|
Field Description
Respiratory therapists, also known as respiratory care practitioners,
provide treatment, evaluation, monitoring and management of patients
with breathing disorders or cardiovascular problems.
Care provided by respiratory therapists may include: administration
of oxygen, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, management of mechanical
ventilators, administering drugs to the lungs, monitoring cardiopulmonary
systems and measuring lung function.
Respiratory therapists treat all types of patients, ranging from
premature infants whose lungs are not fully developed to elderly
people with lung disease. They provide temporary relief to patients
with chronic asthma or emphysema, as well as emergency care to patients
who are victims of a heart attack, stroke, drowning or shock.
Choose a program:
More About Respiratory Care
Therapists regularly monitor patients and equipment. If the
patient is having difficulty, or if the oxygen, carbon dioxide,
or pH level of the blood is abnormal, therapists change the ventilator
settings according to the physician’s order or check equipment
for mechanical problems.
Respiratory therapists perform chest physiotherapy on patients
to remove mucus from their lungs and improve breathing. For example,
during surgery, anesthesia depresses respiration, so this chest
physiotherapy may be prescribed to return the patient's lungs to
normal functioning and prevent congestion. Chest physiotherapy also
helps patients suffering from lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis,
that cause mucus to collect in the lungs.
Respiratory therapists also administer aerosols – liquid
medications suspended in a gas that forms a mist which is inhaled
– and teach patients how to inhale the aerosol properly to
assure its effectiveness.
Respiratory Care Video
For more information about a career in respiratory care and to view
an online video, visit the American
Association For Respiratory Care (www.aarc.org/career).
Career Opportunities
Job opportunities are expected to be very good, especially for respiratory
therapists with cardiopulmonary care skills or experience working
with infants. Employment of respiratory therapists is expected to
increase faster than the average for all occupations through the
year 2012, because of substantial growth in numbers of the middle-aged
and elderly population - a development that will heighten the incidence
of cardiopulmonary disease.
Respiratory therapists held about 112,000 jobs in 2002. More than
four out of five jobs were in hospital departments of respiratory
care, anesthesiology, or pulmonary medicine. Most of the remaining
jobs were found in offices of physicians or other health practitioners,
consumer goods rental firms that supply respiratory equipment for
home use, nursing care facilities, and home health-care services.
Earning Potential
Median annual earnings of respiratory therapists were $43,140 in
2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $37,650 and $50,860.
The lowest 10 percent earned less than $32,220, and the highest
10 percent earned more than $57,580. In general medical and surgical
hospitals, median annual earnings of respiratory therapists were
$44,110 in 2002.
Professional Organizations
Visit the following Web sites to learn more about respiratory care:
|
