Respiratory Therapists Work, and Job Description
Respiratory Therapists work involves a large range of responsibilities and are critical members of the health care team. Their patients encompass the full spectrum, from premature babies to geriatrics in their nineties. They work with patients with breathing disorders of all types. Diseases from asthma to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Respiratory therapists work directly with physicians and other health care team members. They may work with neonatal, adult and pediatric patients in hospitals, home care, chronic care facilities, sleep study laboratories and medical offices. Their duties include
assessment of the patient, set up and delivery of oxygen therapy with or without humidity, chest physiotherapy, aerosolized medication and ventilator set up and maintenance. They perform diagnostic testing such as sleep studies, electrocardiography, metabolic and pulmonary studies. They are part of the pulmonary rehabilitation team in most facilities. They also perform tests such as oximetry, arterial blood gas sampling and analysis, emergency and artificial airway care and of course patient education. Respiratory therapists work involves determining requirements for treatment and following doctors orders to set up parameters of treatments. They monitor patient's response to these treatments. Respiratory Therapists work in hospitals, on medical flight teams and other acute care areas.
There are approximately 125,000 respiratory therapists in the United States right now and that is not enough to fill all the positions available. Future employment projections for respiratory therapists are excellent as there is a shortage of them available. Jobs for respiratory therapists of all levels of education will have and above average growth rate even in this economy. Hospitals are responsible for the majority of openings but more openings are arising in other settings.
The job of a respiratory therapist should not be taken lightly; they must think quickly in many stressful situations and often literally make life or death decisions. They can restore the most basic requirement of life, the ability to breathe.
Respiratory therapist Education, Respiratory Therapist Classes
Respiratory Therapists (RTs) are allied health professionals in the United States and Canada. They are credentialed by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). Most schools in the United States for Respiratory Therapy are colleges in which a person gets a two year Associate Degree as a minimum. Naturally, a person can continue on to earn their Baccalaureate or Masters Degree within the program
as well and this may be critical for advancement. A student takes courses in many medical and scientific areas such as chemistry, microbiology, anatomy, physiology, pharmacology as well as courses specific to respiratory therapy. Courses also include the advance study of gas physics, respiratory, cardiovascular, renal and neurological systems. These would include diagnostic testing and procedures, equipment, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, patient assessment and clinical practice guidelines. A licensing test must be passed to practice except in Alaska and Hawaii.
The cost of a respiratory therapist's education would depend on many factors. For example, whether they choose to pursue a two-year associate degree or a six-year master's degree. The curriculum taken at a community college would be a few thousand a semester while the same curriculum taken at an Ivy League school would cost tens of thousands. There are vocational schools in some states that also give the curriculum for a few thousands of dollars a year.
The National Board for Respiratory Care tests for the Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT). This tests for entry level knowledge and skills This is the first exam a student can take and must passed in order to take exams for special licensing. You must get at least a 75% to get your license. The test is about three hours long. The National Board for Respiratory Care also offers the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) exam to CRTs who have advanced training. Testing is also offered for Certified Pulmonary Function Therapists, Registered Pulmonary Function Therapists and Neonatal/Pediatric Specialists.
Respiratory Therapists Salary and Job Growth
The average salary for Respiratory Therapists is $25.55 for full time. The best paid ones (upper 10%) make $69,000 a year or more and the worst paid (bottom 10%) make $38,000 a year. Median wage is
$25.10 an hour. Salary in all health care fields is greatly influenced by experience. The difference between a new therapist and one with 20 years of experience is about $7.00 an hour. What a Respiratory Therapist makes is also influenced by where they work in the hospital and the location in which they practice. Therapists in urban areas make more than those in rural. Ones that work in Critical Care areas make more than those who work on a general medical floor in a hospital. The lower paying positions would be the ones where the therapist is not making life or death decisions several times a shift such as at a sleep lab. The highest paying states are California and New York with Texas following a close third. California and New York rates are about $46,000 to $68,000, while Texas's is $36,000 to $60,000. On the low end of the scale is Illionois with a rate of $38,000. Average vacation rates are about two weeks for a therapist with 2 years of experience. This increases to four weeks with greater than ten years experience.
Online classes for Respiratory Therapists | Online courses for an RT
Yes there are a few courses that you can take online in order to become a RT. There are online programs at community colleges for becoming an RT. I have also found a few private schools that you could possibly use. Colorado Community Colleges Online and Weber State University are two schools which offer RT courses. Now it is very important when you are entering any type of healthcare professional
school, that you find out as much about the program before you take the plunge. Find out what the success rate of their graduates are, maybe even inquire about their references. Find out exactly what there past students pass rate on the State Board Licensing exam was. After you decide which Respiratory school is for you, you will need to enroll, speak to a counselor, and take an entrance exam.
Now i must warn you, that though taking respiratory therapists online classes may be very convenient, especially if someone works full time, the classes and courses can very challenging. I have noticed that often times online classes are not at all as difficult and in depth as a ordinary class. Not to mention in an online setting you are not getting to interact with patients, tools, and classmates as often as your might in an ordinary class. When it comes to medicine you really want to be as well trained as you possibly can be. You want to make sure that when a situation arises that you have the skills needed to help that patient. So just be careful, Make sure the school is quality and that you are going to receive the training you need. Oh and one more thing, private Online classes really can be quite expensive, my suggestion is to check out community colleges around your area, maybe even look into financial aid, and try and get started as soon as possible!!!