We know what you’re thinking—stethoscope, scrubs, comfortable shoes, sputum. Well, isn’t that a lot more comfortable than high heels or wingtips or carpel tunnel?
Not all respiratory therapists work in hospitals or even in scrubs, but what all RTs do is help people breathe easier.
They’re some of the most tech savvy employees in the job market, and their patients are their top priority. They might work with anesthesiologists to monitor patients’ breathing during surgery or help diagnose sleep disorders like apnea. Sometimes they help people kick the tobacco habit, work one-on-one with patients in home health care environments or treat asthma sufferers. Some RTs are “first responders” who provide emergency care to people with lung injuries from fires or other disasters.
A day in the life of an RT might include:
- Diagnosing lung and breathing disorders and recommending treatment methods.
- Analyzing breath, tissue and blood specimens to determine levels of oxygen and other gases.
- Managing therapy to help patients recover lung function.
- Monitoring and maintaining mechanical ventilation and artificial airway devices for patients who can’t breathe normally on their own.
- Conducting smoking cessation classes for their patients and their communities.
Roughly 115,000 health care workers in the United States are respiratory therapists. The demand is growing fast and will keep growing for a long time, so if you decide to become an RT, you’ll insulate yourself from a lot of the downsizing your liberal arts and business major friends may have ahead of them.
And you’ll spend your days helping people, saving lives and giving something back to your community. Not many careers offer benefits like that. |
