Healthcare Programs Article

A Respiratory Therapy Career: Helping Patients Breathe Easy

For a patient with breathing problems, a respiratory therapist can be a lifesaver. Respiratory therapists help treat victims of heart attack or other emergencies, but they also work with people of all ages who have breathing problems.

Respiratory therapists work under physicians' directions. Their patients can include premature infants with underdeveloped lungs, patients with asthma, or senior citizens suffering from breathing disorders like pneumonia or emphysema. They are sometimes called upon to perform emergency care for stroke or heart attack victims.



What Does a Respiratory Therapist Do?

Respiratory therapists' range of duties includes evaluating and testing patients' lung capacity, treating patients with oxygen, oxygen mixtures, or aerosol medications, doing chest physiotherapy, and even inserting tubes into a patient's trachea in order to connect him or her to a ventilator.



Knowledge and Skills

At minimum, respiratory therapists need an associate's degree to enter this field. Colleges and universities, medical schools, vocational/technical schools, and even the military offer respiratory therapy training. Some of the topics of study include human anatomy and physiology, chemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, and mathematics, as well as how to perform diagnostic tests and procedures.

In addition to a degree, most states require licensing, and almost all employers require respiratory therapists to maintain a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification.

Teamwork, communication, and time management are important skills for respiratory therapists to master. Respiratory therapists also need math and computer skills to compute medication dosages, calculate gas concentrations, and operate medical equipment.



Job Opportunities

Hospitals provide the majority of respiratory therapy jobs, with the remaining jobs found in doctors' offices, nursing care facilities, firms that supply respiratory equipment for home use, and agencies that provide home health care services.

Whether treating chronic breathing problems or assisting with life-threatening emergencies, respiratory therapists are a respected part of any health care team.

Sources:
American Association for Respiratory Care
www.aarc.org

2004-2005 Occupational Outlook Handbook.
www.bls.gov.

About the Author: Kathy A. Johnson has written articles on health, fitness, and many other topics in her career as a freelance writer and editor. She lives in Florida, and is the features editor of Forum, a bimonthly publication of the national mothers group, Mothers & More.