Respiratory Therapist

Respiratory Care is specifically focused on the prevention, assessment, treatment, management, control, diagnostic evaluation, education, and care of patients with deficiencies and abnormalities of the cardiopulmonary system. (For clarification, the cardiopulmonary system has to do with the lungs and the heart). Because Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the 4th leading killer of adults, people with asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema need respiratory therapy. 

However, other people who have had heart attacks, suffered trauma, are born prematurely, or have sleep disorders might also need respiratory therapy to help them breathe easier.


At a minimum, respiratory therapists need an associate degree, but the field’s elite also have a bachelor’s degree.The next step in training is obtaining a license and certification. There are two certification levels that most RTs seek: Certified Respiratory Therapist (known as CRT), which indicates your mastery of essential knowledge, skills and abilities as an entry-level therapist, and the Registered Respiratory Therapist certification, or RRT. An RRT credential signifies a more advanced level of knowledge.

Employment of respiratory therapists is expected to increase faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2020. It is listed among the fastest growing occupations that require only an associate degree.  The median annual wage for respiratory therapists was $55,870 in May 2012. 











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