Is Respiratory Care for me?

Career Decision:
Respiratory Therapist / Therapy

A decision to become a respiratory therapist should be made only after a very personal commitment is made to become a health care professional with direct patient contact. This decision should not be made lightly because it requires assuming the responsibility of caring for patients who are seriously ill.

A career as a respiratory therapist provides exciting and intellectually challenging work with sophisticated lifesupport systems. Respiratory therapists are important members of the health care team, working with medical direction from pulmonologists and physicians specialized in trauma resuscitation, emergency and critical care, and pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation. Respiratory care practitioners typically feel a strong sense of accomplishment and know that their work is important.

Registered Respiratory Therapists (RRTs) have a welldefined scope of practice and have been identified by the Medical Board of the National Academy of Sciences as Type B Physician Assistants. Type B Physician Assistants are expected to have more knowledge about their medical specialty than the average physician who is not board certified in that area. Accordingly, RRTs are expected to make recommendations on the respiratory care of patients with pulmonary disorders. This level of interaction with physicians and other members of the health care team can be very rewarding.

RRTs are considered to be authorities on the operation of lifesupport equipment used in critical care areas such as trauma centers and intensive care units. Interfacing mechanical ventilators to critically ill patients in respiratory failure, in order to provide life support, places great intellectual demands on the respiratory therapist. Accordingly, respiratory care professionals have high standards, with specialty board examinations provided by the National Board for Respiratory Care and licensure of respiratory care practitioners by 33 states in the USA. Career opportunities abound for both men and women as staff therapists or managers in critical care, rehabilitation, and education, or as technical specialists for hightech equipment companies.

Earning Potential:Although the salary depends on the employer and location, the salary range for respiratory therapists just out of school is approximately $26,000-$30,000 per year. In Minnesota the midrange staff salary is $33,400. Reimbursement increases with years of experience, additional  skills and/or education.

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