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What is Respiratory Care?

Respiratory Care is an Allied Health specialty concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of respiratory diseases. Respiratory Therapists work as part of a team with physicians, nurses and other specialists to provide total care to their patients.

Where do Respiratory Therapists work?

Hospitals are the primary employers of Respiratory Therapists. Within the hospital setting, therapists work with patients in all age groups, and in all clinical areas from general care to neonatal, pediatric and adult intensive care. However, many therapists now work in the home care setting as well as in alternative sites, such as pulmonary rehabilitation, skilled nursing facilities and outpatient clinics.

What do Respiratory Therapists do?

Respiratory Therapists are involved in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of respiratory disorders. Some of the primary job responsibilities of a Respiratory Therapist include:
 

		Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving technique useful in many emergencies, including heart attack or near drowning, in which someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped. Therapists are a big part of "Code" teams and Rapid Response teams called upon to restore a patient's breathing and circulation.	Watch a "Code Blue"
	Watch arterial blood     being drawn		Pulmonary Function Testing Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are non-invasive tests that show how well the lungs are working. The tests measure lung volume, capacity, rates of flow, and gas exchange. This information can help your healthcare provider diagnose and decide the treatment of certain lung disorders. Therapists also draw arterial blood to assure that the lungs are oxygenatiing the blood and removing carbon dioxide.
Mechanical Ventilation Mechanical ventilation, in the healthcare setting or home, helps patients breathe by assisting the inhalation of oxygen into the lungs and the exhalation of carbon dioxide. Depending on the patients condition, mechanical ventilation can help support or completely control breathing. Therapist insert breathing tubes into an airway and manage the highly technical machiines used for artificial ventilation.		Watch a patient being intubated
Medical Gas Administration Therapists are trained to recognize the indications for the use of medical gases and use various types of administration devices. Oxygen is the most common and well known medical gas. Therapists also deliver nitric oxide and heliox to patients with respiratory disease.
		Aerosol Therapy and Breathing Exercises Therapists may assist their patients with breathing difficulties by using devices which administer medical gases under pressure. These positive pressure breathing devices are also capable of delivering aerosolized medications. These medications may also be administered by a non-pressurized hand held nebulizer. For those patients who do require either pressurized treatments or aerosolized medications, the therapist can assist with exercises which emphasize deep breathing and muscle control.
Chest Percussion and Postural Drainage The purpose of these treatments is to assist in the removal of excess secretions in the lungs. By placing a patient in various positions, individual segments of the lungs can be drained, allowing for better ventilation. This process can be enhanced by percussing the chest wall over the affected segment with cupped hands. Chest percussion and postural drainage is usually performed following the administration of aerosolized medications.

What is the current job market for Respiratory Therapists?

According to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of respiratory therapists is expected to grow 14 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations.

Respiratory Care is a career for now and the future.

Learn more about being a respiratory therapist from the American Association for Respiratory Care.

Check out the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook for Respiratory Care.

¹ Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2019-20 Edition, Respiratory Therapists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/respiratory-therapists.htm.