Respiratory Therapist Career Guide

Are you compassionate, understanding and empathetic? Does the thought of a career working with those who need your help truly excited you?

If yes, then look no further! We think you may thrive as a respiratory therapist. Respiratory therapists work under medical specialists to help prevent, diagnose, and treat conditions relating to the heart and lungs.

To become a respiratory therapists, you will need at least an associate’s degree, but many employers may prefer applicants who have a bachelor’s degree.

I am thankful to be an RT because of the invaluable skills learned to save lives. As a therapist, I was able to assist the most fragile patients in NICU survive and now I am blessed to see many of those patients as thriving young people in their various activities in middle school and high school. The blessing is watching growth occur in children that survived because of the RT profession.

Becky Byrd

Respiratory Therapist Career Ratings

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Job Profiles

Real-Life Respiratory Therapist Job Profiles

Below is a list of links to anonymous job profiles of REAL PEOPLE who have filled out our survey and offered to share their insights with our users about their job in the Respiratory Therapist field.

ID	Job Title	Gender	Age	Earnings	City & State	Date
33750	Respiratory Therapist	Female	31	$38,000	South point, OH	01/01/2010
33031	Registered Respiratory Therapist	Female	54	$55,000	Burlington, MA	01/01/2010

Overview

What a respiratory therapist does

Respiratory therapists work under other medical specialists to help prevent, diagnose, and treat conditions relating to the heart and lungs. They must have an understanding of the physiology and pathology of cardiopulmonary disorders, such as asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, and COPD. They may also work with premature babies to help develop their lungs.

Most respiratory therapists work in a hospital, but they also work in other environments such as laboratories, clinics, nursing homes, physician offices, and even visiting the homes of patients. However, regardless of where they work, the typical duties and responsibilities of a respiratory therapist include:

Interviewing and examining patients with breathing or cardiopulmonary disorders
Consulting with physicians to develop patient treatment plans
Performing diagnostic tests on patients, such as measuring their lung capacity
Treating patients by using a variety of methods, including chest physiotherapy and aerosol medications
Monitoring and recording their patients’ progress
Teaching patients how to take medications and use equipment, such as ventilators

Why they are needed

Respiratory therapists help to treat a host of conditions related to our lungs and breathing. They have always been crucial members of the healthcare service. However, their importance has never been more prominent than in the COVID-19 crisis. During the past year, respiratory therapists have used their unique skills to help patients recover from the gruelling side effects that COVID-19 has had on their respiratory system.

Pros and cons of a career as a respiratory therapist:

Pros:

Respiratory therapists have the opportunity to earn a high salary
Respiratory therapists get to help people every single day, which gives them excellent job satisfaction
Respiratory therapists have lots of advancement opportunities
They are in demand, which offers job security
Respiratory therapists have lots of variety in their day

Cons:

The educational commitment can be extensive
The workload can be demanding and the hours can be long
It can be a job with high levels of stress
Respiratory therapists are exposed to infectious diseases
Physical therapists need to constantly renew their license
They may have to work with difficult patients who are aggressive, stubborn or confrontational

Employability

Job market

The Bureau of labor statistics predicts that the employment of respiratory therapists is projected to grow 19 percent from 2018 to 2028, which is much faster than the average for all occupations.

This employment growth is expected because the growth in the middle-aged and older population will lead to an increased incidence of respiratory conditions such as pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other disorders that can permanently damage the lungs or restrict lung function. The aging population will in turn lead to an increased demand for respiratory therapy services and treatments, mostly in hospitals.

Advances in preventing and detecting disease, improved medications, and more sophisticated treatments will also increase the demand for respiratory therapists. Other conditions affecting the general population, such as respiratory problems due to smoking and air pollution, along with respiratory emergencies, will continue to create demand for respiratory therapists.

Career paths

Respiratory therapists will need at least an associate’s degree, but many employers may prefer applicants who have a bachelor’s degree. Educational programs are offered by colleges and universities, vocational–technical institutes, and the Armed Forces. Completion of a program that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care may be required for licensure.

These respiratory therapy programs typically include courses in human anatomy and physiology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, pharmacology, and math. Other courses deal with therapeutic and diagnostic procedures and tests, equipment, patient assessment, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In addition to coursework, programs have clinical components that allow students to gain supervised, practical experience in treating patients.

Example Job Titles for Respiratory Therapist

Below is a list of common job titles in the Respiratory Therapist field. Click the links below for more information about these job titles, or view the next section for actual real-life job profiles.

Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Respiratory Therapist

Benefits & Conditions

Income and benefits

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for respiratory therapists was $61,330 in 2019. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $44,850 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $86,980.

The top paying industry was hospitals, where the median annual salary was $61,670. This is followed by offices of physicians ($61,120) and then nursing care facilities ($59,260).

Autonomy and Flexibility

Respiratory therapists have a lot of control over the treatment they plan and how it is delivered. However, patients autonomy is a key part of best practice and therefore respiratory therapists must ensure that their patients remain in control of their decisions and always have the final say. Respiratory therapist also work in busy hospitals or other facilities and therefore may have less control over their schedule, limiting the career flexibility.

Locations and commute

According to Zippia, the best states to be a respiratory therapist, based on salary and total number of jobs, were:

Vermont, where the average annual salary is $61,883
Maine, where the average annual salary is $60,359
New York, where the average annual salary is $66,602
California, where the average annual salary is $74,097
North Dakota, where the average annual salary is $56,874

The worst states for respiratory therapists Arizona, Utah, Michigan, New Mexico and Iowa.

Work environment

82% of respiratory therapists in the United States worked for hospitals. 4% were employed by nursing care facilities and a further 2% by offices of physicians.

Respiratory therapists spend much of their time on their feet. They are vulnerable to injuries because they may need to lift or turn disabled patients. They will work very closely with other medical professionals, such as registered nurses, physicians or medical assistants.

Career Satisfaction

Common Matching Personality Types

Which personalities tend to succeed and thrive in Respiratory Therapist careers? Based on our research, there is a relatively strong positive correlation between the following personality types and Respiratory Therapist career satisfaction. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t many exceptions, of course, but if you fit into one of the following personality types then we suggest you give strong consideration to a career in Respiratory Therapist.

16 Types (Myers-Briggs)

ISFJ

Big Five (OCEAN)

Agreeableness

DISC

None

Enneagram

None

Holland Codes (RIASEC)

Personality types

Respiratory therapists need to be kind, compassionate and understanding. They are likely to have gentle, welcoming and warming personalities that will make their patients feel safe.

Accomplishment and mastery

Firstly, as respiratory therapists must continue to develop their skills throughout their career, they will have a high sense of accomplishment and mastery for as long as they continue to work. On top of this, respiratory therapists will help people to have a better quality of life. Each time they help one of their patients, respiratory therapists will feel a huge sense of accomplishment and mastery.

Meaning and contribution

Respiratory therapists have the hugely important job of helping those with respiratory issues. Their work has always been crucial in greatly improve the lives of their patients. However, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the work of a respiratory therapist has had more meaning and contribution than ever before.

Life fit

Most respiratory therapists will work normal full time hours. However, some respiratory therapists will work evenings and weekends to meet the needs of their patients.

Who will thrive in this career?

There are a few key qualities that respiratory therapists must have in order to thrive:

The desire to help others and improve their lives
The ability to communicate and empathize with lots of different people
The ability to be non-judgemental about people and their lifestyle choices
The ability to solve problems
A naturally gentle personality to make patients’ feel safe and trusted

Who will struggle in this career?

Those who are seeking a desk job that doesn’t involve interacting with lots of people are likely to struggle as a respiratory therapist. If you are not physically fit then you may struggle to keep up with the demands of job, which involves moving patients and standing up for a lot of the day. Finally, those who are not naturally gentle and compassionate are likely to struggle with the social and caring demands of the job.

Requirements

Skills

Skills and talents

As well as being able to endure standing up all day and lifting and moving patients, respiratory therapists all need to have skills such as:

Problem solving skills, as respiratory therapists will have to find solutions to their patients problems
Science and math skills, as respiratory therapists must understand anatomy, physiology and other sciences. They must also be able to calculate the right dose of a patients medicine
Patience, as working with illness and disease can be a slow and frustrating process
Compassion and empathy, as respiratory therapists need to be able to provide emotional support to patients
Communication skills, both written and verbal, as respiratory therapists will need to communicate with patients, their family and other healthcare providers. They must also keep written documents up to date
Time management skills, as respiratory therapists will treat several patients a day and must also be able to complete any administrative tasks

Education

Certifications

In all states except Alaska, respiratory therapists are required to be licensed. Licensure requirements vary by state. However, in most states they include passing a state or professional certification exam. For specific state requirements, contact the state’s health board.

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

How to Become

Summary

Respiratory therapists work under medical specialists to help prevent, diagnose, and treat conditions relating to the heart and lungs. They must have an understanding of the physiology and pathology of cardiopulmonary disorders, such as asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, and COPD.

Due to the aging population, the demand for respiratory therapists is expected to increase drastically. This creates lots of fun and exciting employment opportunities hospitals, laboratories, clinics, nursing homes, physician offices, and even the homes of patients

Immediate action

The best thing to do to kickstart any career is to gather some work experience. Related work experience could be working in a hospital or volunteering in a care home. To have the best chances of getting accepted onto degree programs, high school students interested in applying to respiratory therapy programs should take courses in health, biology, math, chemistry, and physics.

Education and learning

Skill development

In most states, continuing education is typically required for respiratory therapists to keep their license. Therefore, skill development is high and continuous throughout the entire career of a respiratory therapist.

FAQs

Ask a Question

Have a question about Respiratory Therapist careers? If so, our mentors would love to help! Just click on a mentor’s profile below and then fill out the “Ask a Question” form on that page. Your question will then be emailed to the mentor, who can then email you a reply.

ID	Job Title	Gender	Age	Earnings	City & State	Date
33750	Respiratory Therapist	Female	31	$38,000	South point, OH	01/01/2010
33031	Registered Respiratory Therapist	Female	54	$55,000	Burlington, MA	01/01/2010

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