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CareerPaths
Respiratory Therapist
Working in Respiratory care is dynamic and exciting. Within Sentara there are many opportunities to work in a variety of environments including hospitals, pulmonary function labs, extended recovery centers, home care and long term care facilities. Respiratory Therapists works with patients of all age groups, starting with newborn children to the very elderly. Sentara recognizes that Respiratory Therapists need a variety of options for work schedules to fit both work and home life. Sentara offers an array of work schedules. In addition to full-time and part-time positions, float pool positions are sometimes available.
Job Information
Respiratory Therapists, evaluate, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders. The Respiratory Therapist is specially trained to assume primary responsibility for all care and treatment within their area of specialization. They treat patients with breathing difficulties caused by chronic lung problems such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema, and also caused by heart conditions, accidents, etc. They may also treat premature infants and people with disease such as cystic fibrosis or lung cancer. In hospital settings, they perform emergency care, critical care, and neonatal procedures. Other career opportunities exist in home care, physician’s offices and in long-term care facilities. They are also typically a vital part of the hospital’s lifesaving response team that handles patient emergencies.
Respiratory Therapists work under direction of a physician. The therapist works to evaluate, treat and care for patients, and help educate patients. The scope of their practice encompasses both diagnostic and therapeutic roles. It is one of the only allied healthcare fields that do both.
A rewarding aspect of this career field is that it combines both “High Tech” and “High Touch” skills, with the opportunity to choose a focus. For example, work with trauma patients, chronic disease patients, infants and patients with chronic problems such as asthma or emphysema as well as emergency care to victims of heart attack, stroke, drowning, or shock.
To evaluate and diagnose patients, respiratory therapists:
 Test the capacity of the lungs to analyze oxygen and carbon dioxide concentration.
Measure the patient’s potential hydrogen (pH), which indicates the acidity or alkalinity level of the blood.
Measure lung capacity to determine if there is impaired function.
Draw an arterial blood sample and after analysis using specialized equipment, make changes in the patient’s care and consult with physicians and other team members to improve the patient’s condition.
Perform stress tests and other studies of the cardiopulmonary system.
Respiratory therapists treat all types of patients, ranging from premature infants whose lungs are not fully developed, to elderly people whose lung function is diminished.
Therapists can assist in treatment of disease to provide temporary relief to patients with chronic problems such as asthma or emphysema, as well as emergency care to victims of a heart attack, stroke, drowning, or shock.
To treat patients, respiratory therapists
Operate and maintain highly sophisticated equipment to administer oxygen or to assist with breathing.
Employ mechanical ventilation (Breathing Machines) for treating patients who cannot breathe adequately on their own.
Intubate patients by inserting a tube into a patient’s trachea, or windpipe, connect the tube to the ventilator; and set the rate, volume, and oxygen concentration of the oxygen mixture entering the patient’s lungs.
Monitor patients and respond according to changes in vital signs, pH level of the blood or any additional breathing difficulties. Therapists make changes to ventilator settings to help the patient’s lungs.
Administer medications in aerosol form to help alleviate breathing problems.
Conduct rehabilitation activities, such as low-impact aerobic exercise classes to help patients who suffer from chronic lung problems.
In a home-care setting, therapists teach patients and their families to use ventilators and other life support systems. They visit regularly to inspect, clean and adjust equipment as necessary to ensure its proper use and functionality.
Respiratory Therapists are recognized as critical to reducing patient complications. The Respiratory Therapist’s scope of practice has expanded to include routine use of protocols or goal oriented patient treatments. These allow the therapist to plan, implement and modify treatment plans under indirect supervision of the physician. A prime example of this is therapist driven protocols to “wean” or facilitate removal of patients from mechanical ventilation in an effort to help prevent complications like Hospital Acquired Pneumonia.
Job Outlook/Advancement
There are over 100,000 Respiratory Therapists employed in the Untied States. The need for respiratory professionals is expected to grow in the coming years due to the large increase in the elderly population; the impact of environmental problems on lung diseases; and technological advances in the treatment of heart attack, cancer, and accident victims. Many areas have recently seen critical shortages of qualified Respiratory Therapists. As a result, job opportunities are expected to increase faster than average.
Respiratory Therapists advance in clinical practice several ways. Some of these can include taking a specialty exam in neonatal-pediatrics. If a therapist decided to work in pulmonary diagnostics, they can also sit for the national exams for pulmonary function at certified and registry level. Respiratory therapists may transfer into sleep technician positions and can sit for their national registry for sleep certification. Therapists also can advance into other related positions that do not involve bedside care. These positions include administrative team coordinators, clinical team coordinators, clinical specialist and director of respiratory care. These positions often require additional education and varied experience. Respiratory therapists can also be found working in pharmaceutical sales and medical equipment sales because of their highly specialized training and knowledge of related equipment and medications. Opportunities are also often available for those who enjoy clinical teaching in either a hospital or school setting.
Training, Educational & Certification
Formal training is necessary for entry into this career field. Training is offered in a variety of settings, most commonly at colleges and universities. Some healthcare systems and medical schools also offer training. Programs vary in length and in the type of degree awarded. It is increasingly common for employers to demand higher skill levels and greater amounts of training typically offered in Associate or Bachelor’s degree programs together with Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) status. The Associates Degree program normally is a 24-month program, and the Bachelors Degree program is a full four-year program.
The Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care in collaboration with the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs provides accreditation for Respiratory Care training courses. A complete listing of approved courses is available on their website. For those interested in a career in Respiratory Therapy, areas of study include biology, human anatomy and physiology, chemistry, physics, microbiology and mathematics. Technical courses that are job field specific would include procedures, equipment, clinical practice and patient care. Therapists should be sensitive to patients’ physical and psychological needs. They must also pay close attention to detail. Follow directions precisely, operate complex equipment and must work well with a team. They must possess strong verbal and written communications skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills and must be multi-task oriented. Computer literacy is also necessary as technology helps modernize the healthcare industry.
In order to become registered, therapists are required to complete either a two-year associates degree or a four-year baccalaureate degree. Upon graduation they are eligible to take a national voluntary examination that will lead to the credential “Certified Respiratory Therapist” (CRT). Subsequently, they make two more examinations leading to designation as a “Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT). It is becoming more common to require the higher level of certification in many locations.
The National Board for Respiratory Care is the national organization that certifies respiratory care professionals.
Related Links
Virginia Society for Respiratory Care
4405 Cox Road Suite 110 Glen Allen, Va 23060 804-270-5083
American Association for Respiratory Care
11030 Ables Lane Dallas, Tx 75229 972-243-2272
Educational Programs
Tidewater Community College
Central Virginia Community College
3506 Wards Road Lynchburg, VA 24502 (434) 832-7600
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