Discover Respiratory Therapist, Respiratory Therapy Schools, Training, Jobs, and Careers

What is a Respiratory Therapist?
We don’t have to tell you how important breathing is. It is doubly so for people with some medical conditions. Such conditions can make taking a breath downright difficult.

This is why respiratory therapists are needed. Their job is to evaluate, treat, and take care of patients that have difficulty breathing. Some of the things the therapist will do are:

1. Talk to patient to gather necessary medical data
2. Test the patient’s lung capacity
3. Compare test result to that of normal person in the sex and age group
4. Explain treatment to patient if treatment is needed
5. Treat patient’s breathing problem such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema
6. Monitor and evaluate patient's response to treatment
7. Adjust treatment based on feedback
8. Update and keep patient’s medical record
9. Etc.

A respiratory therapist works with people of all ages. This can be from a premature infant whose lung capacity is not fully developed to the elderly whose lung functions are diminished because of disease. They also work with patients who need temporary help to breathe to patients who are critically ill and on life support.

How to Become a Respiratory Therapist:
The most common requirement for becoming a respiratory therapist is associate degree. There are certificate and bachelor degree programs, but these are rare.

You need to start out by getting your high school diploma. Recommended high school classes are biology, algebra, health education, and computer science. GED will also suffice.

You should them apply to a school that has respiratory care program. In such a school, you will learn things like:

a. Pathphysiology
b. Introduction to Respiratory Care
c. Microbiology
d. Human Anatomy
e. Introduction to Ventilation
f. Human Physiology
g. Respiratory Care Treatment
h. Effective Communication
i. Etc.

After graduation, as of this writing, most states (except for Alaska and Hawaii) require that you be licensed. Licensing is done by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). They have a few requirements for licensing, including taking and passing the board exam.

Respiratory Therapist Salary:
This is a very important job in the medical assisting field. The pay also reflects this. The average salary is $47,000 per year. This salary can go as high as $57,000 per year.

Respiratory Therapist School:
You don’t have an abundant of respiratory therapy schools. But not to worry! We have uncovered a very good one for you.

The school is University of Cincinnati. University of Cincinnati offers associate of science degree in respiratory care. You definitely need to check them out.

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