Are you interested in helping others? Want to work with patients that can benefit from your expertise? If so, consider becoming a respiratory therapist. However, before we look at what a respiratory therapist does, let us examine some of the reasons you may consider this rewarding career.
Why Do People Become Respiratory Therapists?
Like others who join the medical field, respiratory therapists often choose their careers because they enjoy working with and helping others.
They Have Compassion and Empathy
Two of the most crucial skills for healthcare workers include compassion and empathy, or the ability to relate to and care for others. These skills are essential for respiratory therapists since they work directly with patients. It helps to show a suitable bedside manner to make patients feel comfortable before, during, and after their treatments or procedures. While these skills can certainly be honed over time, many people who become respiratory therapists are predisposed to these soft skills.
They Are Detail-Oriented
While working as a respiratory therapist, paying attention to small details can make a big difference for patients. For example, respiratory therapists often assess a patient’s condition before creating a treatment plan, and everything from the sound of the patient’s breathing to the level of pain a patient may feel while breathing is noted. People who like to find and document details in this way may be great respiratory therapists because, after noting those details, they can better create a personalized treatment plan for every patient they see and discuss it with doctors and nurses.
They Enjoy Science and Math
Respiratory therapists must understand specific science and math topics to better care for their patients, such as biology and physics. These subjects are taught in depth in any respiratory therapist degree program. Becoming a respiratory therapist is a good career choice for those interested in learning about the human body, specifically the lungs, heart, and brain, and how they function.
What Does a Respiratory Therapist Do?
A respiratory therapist is a healthcare professional who focuses on helping patients with breathing and lung-related issues. Like nurse assessment, respiratory therapists examine patients and develop treatment plans to improve their breathing conditions or aid in their recovery after surgery.
Respiratory therapists have a lot of critical responsibilities, including:
● Examining and diagnosing patients with breathing troubles
● Creating and executing treatment plans to improve lung capabilities
● Evaluating and documenting the progress of patients during treatment or therapies
● Communicating with other medical team members plus the relatives of patients as needed
● Teaching and training patients on how to use breathing equipment or perform breathing exercises
Examining and Diagnosing Patients
Respiratory therapists examine each of their patients before beginning any treatments, which may include a physical examination and digital or lab testing. For example, they may collect blood or sputum, the term for mucous found in the respiratory tract, to analyze in a lab setting. Often, patients who begin visiting a respiratory therapist will have trouble breathing, and they are tasked with learning the reason behind those breathing troubles. Depending on the level of certification, the respiratory therapist may be able to diagnose certain lung disorders or will be able to provide a diagnosis with the assistance of other physicians.
Creating and Executing Treatment Plans
Another essential task is making individual treatment plans for their patients, which will vary based on the examination of the patient. To execute treatment plans, a respiratory therapist must teach and assist patients with exercises and therapies, such as breathing treatments. They may also need to operate special equipment, such as a ventilator, or administer medications through an inhaler.
Evaluating and Documenting Patient Progress
Just as respiratory therapists evaluate patients before beginning treatment, they frequently reevaluate patients and document any progress. Recording patient progress is vital to give the therapy team reference notes and alert other caregivers about the patient’s condition. Respiratory therapists might also create charts and graphs that show the patient’s progress and update these charts frequently during the course of treatment.
Communicating with Others
Respiratory therapists are always part of a larger medical care team, so they must communicate daily with other nurses, doctors, and care team members about their patients. This is especially important for patients who are in critical care and require constant attention beyond what the respiratory therapist can provide. For patients who may visit an outpatient setting, the respiratory therapist may need to give notes on the patient’s condition and progress to the patient’s primary care provider. For all patients, it is essential that respiratory therapists feel comfortable speaking to family members and friends of the patient who may need to be involved in caring for the patient or helping the patient with treatments at home.
Educating Patients
Respiratory therapists working in an outpatient or home health setting often show patients how to use breathing equipment or perform breathing therapies. This allows patients to be active in their treatment plans, and it can give them the tools they need to make as much progress as possible.
Where Do Respiratory Therapists Work?
Respiratory therapists typically work in one or more of three settings: inpatient, outpatient, or home health. In any setting, a respiratory therapist typically works full-time, though some employers will accept part-time employees. Their duties will be similar in any work location with any work hours.
Hospitals and Long-Term Care Facilities
The most common location where respiratory therapists are employed is hospitals. Many respiratory therapists working in a hospital manage critical care patients. Some respiratory therapists with a specialty, like a neonatal care specialty, will work in hospitals, too, to provide care for babies and newborns. Long-term care facilities, like nursing homes, also employ respiratory therapists to assist patients with breathing conditions over long periods. In any inpatient setting, respiratory therapists can expect to work with many mechanical equipment, like respirators.
Healthcare Clinics
Respiratory therapists who work with patients on an outpatient basis can be found in hospitals or healthcare clinics, like outpatient respiratory therapy offices. In these settings, they typically do not work with critical care patients and, instead, focus on helping others learn how to manage an ongoing breathing issue. Some respiratory therapists might also work at a sleep disorder center or sleep clinic to work with patients with obstructive sleep apnea.
Patient Homes
Home health care is an excellent option for patients who cannot easily visit an outpatient center for respiratory care. When employed by a home health care organization, respiratory therapists can see patients and provide treatments within the home. While this work environment requires a bit of travel, it allows them to easily teach patients how to use equipment or perform breathing exercises and therapies in the place where patients will use them every day.
What Are the Entry and Advanced Level Exams for RTs?
Those who want to become respiratory therapists must first complete an accredited respiratory care degree program and pass a National Board examination. Two levels of testing are available for respiratory therapists, and some additional optional tests are available for those who want to gain a certificate in a specialty.
The Certified Respiratory Therapist Exam
The lower level certification includes a multiple-choice exam, and this test will allow you to become a Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT). As a CRT, you will be a respiratory therapist, part of a larger care team, and be supervised by a physician. CRTs may work in any healthcare environment and can make independent decisions about patient care in emergencies.
The Registered Respiratory Therapist Exam
The more advanced level of respiratory care examination comes with the test to become a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT). This exam includes the multiple-choice test taken by CRTs but also consists of a clinical examination portion. As an RRT, you have the freedom to make more decisions about a patient’s care. However, you will still be supervised by a physician or doctor, but you may work in all the same environments as CRTs. Being an RRT requires critical thinking and rapid decision-making, especially in areas such as the Intensive Care Unit or the Emergency Room.
RT Specialty Examinations
Four specialty examinations are offered for RTs to take, including certification to become an Adult Critical Care Specialist, a Neonatal/Pediatric Specialist, a Sleep Disorders Specialist, or an Asthma Educator Specialist (AE-C). Only a registered respiratory therapist with valid RRT licensure can obtain all of these specialties.
Eager to Learn More?
Did learning about the job of a respiratory therapist in a hospital setting interest you? If the answer is yes, you are ready to contact us to learn more about the Respiratory Therapist degree program and the steps you can take to start working in this life-long career.
Contact us today to delve deeper into our Associate Degree programs.
