Respiratory Therapist Job Training
How to Earn a Degree as a Respiratory Care Practitioner
Jul 21, 2009
A respiratory therapist job involves helping patients who are facing a variety of health conditions. Their patients can include babies with breathing problems due to immature respiratory systems, and seniors with lung ailments. Respiratory therapists are also called respiratory care practitioners and the treatment they provide is primarily related to breathing disorders.
Respiratory therapist work also involves keeping a careful watch on patient progress and medical equipment. This includes keeping track of a patient's carbon dioxide and oxygen levels, setting the ventilator for the attending physician, and making sure the equipment is functioning properly. They also administer medication to improve a patient's breathing during surgery.
Respiratory Therapist Job Opportunities
According to the Mayo School of Health Sciences, respiratory therapist job opportunities are abundant. This trend is expended to continue for the foreseeable future as the number of older Americans continues to climb. Students who get respiratory therapy training in the areas of infant care and treating heart conditions will especially be in demand.
Most respiratory therapist work takes place in hospital settings in pulmonary, respiratory care, or anesthesiology units. Respiratory therapists can also find work at businesses that sell or rent machines that can be used in the home to improve breathing. Job opportunities can also be found in nursing homes and doctor's offices.
Respiratory Therapist Education
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, students need to have at least an associate's degree in order to become a respiratory therapist. Students can find respiratory therapy training programs at medical schools, colleges, universities, and vocational institutes. Respiratory therapy schools are also available to people serving in the Armed Forces.
Respiratory therapist education programs consist mainly of health and science curriculum. To prepare themselves for their secondary education, high school students should excel in biology, chemistry, physics, and math. These skills are necessary to be successful in a respiratory therapist job since they will have to measure medicine and calculate oxygen levels.
The courses in a respiratory therapy program include pharmacology, human anatomy, and microbiology. Students will also be required to study cardiopulmonary resuscitation, out patient care, equipment, and diagnostic and therapeutic testing and procedures. It is important for students to get their education from a respiratory therapy program that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. Nearly 400 respiratory therapy schools across the United States have this accreditation.
Most states require students to get a license as part of their respiratory training. Students can do this after earning their respiratory therapist degree. Hawaii and Alaska are the only states that do not have this requirement. Respiratory therapists are also required to know how to perform CPR. The licensing requirements are set by the National Board for Respiratory Care.
 |
