The Career And Training Options Of A Respiratory Therapist - Learn About Respiratory Therapy Schools, Programs And Certification
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A respiratory therapist is a professional who takes care of and evaluates patients with cardiopulmonary problems.
Respiratory Therapist Job Description
They are responsible for all diagnostic procedures and treatments given to their patients, and they are also in charge of supervising any respiratory tech that works under them.
They will interview patients and their families to get a full history, do physical exams, and perform breathing tests to see how much oxygen and different gases as well as pH or acidity exist in the patient's blood stream. Lung capacity can be tested using simple breathing tests, such as breathing into a tube that will calculate the amount of oxygen is flowing with each breath.
They also need to be skilled in using a variety of methods to treat patients, ranging from administering oxygen mixtures, using medicine delivered in gas form or performing chest physiotherapy.
They also need to be able to connect patients to breathing machines by inserting a tube into the windpipe and then connecting them to the oxygen flow from a ventilator.
A respiratory therapy technician will have most of these responsibilities but will have less authority in creating treatment plans for patients and must answer to the respiratory therapist. Also since a respiratory therapist has additional responsibilities, their average salary will be about $52,000 a year compared to about $42,000 for a technician.
Training
To be successful as a respiratory therapist, you need to pursue as much education as possible, and you should consider taking certain recommended prerequisites in high school, like health, biology, physics and chemistry classes.
If you attend respiratory therapy schools, you can get a minimum of a 2 year associate's degree, but it will only get you an entry level position at best. It is better to take a respiratory therapy program that will lead to a 4 year bachelor's degree, and you also have many more accredited options.
The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) has accredited only 31 associate degree programs but 346 bachelor's and masters degree programs.
To become a respiratory therapist or respiratory therapy technician, you will need similar training, and both programs will incorporate studies in chemistry, physics, math, pharmacology, human anatomy and pathophysiology. Additionally, you will gain skills in diagnostic procedures, resuscitation, pulmonary rehabilitation and disease prevention.
Certification and Registration
It is mandatory to be certified to work in this field, meaning you need to pass a national exam given by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). Upon passing this exam, you will be a Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT), which is the most basic level of certification you can have and shows you have completed studies from an accredited program.
A Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) is a higher level of certification, since it not only means you have already achieved your CRT, but you have also passed 2 additional exams. An RRT is a credential that is necessary to work as a supervisor or in intensive care.
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