Respiratory Therapist by Kailye Birchfield https://padlet.com/kailyebirchfield37/ch6b7ho9yzxw Made with a passion to help. en-us 2018-02-19 15:56:01 UTC 2025-12-23 18:09:55 UTC hello@padlet.com Job Description kailyebirchfield37 https://padlet.com/kailyebirchfield37/ch6b7ho9yzxw/wish/232967552 Respiratory therapists care for patients who have trouble breathing for example, from a chronic respiratory disease, such as asthma or emphysema. Their patients range from premature infants with undeveloped lungs to elderly patients who have diseased lungs. They also provide emergency care to patients suffering from heart attacks, drowning, or shock.]]> 2018-02-19 16:01:16 UTC https://padlet.com/kailyebirchfield37/ch6b7ho9yzxw/wish/232967552 Work Environment kailyebirchfield37 https://padlet.com/kailyebirchfield37/ch6b7ho9yzxw/wish/232968687 Respiratory therapists held about 130,200 jobs in 2016. The largest employers of respiratory therapists were as follows:
Hospitals; state, local, and private | 81%
Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) | 5
Offices of physicians | 2
Respiratory therapists are on their feet for long periods and may need to lift or turn disabled patients. Therapists work closely with registered nurses, physicians and surgeons, and medical assistants.
Most respiratory therapists work full time. Because they may work in medical facilities, such as hospitals that are always open, some may work evening, night, or weekend hours.
]]> 2018-02-19 16:04:54 UTC https://padlet.com/kailyebirchfield37/ch6b7ho9yzxw/wish/232968687 Education Preparation kailyebirchfield37 https://padlet.com/kailyebirchfield37/ch6b7ho9yzxw/wish/232972891 Respiratory therapists need at least an associates degree, but employers may prefer applicants who have a bachelors degree. Educational programs are offered by colleges and universities, vocational technical institutes, and the Armed Forces.
Respiratory therapy programs typically include courses in human anatomy and physiology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, pharmacology, and math. Other courses deal with therapeutic and diagnostic procedures and tests, equipment, patient assessment, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In addition to coursework, programs have clinical components that allow students to gain supervised, practical experience in treating patients.  
High school students interested in applying to respiratory therapy programs should take courses in health, biology, math, chemistry, and physics.
]]> 2018-02-19 16:16:01 UTC https://padlet.com/kailyebirchfield37/ch6b7ho9yzxw/wish/232972891 Average Salary kailyebirchfield37 https://padlet.com/kailyebirchfield37/ch6b7ho9yzxw/wish/232975040 The median annual wage for respiratory therapists was $58,670 in May 2016. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $42,490, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $81,550. 
In May 2016, the median annual wages for respiratory therapists in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) |  $59,860 
Offices of physicians |  59,150 
Hospitals; state, local, and private |  58,740 
Most respiratory therapists work full time. Because they may work in medical facilities, such as hospitals that are always open, some therapists work evening, night, or weekend hours.
]]> 2018-02-19 16:21:55 UTC https://padlet.com/kailyebirchfield37/ch6b7ho9yzxw/wish/232975040 Job Outlook kailyebirchfield37 https://padlet.com/kailyebirchfield37/ch6b7ho9yzxw/wish/232975905 Employment of respiratory therapists is projected to grow 23 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than average for all occupations. Growth in the middle-aged and older population will lead to an increased incidence of respiratory conditions such as pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other disorders that can permanently damage the lungs or restrict lung function. The aging population will in turn lead to an increased demand for respiratory therapy services and treatments, mostly in hospitals.
In addition, a growing emphasis on reducing readmissions in hospitals may result in more demand for respiratory therapists in nursing homes and in doctors offices.
Advances in preventing and detecting disease, improved medications, and more sophisticated treatments will also increase the demand for respiratory therapists. Other conditions affecting the general population, such as respiratory problems due to smoking and air pollution, along with respiratory emergencies, will continue to create demand for respiratory therapists.
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