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Respiratory Therapy Technicians Job Overview

Respiratory therapy technicians evaluate, treat and care for patients with breathing or other cardiopulmonary disorders. Respiratory therapy technicians treat all types of patients including infants whose lungs are not fully developed and elderly people whose lungs may be diseased. They also provide care during emergencies. Respiratory therapy technicians follow specific, well-defined respiratory care procedures under the direction of respiratory therapists and physicians.

Respiratory Therapy Technicians Schools and Degrees

The minimum requirement to become a respiratory therapy technician is an associate’s degree. Career colleges, technical schools and two or four-year colleges offer such degrees. Depending on the program, an associate’s or bachelor’s degree is given. According to the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, 45 entry-level and 334 advanced respiratory therapy programs were accredited in the United States in 2006. The areas of study are human anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, pharmacology and mathematics.

Job Requirements

Respiratory therapy technicians are required to have a license in order to practice, except in Alaska and Hawaii. Employers mostly require therapy technicians to have a cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification. Licensure is usually based on the requirements for certification from the National Board for Respiratory Care. Therapy technicians should be sensitive to a patient’s physical and psychological needs. Respiratory care practitioners must pay attention to details, follow instructions and work as part of a team. Expertise in computers is also required for operating advanced equipment. High school students should take courses in health, biology, mathematics, chemistry and physics if they are interested in applying to respiratory therapy technician programs. Respiratory care involves basic mathematical skills and an understanding of chemical and physical principles.

Nature of Work

Respiratory therapy technicians provide temporary relief to patients with chronic asthma or emphysema. They provide emergency care to patients who are victims of a heart attack, stroke, drowning or shock. Therapy technicians interview patients, perform limited physical examinations, conduct diagnostic tests and then communicate results to a physician, who then treat patients accordingly.

They generally work for 35-40 hours a week. They may need to work on evenings, nights or weekends in hospitals. They may have to stand and walk for long periods at a time. During an emergency, they have to work under pressure. Those who work at home and at health care centers may need to travel frequently to patient’s homes. Respiratory therapy technicians are trained to work with gases stored under pressure, so they should always keep safety precautions in mind and regularly test and maintain equipment to minimize risks. They are also exposed to infectious diseases.

Respiratory Therapy Technicians Jobs and Outlook

According to research in 2007, respiratory therapy technicians held about 19,000 jobs in the U.S. That number is expected to grow by 1% in the next ten years. Employment is highest in the following industries:

• Consumer Goods Rental
• Employment Services
• General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
• Offices of Physicians
• Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals

The mean hourly wage for respiratory therapy technicians in the US is about $20.00, while the mean annual wages are around $41,590.

Job Numbers and Growth

There are an estimated 19,000 respiratory therapy techs nationally. Most recently, workers have experienced a very low level of joblessness. An estimated 2% of employees did not have employment in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Employees -of-a-feather seem to flock to Kankakee (Illinois), Boise (Idaho), and Florence (South Carolina). They are less likely to be found around Minneapolis (Minnesota), Santa Ana (California), and San Diego (California).

Compensation of respiratory therapy techs is best in Bethesda (Maryland), Las Vegas (Nevada), and Camden (New Jersey), and much worse in Phoenix (Arizona), Amarillo (Texas), and Little Rock (Arkansas).

Training and Education

Workers often find employers are looking for an associate degree. Employees, in 16% of cases, have bachelor's degree or higher. After high school, 57% of respiratory therapy techs pursued some additional career education. Workers, in 27% of cases, had only a high school education. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Respiratory therapy techs employed part-time are 21% of the total.

Respiratory Therapy Techs by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)

In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.

Alabama

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Connecticut

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Nevada

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Washington