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

What is a Respiratory Therapy Technician?
Respiratory therapy technicians are important members of the medical assisting team. They work with doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists in their quest to treat patients with respiratory disorders.

Their job is to evaluate, treat, and take care of patients that are having difficulty breathing. A typical work day for this technician will include some or all of the following:

1. Performance of diagnostics to evaluate the nature of patient's breathing problem
2. Testing the patient’s lung capacity
3. Testing patients for asthma, cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, and or bronchitis
4. Explaining treatment to patient if treatment is needed
5. Cleaning and sterilizing respiratory therapy instruments, equipments, and devices
6. Maintaining and calibrating respiratory therapy instruments, equipments, and devices
7. Monitoring and evaluating patient’s response to treatment
8. Updating and keeping patient’s medical record
9. Etc.

The respiratory therapy technician must work under the supervision of the doctor or respiratory therapist. Unlike the therapist, he or she can not develop or modify patient care plans.

A respiratory care technician 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 Therapy Technician:
The most common requirement for becoming a respiratory care technician is a certificate, diploma, or associate degree. You need to start out by getting your high school diploma. Recommended high school classes are healthcare education, biology, algebra, chemistry, and algebra. A high school equivalency certificate will also do.

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

a. Respiratory Care Practice
b. Introduction to Respiratory Care
c. Pediatrics
d. Human Anatomy
e. Introduction to Ventilation
f. Human Physiology
g. Respiratory Care Treatment
h. Allied Health Mathematics
i. Etc.

Except for states of Alaska and Hawaii, licensing is required by all the states. Licensing is done by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). They have a few requirements for licensing, including taking and passing their board exam.

Respiratory Therapist Technician Salary:
This is an essential job in the medical assistant field. It is reflected in the salary they make. The average salary is $39,000 per year. This salary can go as high as $56,000 per year.

Respiratory Therapist School:
There are not very many respiratory therapy technician schools. We do have a good one for you though.

The school is University of Cincinnati. University of Cincinnati offers associate of science degree in respiratory care. If you are into this career, it behooves you to check them out. Click here to go there.

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