Respiratory Therapist Job Description Information

Respiratory therapists are specialists that are trained to use techniques and equipment to help patients continue breathing. There are approximately 102,000 respiratory therapists currently working in the United States (as of 2009). The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the number of respiratory therapy jobs will grow by 19 percent over the next seven years.

 

Responsibilities

• Respiratory therapists administer medications that help patients breathe, connect patients to ventilators (by placing a tube in the throat), examine patients and perform tests to determine changes in patients' ability to breathe.

Education/Training

• A respiratory therapist is typically required to have a degree from an accredited respiratory therapy program (associate's or higher) and a Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) or a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) license (see Resources).

Salary

• The annual salary of a respiratory therapist, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is typically between $35,000 and $65,000 (see Resources).

Career Development

• A respiratory therapist with a bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree in respiratory therapy may become a supervisor, a branch/department manager or a respiratory therapy professor (typically with a doctorate degree).

Work Locations

• Respiratory therapists may work in ambulances, clinics, medical helicopters, hospitals, the homes of individuals with breathing problems and any other location in which an individual may be treated for a breathing problem.

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Respiratory Therapist Salary Information

Respiratory therapists work under the direction of physicians to evaluate and treat patients with breathing and other cardiopulmonary disorders. With the help of respiratory therapy technicians, they take primary responsibility for overseeing a number of treatments in a variety of patients, including infants, the elderly, those with chronic conditions and emergency patients. Respiratory therapists are required to have at least an associate degree and license to practice in every state except Alaska and Hawaii.

 

Average Salary

• Salary.com reports that in 2009, respiratory therapists in the United States earn a median annual income of $56,217. The middle 50 percent of respiratory therapists earn between $52,216 and $60,756 each year. Only the bottom 10 percent of respiratory therapists earn less than $48,574, while the top 10 percent earn more than $64,889 a year.

Benefits

• Respiratory therapists also earn substantial benefits, which Salary.com reports on as well. The median value of bonuses is only $34 a year, but other benefits are worth significantly more. The employer's contribution to Social Security adds an average value to respiratory therapists' compensation of $4,303, retirement savings plans adds $2,025, disability adds $563, health-care benefits add $5,722, pensions add $2,588 and time-off adds a value of $7,356. The total value of compensation is $78,807. The base salary makes up only a little more than 70 percent of this.

Salary by Experience

• Years of experience play a large role in determining respiratory therapists' salaries. Payscale.com reports these differences in hourly rates. Those with less than one year of experience typically earn between $16.71 and $22.52 an hour while those with one to four years of experience earn between $17.74 and $23.13. Those with five to nine years of experience earn between $20.11 and $25.80 and those with 10 to 19 years earn $21.49 to $28.13. Those with more experience earn between $23.36 and $29.81 an hour.

Other Factors

• Other factors, such as location and gender, also play a role in salary. For example, respiratory therapists in California typically earn between $23.91 and $33.20 per hour while those in Ohio earn only $18.99 to $24.32 per hour. Males, who typically earn $20.48 to $28.30 per hour, earn a bit more than females, who earn $19.23 to $26.09 per hour.

Job Prospects

• In 2006, the Bureau of Labor Statistics expected respiratory therapist jobs to grow by 19 percent in the next 10 years, about twice as fast as jobs were expected to grow on average.

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How to Become a Respiratory Therapist

Respiratory therapists evaluate and treat patients with breathing disorders such as asthma, emphysema and cystic fibrosis using a variety of methods and equipment. Follow these simple steps to prepare for a career that literally helps people breathe easier.

1. Take as many courses as possible in biology, chemistry, physics, math and health science during your high school years.
2. Complete a two-year, post-secondary-level training program in respiratory therapy offered by a hospital, college, vocational-technical school, or branch of the military. These programs include both classroom and clinical components, culminating in an associate's degree.
3. Pass the licensing exam offered by the National Board for Respiratory Care to become a licensed respiratory therapist. Licensing is required to practice in all but ten states, and is strongly preferred everywhere.
4. Further your career by additional study to obtain a bachelor's degree. You'll also accumulate more clinical experience.
5. Maintain your license through required continuing education credits every two years. 

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