How to Land a Top-Paying RRTs Job: Your Complete Guide to Opportunities, Resumes and Cover Letters, Interviews, Salaries, Promotions, What to Expect From Recruiters and More. Holloway Donna

such as asthma or emphysema. They also provide emergency care to patients suffering from heart attacks, stroke, drowning, or shock.

      Work Environment

      Most respiratory therapists work in hospitals. Others may work in nursing care facilities or travel to patients’ homes.

      How to Become a Respiratory Therapist

      Respiratory therapists need at least an associate’s degree, although both associate’s and bachelor’s degrees are common. Respiratory therapists are licensed in all states except Alaska; requirements vary by state.

      Pay

      The median annual wage of respiratory therapists was $54,280 in May 2010.

      Job Outlook

      Employment is expected to grow by 28 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations. Growth in the middle-aged and elderly population will lead to greater demand for respiratory therapy services and treatments, mostly in hospitals and nursing homes.

      Similar Occupations

      Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of respiratory therapists with similar occupations.

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      Contacts for More Information

      Learn more about respiratory therapists by contacting these additional resources.

      What Respiratory Therapists Do

      Respiratory therapists interview and examine patients with breathing or cardiopulmonary disorders.

      Respiratory therapists care for patients who have trouble breathing; for example, from a chronic respiratory disease, such as asthma or emphysema. Their patients range from premature infants with undeveloped lungs to elderly patients who have diseased lungs. They also provide emergency care to patients suffering from heart attacks, drowning, or shock.

      Duties

      Respiratory therapists typically do the following:

      Interview and examine patients with breathing or cardiopulmonary disorders

      Consult with physicians to develop patient treatment plans

      Perform diagnostic tests such as measuring lung capacity

      Treat patients, using a variety of methods, including chest physiotherapy and aerosol medications

      Monitor and record the progress of treatment

      Supervise respiratory therapy technicians during tests and evaluate the findings of the tests

      Teach patients how to use treatments

      Respiratory therapists use various tests to evaluate patients. For example, therapists test lung capacity by having patients breathe into an instrument that measures the volume and flow of oxygen when they inhale and exhale. Respiratory therapists may also take blood samples and use a blood gas analyzer to test the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels present.

      Respiratory therapists perform chest physiotherapy on patients to remove mucus from their lungs and make it easier for them to breathe. Removing mucus is necessary for patients suffering from lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, and involves the therapist vibrating the patient’s rib cage, often by tapping the patient’s chest and encouraging him or her to cough.

      Respiratory therapists may connect patients who cannot breathe on their own to ventilators to deliver oxygen to the lungs. Therapists insert a tube in the patient’s windpipe (trachea), and connect the tube to ventilator equipment. They set and monitor the equipment to ensure that the patient is receiving the correct amount of oxygen at the correct rate.

      Respiratory therapists who work in home care teach patients and their families to use ventilators and other life-support systems in their homes. During these visits, they may inspect and clean equipment, check the home for environmental hazards, and ensure that patients know how to use their medications. Therapists also make emergency home visits when necessary.

      In some hospitals, respiratory therapists are involved in related areas, such as counseling people on how to stop smoking and diagnosing breathing problems for people with sleep apnea.

      Work Environment

      Respiratory therapists treat patients in every age group.

      Respiratory therapists held about 112,700 jobs in 2010. Most respiratory therapists work in hospitals. Others may work in nursing care facilities or travel to patients’ homes. Respiratory therapists are on their feet for long periods and may need to lift or turn disabled patients.

      Like other healthcare workers, respiratory therapists may be exposed to infectious diseases.

      Work Schedules

      Most respiratory therapists work full time. Because they may work in medical facilities such as hospitals that are always open, some may work evening, night, or weekend hours.

      How to Become a Respiratory Therapist

      Respiratory therapists who work in home care teach patients and their families to use ventilators and other life-support systems in their homes.

      Respiratory therapists need an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Respiratory therapists are licensed in all states except Alaska; requirements vary by state.

      Education

      Respiratory therapists need at least an associate’s degree, but employers look favorably on applicants who have more education. Many colleges and universities, vocational-technical institutes, and the Armed Forces offer training. Most programs award an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.

      All programs have clinical components that allow therapists to earn course credit and gain supervised, practical experience treating patients.

      Respiratory therapy programs include courses in human anatomy and physiology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, pharmacology, and mathematics. Other courses deal with therapeutic and diagnostic procedures and tests, equipment, patient assessment, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

      High school students interested in applying to respiratory therapy programs should take courses in health, biology, mathematics, chemistry, and physics.

      Licenses

      Respiratory therapists are licensed in all states except Alaska, although requirements vary by state. Licensure requirements in most states include completing a state or professional certification exam. For specific state requirements, contact your state’s health board.

      Certification

      Many employers prefer to hire respiratory therapists who have certification. Certification is not always required, but it is widely respected throughout the occupation. Certification usually requires graduating from an accredited program and passing a certification exam and is often required in order to get a state license.

      The National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) is the main certifying body for respiratory therapists. The Board offers two levels of certification: the Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) and the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT).

      The first-level certification available from NBRC for respiratory therapists is the CRT certification. Applicants must have earned an associate’s degree from an accredited respiratory therapy program, or completed the equivalent coursework in a bachelor’s degree program, and pass an exam.

      The second-level certification available from NBRC is the RRT certification. Applicants must have a CRT certification, meet other education or