Respiratory Care Program
FAQs for Respiratory Care
What do Respiratory Therapists do?
Respiratory therapists learn skills in specialized in respiratory care for neonatal, pediatric, adult, and/or geriatric patients. Respiratory Therapists work under the direction of a physician to diagnose and treat breathing disorders. These duties include giving breathing treatments, analyzing breath, tissue and blood specimens to determine the levels of oxygen and other gases, Managing ventilators and artificial airway devices for patients who can’t breathe normally on their own and responding to emergency calls in health care setting. Other respiratory care tasks include educating patients and families about lung disease so they can maximize their recovery.
Where do Respiratory Therapists work?
The majority of respiratory care work is done in hospitals in critical care areas, nurseries, emergency rooms as well as regular patient floors. Employment is also available in skilled nursing facilities, home care companies and physician offices.
What skills does a person need in order to be a trained in Respiratory Care?
In order to be successful in the field of respiratory care, you need to:
- like to work with people
- have good psychomotor skills
- have good critical thinking skills
- be able to communicate well with other members of the health care team
- be able to troubleshoot technical equipment
- be able to function in stressful situations
What is the employment outlook for in the field of Respiratory Care and what is the average pay scale?
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of Respiratory Therapists is expected to increase faster than average over the next decade, primarily because of the aging baby boom generation and the resulting increase in respiratory conditions due to that aging. The average starting salary is just over $40,000.
Where do I get more information about Respiratory Care?
You can review these following websites:
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