Health & Medicine

Respiratory Therapist

Treat patients who have trouble breathing by running ventilators and giving breathing treatments in hospitals

Open interactive guide

What does a Respiratory Therapist do?

Respiratory therapists work in hospitals, especially intensive care and emergency rooms, and sometimes in nursing homes or patients' homes. They set up breathing machines, give medicine that opens the airways, and test lung function. It suits people who stay calm in emergencies and like equipment.

A day in the life

6:45 AMGet a report and check every ventilator's settings
8:00 AMGive breathing treatments to patients with asthma
10:00 AMTake a blood sample to measure oxygen levels
12:00 PMJoin the emergency team when a patient stops breathing
2:00 PMTeach a patient how to use an inhaler correctly
5:30 PMClean equipment and chart each treatment

What's great

  • A two-year degree gets you started
  • Part of the team in life-saving moments
  • Work in intensive care, the ER, or at homes
  • Hospitals in most communities hire therapists

The hard parts

  • Shift work with nights and weekends
  • Emergencies can be scary and fast
  • Must earn a state license and national credentials
  • Close contact with sick patients and germs

What is a Respiratory Therapist's salary and outlook?

$37k – $93k
Salary Range
Associate's degree
Typical Education
Growing

Typical pay in this guide runs from about $37,200 to $93,000 a year, with a midpoint around $62,000. These are planning figures for students, not a job offer or an official wage.

CareerLens rates the outlook as Growing.

For the official national outlook, see BLS Occupational Data.

How do you become a Respiratory Therapist?

A common path is Associate degree in respiratory care, plus a national credential and state license. The ladder often runs from Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) to Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT), then Lead Therapist or Clinical Supervisor, and Director of Respiratory Care. Other routes: Bachelor's degree in respiratory therapy; Move from EMT or nursing aide work into a program; Specialty credentials in newborn care or lung testing.

  • Bachelor's degree in respiratory therapy
  • Move from EMT or nursing aide work into a program
  • Specialty credentials in newborn care or lung testing

Career path

Entry level
Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT)
Mid career
Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT)
Senior
Lead Therapist or Clinical Supervisor
Executive
Director of Respiratory Care

Will AI replace a Respiratory Therapist?

How much will AI change this job?

Quite a bit

AI will help with some tasks in this job, while the most important parts stay human.

AI helps monitor breathing, but therapists still do hands-on care.

Respiratory therapists help people breathe easier during illness or emergencies. AI tools can track patient data and suggest changes to breathing treatments faster. But therapists still need to touch patients, adjust equipment, and make quick decisions in stressful moments.

AI can help with

  • Tracking oxygen levels and breathing patterns over time
  • Suggesting adjustments to ventilator settings
  • Organizing patient records and treatment histories

What stays human

  • Physically adjusting masks, tubes, and breathing machines
  • Comforting scared or struggling patients
  • Making fast decisions during breathing emergencies

Skills to build now

  • Study biology and health science in school
  • Practice staying calm under pressure in sports or drama
  • Join first aid or health clubs at school

Based on public research from Anthropic and OpenAI, drafted with AI, checked automatically, and read by a person. How we know

This describes how the work may change. It is not a prediction that the job will disappear.