If you are interested in becoming a respiratory therapist, you’re in good company. In 2006, there were 112,000 respiratory therapy jobs in the United States. But that figure is expected to grow substantially. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts faster than average growth for this profession in the coming decade. In fact, the BLS estimates that the respiratory therapy profession will grow 19 percent in the decade of 2006 and 2016.

To take advantage of the growth of this industry, you should start your respiratory therapist training—NOW.

Duties of a Respiratory Therapist

Working under a doctor’s supervision, respiratory therapists treat people who have breathing and cardiovascular problems. Some of their lifesaving (and life enhancing) duties include:

• Running diagnostic tests
• Assessing patient needs
• Ventilating patients who cannot breathe on their own
• Monitoring the oxygen level in patients’ blood
• Administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation
• Testing the lung capacities of patients
• Adjusting medical equipment
• Teaching asthma patients how to use their inhalers
• Performing chest physiotherapy on patients to relieve lung congestion
• Counseling patients about their respiratory condition
• Pulmonary rehabilitation

They learn these skills—and many others—through respiratory training programs across the country.

Respiratory Therapist Schools

Respiratory therapist training programs are plentiful in the United States. According to the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), there were a total of 379 such accredited programs in 2006.

In order to work as a respiratory therapist, you must have at least a 2-year associate’s degree in this field. But many people obtain 4-year bachelor’s or a master’s degree so that they will be able to advance in the field.

Accreditation is key to choosing the correct respiratory therapist school. If you do not graduate from a school that has been accredited by either the Committees on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) you will not be able to obtain the license needed to be able to work as a respiratory therapist.

What do I Need to Apply?

To apply for respiratory therapist training, you will need a GED or its equivalent.

It will also be helpful if your high school coursework included such subjects as:

• Physics
• Biology
• Health
• Chemistry
• Mathematics

Though not a prerequisite for the training, you should also have a certain type of temperament and personality to work as a respiratory therapist. Because you will be treating patients who have breathing conditions, you need to be very sensitive to their fear and to their pain.

You must also respond well to stressful situations, pay attention to minute details, and work well as part of a team.

Respiratory Therapist Training

Whether you choose to pursue an associate’s, a bachelor’s, or a master’s degree in respiratory therapy, you can expect intensive training in such medical/scientific areas as:

• Microbiology
• Chemistry
• Human anatomy
• Mathematics
• Pharmacology
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
• Diagnostic procedures
• Patient assessment
• Anatomy
• Physiology
• Disease prevention