circuit during the ventilator self-test, calculating a change in pressure for each volume release, fitting the calculated change in pressure data for volume delivery and volume release to an inhalation non-linear model equation and an exhalation non-linear model equation, respectively, deriving one or more inhalation tubing compliance compensation coefficients from the inhalation non-linear model equation, and deriving one or more exhalation tubing compliance compensation coefficients from the exhalation non-linear model equation.