Respiratory therapist

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Respiratory Therapist

A clinician listening to the chest of a pediatric patient.
Occupation
Names	Respiratory Therapist Respiratory Practitioner Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP) Licensed Respiratory Therapist
Occupation type	Specialty
Activity sectors	Resporation Therapy, Medicine, Allied Health, Pulmonology, Critical care medicine
Description
Education required	Associates in Applied Science or Technology (depending on the college) and a certificate in Respiratory Therapy or an Associate of Science in Respiratory Care Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care Master of Science in Respiratory Care
Fields of employment	Hospital, Clinic Laboratory Sleep clinic DME or Durable Medical Equipment LTAC Long Term Acute Care hospital Flight Transport, Air Ambulance Teaching or nursing home
Related jobs	Pulmonologist Physician assistant

A respiratory therapist is a specialized healthcare practitioner trained in critical care and cardio-pulmonary medicine in order to work therapeutically with people who have acute critical conditions, cardiac and pulmonary disease. Respiratory therapists graduate from a college or university with a degree in respiratory therapy and have passed a national board certifying examination. The NBRC (National Board for Respiratory Care) is responsible for credentialing as a CRT (certified respiratory therapist), or RRT (registered respiratory therapist) in the United States. The CBRC (Canadian Board for Respiratory Care) is responsible for credentialing as an RRT in Canada.

The specialty certifications of respiratory therapy include: CPFT and RPFT (Certified or Registered Pulmonary Function Technologist), ACCS (Adult Critical Care Specialist), NPS (Neonatal/Pediatric Specialist), and SDS (Sleep Disorder Specialist).

Respiratory therapists work in hospitals in the intensive care units (Adult, Pediatric, and Neonatal), on hospital floors, in emergency departments, in pulmonary functioning laboratories (PFTs), are able to intubate patients, work in sleep labs (polysomnography) (PSG) labs, and in home care specifically DME (durable medical equipment) and home oxygen.

Respiratory therapists are specialists and educators in many areas including cardiology, pulmonology, and sleep therapy. Respiratory therapists are clinicians trained in advanced airway management; establishing and maintaining the airway during management of trauma, and intensive care.

Respiratory therapists initiate and manage life support for people in intensive care units and emergency departments, stabilizing, treating and managing pre-hospital and hospital-to-hospital patient transport by air or ground ambulance.

In the outpatient setting respiratory therapists work as educators in asthma clinics, ancillary clinical staff in pediatric clinics, and sleep-disorder diagnosticians in sleep-clinics, they also serve as clinical providers in cardiology clinics and cath-labs, as well as working in pulmonary rehabilitation.