Could You Be an RT?
What Is a Respiratory Therapist?
A respiratory therapist (RT) is trained and skilled to assess, diagnose, and treat patients who have difficulty breathing. They work with people of all ages, from infants to the elderly, in conjunction with physicians and nurses to come up with treatment plans aimed at best helping restore as much natural breathing function as possible.
From initial interviewing and examining, to teaching patients how to administer treatments on their own, respiratory therapists are a critical component in helping people living with cardio-pulmonary disease and disorders. Respiratory therapists have a strong presence in critical care areas in the hospital including Intensive Care Units, Emergency Departments, Trauma Centers, Neonatal Intensive Care Units. RTs also work on helicopter and ground emergency transport.
A respiratory therapist is trained to care for people with lung diseases or disorders. Respiratory Therapists treat patients in pulmonary distress due to complications from asthma, bronchitis, COPD, pneumonia, chest trauma, lung cancer, and more. RTs are specialists in high tech equipment such as mechanical ventilators, high flow oxygen machines and BIPAP/CPAP machines. Respiratory therapists are in high demand, with industry growth projected to be at least 23 percent over the next decade according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Respiratory Therapists work in a variety of health care centers including Trauma Centers, Emergency Departments, Critical Care Units, Pulmonary Function Labs, Sleep Labs and Home Care.
Respiratory Therapist Job Duties
Here is a list of tasks that Respiratory Therapists do every day.
- 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, high flow oxygen, aerosol generators, nitric oxide gas inhalation therapy, and BiPAP/CPAP machines
- 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
- Perform arterial blood gas punctures and analyze results
- Are first line responders to emergency situations such as cardiac arrest and code blue situations performing manual ventilation and assist/perform intubations on patients
How Much Do Respiratory Therapists Make?
According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) in the United States in 2021 is: $62,810. With that said, on average, most Respiratory Therapists earn between $54,000 and $75,000. View Source »
Ideal Skills for a Respiratory Therapist
Like most jobs in the healthcare profession, respiratory therapists need to have a unique skill set that allows them to multitask while remaining hyper-focused on the needs and conditions of their patients. All respiratory therapists should have the following skills:
- Verbal communication skills
- Calm bedside manner
- Compassion
- Deep understanding of infectious control
- Ability to work with a medical team
- Good judgment and quick decision-making ability
- Time management skills
- Physiological knowledge
- Patience and ability to teach and train patients
- Detail oriented
- Science and math skills
BSRT degree Completion Curriculum
Faculty for the Four-year BSRT program:
- Program Director: Wendy Guzenski, BSN, RN, RRT
- Clinical Director: Jonelle Vinton, BSRRT, RTNPS
- Medical Director: Dr. James Martino, M.D.
- Clinical Instructor: Kristin Chacko RRT, RRT-ACCS, RRT-NPS, RPFT
- Clinical Instructor: Melissa Durkin RRT, RRT-ACCS
- Clinical Instructor: Paul Wascavage, RRT
Four-year BSRT Degree
View Overview, Requirements, and Curriculum >
- New students in the respiratory therapy program begin their studies by taking foundation courses, then enter into the clinical phase of the undergraduate program. Marywood has a state-of-the-art Respiratory Therapy Lab that prepares students for their clinical rotations. This lab includes numerous mechanical ventilator models, and interactive patient simulators that allow students to practice assessments and blood gas draws to gain proficiency.
- When students graduate our program, they will have the skills to help patients with oxygen needs and medications. They will be able to set up ventilation machines and have knowledge of the latest respiratory therapies and be an essential part of a health care team.
Online Degree Completion: R.R.T. to B.S.R.T.
View Overview, Requirements, and Curriculum >
- The R.R.T. to B.S.R.T .Degree Advancement Program (DAP) offers a relevant and challenging program that will impact graduates and the patients whom they treat. Degree advancement students earn a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy.
- This program is 100% online and perfect for the busy working professional. It offers flexibility without compromising quality. This program provides the working respiratory therapist additional knowledge, skills, and attributes in leadership, management, education, research, or advanced clinical practice both to meet their current professional goals and to prepare them for practice as advanced degree respiratory therapist
- Students choose their own pace to complete the degree and can complete the online course work while employed in their full-time position
Career Outlook
Employment of respiratory therapists has been projected to grow 23 percent between 2016 and 2026—much faster than the average for all occupations.
Career Settings
Respiratory therapists provide the hands-on care that helps people recover from a wide range of medical conditions. Therapists get to know their patients, and their patients’ families, and have the opportunity to help them through trying times. Whenever breathing is an issue, they are there.
- In hospitals, giving breathing treatments to people with asthma and other respiratory conditions.
- In intensive care units, managing ventilators that keep the critically ill alive.
- In emergency rooms, delivering life-saving treatments.
- In newborn and pediatric units, helping kids with conditions ranging from premature birth to cystic fibrosis.
- In operating rooms, working with anesthesiologists to monitor patients’ breathing during surgery.
- In patients’ homes, providing regular check-ups and making sure people have what they need to stay out of the hospital.
- In sleep laboratories, helping to diagnose disorders like sleep apnea.
- In skilled nursing facilities and pulmonary rehabilitation programs, helping older people breathe easier and get more out of life.
- In doctors’ offices, conducting pulmonary function tests and providing patient education.
- In asthma education programs, helping kids and adults alike learn how to cope with the condition.
- In smoking cessation programs, assisting those who want to kick the habit for good.
- In air transport and ambulance programs, rushing to rescue people in need of immediate medical attention.
- In case management programs, helping devise long-term care plans for patients.
Program Goal
To prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs). To prepare leaders for the field of respiratory care by including curricular content that includes objectives related to acquisition of skills in one or more of the following: management, education, research, advanced clinical practice (which may include an area of clinical specialization).