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Respiratory Therapists
Assess, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders. Assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care modalities, including the supervision of respiratory therapy technicians. Initiate and conduct therapeutic procedures; maintain patient records; and select, assemble, check, and operate equipment.
Other titles employers use
Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Respiratory Therapist · Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) · Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) · Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP) · Respiratory Therapist (RT) · Staff Respiratory Therapist · Staff Therapist · CRT
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
- Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur.
- Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.
- Work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals to manage patient care by assisting with medical procedures or related duties.
- Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information.
- Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical, helping and analytical work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Analytical
- Investigating questions, testing ideas, and solving problems
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
Subjects to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- Medicine and Dentistry
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Psychology
Useful strengths
- Oral Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
- Inductive Reasoning
- Oral Comprehension
- Deductive Reasoning
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 4.7 | Arm’s length or closer, most of the day |
| On your feet | 4.0 | Up and down through the day |
| Talking face to face | 4.9 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 4.0 | Handling tools, instruments or materials |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for an associate degree. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A two-year degree 83%
- A four-year degree 12%
- A certificate or some college 5%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Medical software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Electronic mail software
- Presentation software
- Word processing software
- Data base user interface and query software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 18,600
- Job openings each year
- 1,150
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 20.0%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 18,600 | 1,150 | 20.0% |
| Texas | 14,280 | 910 | 24.0% |
| Florida | 10,650 | 660 | 21.2% |
| New York | 8,940 | 180 | 25.7% |
| Ohio | 6,380 | 360 | 10.0% |
| Illinois | 5,930 | 330 | 9.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 5,790 | 330 | 12.2% |
| Georgia | 5,260 | 340 | 25.5% |
| North Carolina | 5,260 | 340 | 26.4% |
| Michigan | 5,240 | 290 | 9.4% |
| Arizona | 4,210 | 280 | 31.2% |
| Missouri | 3,740 | 230 | 20.3% |
| Kentucky | 3,730 | 220 | 14.1% |
| New Jersey | 3,720 | 220 | 12.7% |
| Tennessee | 3,670 | 230 | 21.1% |
| Indiana | 3,640 | 210 | 12.0% |
| Alabama | 3,030 | 180 | 14.8% |
| Louisiana | 2,880 | 170 | 16.6% |
| Virginia | 2,830 | 150 | 7.6% |
| Oklahoma | 2,630 | 150 | 11.4% |
| Washington | 2,450 | 180 | 15.0% |
| Colorado | 2,350 | 150 | 28.4% |
| Wisconsin | 2,160 | 130 | 14.9% |
| Nevada | 1,950 | 130 | 30.0% |
| South Carolina | 1,910 | 110 | 12.4% |
| Maryland | 1,820 | 110 | 11.7% |
| Arkansas | 1,790 | 110 | 16.2% |
| Mississippi | 1,780 | 100 | 14.1% |
| Oregon | 1,750 | 110 | 19.0% |
| Connecticut | 1,660 | 100 | 18.6% |
| Utah | 1,610 | 110 | 33.1% |
| Kansas | 1,500 | 90 | 12.8% |
| West Virginia | 1,400 | 80 | 15.7% |
| Minnesota | 1,380 | 80 | 14.0% |
| Iowa | 1,160 | 70 | 16.0% |
| Nebraska | 1,050 | 60 | 7.1% |
| Idaho | 1,010 | 70 | 29.5% |
| Massachusetts | 1,000 | 60 | 16.3% |
| New Mexico | 870 | 50 | 22.5% |
| Puerto Rico | 780 | 50 | 25.8% |
| Maine | 560 | 30 | 9.8% |
| Delaware | 500 | 30 | 25.0% |
| Rhode Island | 480 | 30 | 14.3% |
| Montana | 450 | 30 | 21.6% |
| New Hampshire | 450 | 30 | 12.5% |
| South Dakota | 440 | 30 | 25.7% |
| District of Columbia | 410 | 20 | 13.9% |
| North Dakota | 400 | 30 | 21.2% |
| Alaska | 210 | 10 | 10.5% |
| Vermont | 210 | 10 | 16.7% |
| Wyoming | 210 | 10 | 23.5% |
| Virgin Islands | 20 | 0 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Boise State University
- Degrees each year
- 272
- Admit rate
- 84%
- Annual cost after aid
- $21,000
Midwestern State University
- Degrees each year
- 218
- Admit rate
- 87%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
Oregon Institute of Technology
- Degrees each year
- 168
- Admit rate
- 92%
- Annual cost after aid
- $14,000
University of Missouri-Columbia
- Degrees each year
- 93
- Admit rate
- 77%
- Annual cost after aid
- $14,000
Ohio State University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 87
- Admit rate
- 51%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
Sacred Heart University
- Degrees each year
- 86
- Admit rate
- 68%
- Annual cost after aid
- $42,000
Georgia Southern University
- Degrees each year
- 84
- Admit rate
- 90%
- Annual cost after aid
- $15,000
MCPHS University
- Degrees each year
- 76
- Admit rate
- 85%
- Annual cost after aid
- $38,000
Compare every college offering allied health diagnostic, intervention, and treatment professions