Registered Respiratory Therapist 

(Female, Age 54) from Burlington, MA

This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 54 who works as a Registered Respiratory Therapist in Burlington, MA. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.

At a Glance

Current Job

Basic data on your current job

Job Title Registered Respiratory Therapist
Salary $55,000
Other Compensation None Set
Hours/Week
Company Size (not answered)
Location Burlington, MA
Years Experience 26 years

Career Ratings

Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)

Years in Career 0
Education (not answered)
Income Rating 0 / 10
Interest Rating 0 / 10
Work-Life Rating 0 / 10
Fulfilment Rating 0 / 10

Current job Q&A

Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work for a hospital-wea re now actually 3 hospitals and ~25 medical centers-we are now callled an Alliance

Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I provide education and treatment to patients with Empysema and Asthma. Also we maintain life-support systems and draw blood evaluate lung function

Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
vacation, sick and holidays, 403B -dental insurance. Health care thru hubby

Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
very satisfied with compensation

Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I work with other professionals and patients all day. I love being able to educate patients and their family.

Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes

Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes

Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Hospital based

Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 8
Benefits: 6
Hours: 4
Co-Workers: 7
Supervisors: 5
Job Title: 2
Level of Responsibility: 3
The Actual Work: 1

A day in the life of…

Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:

5am to 6am
6am to 7am
7am to 8am Arrive at work and get report from night shift. Get ready to do patient treatments
8am to 9am seeing and treating patients
9am to 10am seeing and treating patients
10am to 11am Interdisciplinary rounds–meet with other departments and physicians to discuss patient plan of care
11am to 12pm seeing and treating patients
12pm to 1pm lunch
1pm to 2pm Finish writing notes in patient charts
2pm to 3pm finishing up —- shift ends at 3:00 At any given time during the day we are expected to cover any and all calls to the emergency room, recovery room, Icu and/or any floor that calls. Also any patients sent to the department from a physicain’s office
3pm to 4pm
4pm to 5pm
5pm to 6pm
6pm to 7pm
7pm to 8pm
8pm to 9pm
9pm to 10pm
10pm to 11pm
11pm to 12am

Table of Contents

How you got your job

How did you get your current job?
was in a different position and went back to school to learn this

What was the application process?
resume and transfer

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
somewhat of an interview. i was already employed by the hospital and went back to school for this

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
not sure

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
yes

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
yes – 2 years of school with and Associates in Science

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
yes

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
yes

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Go to a hospital and talk to a Respiratory therapist-possibly shadow them for a day. Read about what we actually do and observe. it is not for everyone.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Very good people skills – education is 2 years with a state lisence.

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
For sure

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Do it for the job not always for the money. Love what you do

Long-term career plans

Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
yes – I am hoping to retire in the next few years

What are your current career goals?
none Just to stay where I am and finish my time

Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
It is a wonderful field There is a lot to learn but so worth it

Educational background

Please list your educational background:

High School GPA:

GPA School Degree
College (Undergraduate)
or Technical/Vocational
3.25 north shore community college Assoc in science
Graduate or Professional
(Masters or Doctorate)

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