Respiratory Therapists

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Determine requirements for treatment, such as type, method and duration of therapy, precautions to be taken, or medication and dosages, compatible with physicians' orders.
• Perform pulmonary function and adjust equipment to obtain optimum results in therapy.
• Teach, train, supervise, or use the assistance of students, respiratory therapy technicians, or assistants.
• Use a variety of testing techniques to assist doctors in cardiac or pulmonary research or to diagnose disorders.
• Demonstrate respiratory care procedures to trainees or other healthcare personnel.
• Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
• Inspect, clean, test, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently, ordering repairs when necessary.
• Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition.
• Relay blood analysis results to a physician.
• Perform bronchopulmonary drainage and assist or instruct patients in performance of breathing exercises.
• Teach, train, supervise, or use the assistance of students, respiratory therapy technicians, or assistants.
• Perform pulmonary function and adjust equipment to obtain optimum results in therapy.
• Monitor cardiac patients, using electrocardiography devices, such as a holter monitor.
• Educate patients and their families about their conditions and teach appropriate disease management techniques, such as breathing exercises or the use of medications or respiratory equipment.
• Perform bronchopulmonary drainage and assist or instruct patients in performance of breathing exercises.
• Conduct tests, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), stress testing, or lung capacity tests, to evaluate patients' cardiopulmonary functions.
• Inspect, clean, test, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently, ordering repairs when necessary.
• Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
• Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.
• Inspect, clean, test, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently, ordering repairs when necessary.
• Make emergency visits to resolve equipment problems.
• Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.
• Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur.
• Use a variety of testing techniques to assist doctors in cardiac or pulmonary research or to diagnose disorders.
• Transport patients to the hospital or within the hospital.
• Work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals to manage patient care by assisting with medical procedures or related duties.
• Work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals to manage patient care by assisting with medical procedures or related duties.
• Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur.
• Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information.
• Explain treatment procedures to patients to gain cooperation and allay fears.
• Perform endotracheal intubation to maintain open airways for patients who are unable to breathe on their own.
• Enforce safety rules and ensure careful adherence to physicians' orders.

Skills

• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

Abilities

• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.

Knowledge

• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

Education

Education

Associate's degree

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

• Pima Medical Institute-Renton
  555 South Renton Village Place Suite 110, Renton WA 98057
  School Type

  Private for-profit, 2-year

  Admissions
  School Size

  Under 1,000

  Financial Aid 425-228-9600
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://pmi.edu/
  Program Name
  Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist
  Length
  2 years
  Award Level
  Associate's degree
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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

97150/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

46.71/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

2,450

Yearly Projected Openings

180

Personality

Social: People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking. They do well at jobs that need:

• Adaptability
• Perseverance
• Empathy
• Stress Tolerance
• Self-Control
• Cooperation

Tools

• Apnea monitors
• Arterial blood gas monitors
• Autotransfusion units
• Bedside pulmonary function screeners
• Blood collection syringes
• Bronchoscopes
• Cardiac output CO monitoring units
• Chest cuirass products
• Chest percussors
• Clinical incubators or infant warmers
• Electrocardiography EKG units
• Electronic blood pressure units
• Endotracheal tubes
• Flow sensors or regulators or components
• High frequency ventilators
• Intensive care ventilators
• Intermittent positive pressure breathing IPPB machines
• Intraaortic balloon pumps
• Medical acoustic stethoscopes
• Medical aerosol tents
• Medical gas cylinders or related devices
• Medical head hoods
• Medical nasal cannulas
• Medical or surgical suction or vacuum appliances
• Medical oxygen masks or parts
• Mercury blood pressure units
• Nebulizers
• Non invasive bi level machines
• Non invasive continuous positive air pressure machines
• Notebook computers
• Oxygen concentrators
• Oxygen delivery connectors or adapters
• Perfusion oxygen or hematocrit saturation monitors
• Personal computers
• Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers
• Pulmonary functioning tubing
• Pulse oximeter units
• Respiratory humidifiers or vaporizers
• Respiratory manometer kits
• Respiratory monitoring kit accessories
• Respiratory monitoring kits
• Respiratory therapy compressors
• Resuscitation masks
• Spirometers
• Sputum collection apparatus or containers
• Surgical isolation suit or helmet or shield
• Tablet computers
• Tourniquets
• Tracheostomy tubes
• Treadmill exercisers for rehabilitation or therapy
• Vacuum blood collection tubes or containers

Technology

• Calendar and scheduling software
• Data base user interface and query software
• Electronic mail software
• Medical software
• Office suite software
• Presentation software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software