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.