Job Description:
Respiratory therapists deliver respiratory care therapeutic treatments to patients who have breathing or other cardiopulmonary disorders. They are also responsible for evaluating their patients. This includes performing diagnostic tests and conducting limited physical examinations. A respiratory therapist works under a physician's supervision.
Employment Facts:
Respiratory therapists held about 106,000 jobs in 2008. Eighty-one percent of all respiratory therapists worked in respiratory care, anesthesiology or pulmonary medicine departments of hospitals. Others worked in physicians' or other health care practitioners' offices and in nursing care facilities or for consumer goods rental firms that supply respiratory equipment for home use.
Educational Requirements:
One must have, at least, an associate degree to work as a respiratory therapist, but most programs that train people to work in this field offer bachelor's degrees as well. Respiratory therapy programs can be found at colleges, medical schools, vocational schools, and in the Armed Forces. Master's degrees are also offered in this field. Respiratory therapy students will take many science-oriented courses including human anatomy and physiology, physics and microbiology. They will also learn about therapeutic and diagnostic procedures, patient assessment and medical recordkeeping and reimbursement.
Other Requirements:
To work as a respiratory therapist in the U.S. (except in Alaska and Hawaii) one must pass the Certified Respiratory Therapist Exam (CRT) which is administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care. Graduates of programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs or the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care can take the exam.
Respiratory therapists must be able to:
- pay attention to detail
- work on a team
- follow instructions
- use a computer
Advancement Opportunities:
As a respiratory therapist in a clinical setting gains experience he or she can move from providing general care to caring for critically ill patients. Those with advanced degrees may become supervisors. Those in health care agencies may become branch managers. Some respiratory therapists eventually teach.
Job Outlook:
Employment of respiratory therapists is expected to increase much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2018.
Earnings:
Respiratory therapists earned a median annual salary of $53,330 in 2009.
Use the Salary Wizard at Salary.com to find out how much respiratory therapists currently earn in your city.
A Day in a Respiratory Therapist's Life:
On a typical day a respiratory therapist will:
- treat all types of patients including infants and the elderly;
- consult with physicians and other healthcare staff to help develop and modify individual patient care plans;
- provide complex therapy requiring a great deal of independent judgment, e.g. caring for patients who are on life support in hospital intensive care units;
- evaluate patients by performing limited physical examinations and conducting diagnostic tests including those that measure lung capacity tests and acidity and alkalinity of the blood;
- treat patients by using oxygen or oxygen mixtures, chest physiotherapy, and aerosol medications;
- connect patients who cannot breathe on their own to ventilators that deliver pressurized oxygen into the lungs;
- perform regular checks on patients and equipment;
- supervise respiratory therapy technicians;
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Respiratory Therapists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos084.htm (visited December 6, 2010).
Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET Online, Respiratory Therapists, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/details/29-1126.00 (visited December 6, 2010).
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