a respiratory therapist is a specialized Healthcare professional who helps treat patients
with acute and chronic cardiopulmonary conditions they work closely with Physicians and nurses to
provide care for patients of all ages from infants to the elderly population in this video we will
discuss what a respiratory therapist is what they do on the job and what educational requirements
are needed to enter the field of Respiratory Care so if you're ready let's get into it
as previously mentioned a respiratory therapist is responsible for assessing diagnosing and treating
patients with cardiopulmonary disorders they often provide care to patients in the hospital setting
but may also work in clinics nursing homes and other outpatient facilities respiratory therapists
use a variety of treatment modalities to help their patients breathe better and improve their
quality of life now let's talk about their job duties the job duties of a respiratory therapist
may vary depending on their work environment however there are some common tasks that rits
typically perform on the job including assessing patients for lung disease administering aerosol
medications delivering oxygen therapy lung expansion therapy chest Physical Therapy Airway
clearance therapy to remove mucus endotracheal intubation managing patients on a mechanical
ventilator assisting with a bronchoscopy procedure drawing and analyzing an arterial blood gas
sample designing and implementing treatment plans managing patients with a tracheostomy suctioning
and analyzing sputum specimens analyzing chest x-rays assessing Vital Signs performing EKGs
performing pulmonary function testing responding to code blue and emergency situations assisting
with pulmonary Rehabilitation performing studies and research related to the cardiopulmonary system
and educating patients on smoking cessation so yeah as you can see respiratory therapists do
quite a lot that is because they are vital members of the health care team and work closely with a
team of other medical professionals to provide high quality care for their patients so where
exactly do respiratory therapists work I touched on this earlier that respiratory therapists have
the opportunity to work in a variety of settings including hospitals nursing homes rehabilitation
centers sleep labs and Home Health again the job duties of each respiratory therapist will
vary depending on the setting in which they work first let's talk about hospitals hospitals are
by far the most common workplace for Respiratory therapists in addition there are several different
departments within the hospital where they can work including inpatient the ER the ICU operating
room the neonatal ICU labor and delivery and in the pulmonary rehab lab this creates a lot of
variety because the job duties of a respiratory therapist will be different depending on which
part of the hospital they work in for example an RT who works in the ICU will be required to manage
critically ill patients who are receiving life support from a mechanical ventilator on the other
hand an RT working in the neonatal ICU must know how to care for newborns infants and pediatric
patients obviously this would be a little different than treating adults next is nursing
homes respiratory therapists who work in nursing homes provide care for a population of elderly
patients with chronic cardiopulmonary conditions such as COPD or emphysema rehabilitation centers
are another common workplace for Respiratory therapists in this setting RTS work with patients
who are recovering from an acute illness or injury and need help regaining their
strength and Mobility pulmonary rehab is a type of program designed for patients with lung disease
these programs can help patients improve their quality of life and make breathing easier
respiratory therapists also work in sleep labs and provide care for patients with sleep-related
breathing disorders such as sleep apnea this includes performing polyphenography which is a
comprehensive sleep study used for the assessment and diagnosis of sleep disorders however this
position typically requires that the RIT earn these Sleep Disorders specialty credential that
is offered by the nbrc next up is Home Health home health is a rapidly growing field for Respiratory
therapists in this setting RTS are required to make home visits to patients with chronic lung
diseases during these visits they will assess the patient's condition and make recommendations for
treatment they may also help set up the patient's oxygen delivery equipment or other medical devices
Switching gears just a bit now let's talk about some of the conditions respiratory therapists help
treat RTS generally provide care for patients with conditions of the heart and lungs some of the most
common examples include asthma COPD congestive heart failure cystic fibrosis emphysema chronic
bronchitis interstitial lung disease pneumonia bronchiectasis respiratory distress syndrome
pulmonary embolism pleural effusion pneumothorax myocardial infarction pulmonary vascular disease
pleural diseases sleep apnea and lung cancer therefore respiratory therapists must have a
thorough understanding of how these conditions affect the body and how they can be treated
and I should also mention the skills that are required for being a respiratory therapist
similar to other jobs in the medical field there are certain unique skills that respiratory
therapists need to be successful some examples include communication analytical thinking critical
thinking physical strength and endurance fine and gross motorability hearing smell and vision
reading comprehension emotional stability empathy and compassion respiratory therapy
can be a challenging career which takes a special type of person to be successful
that is why having most or all of these skills is so important and now you may be wondering how
to become a respiratory therapist to become an RT you will need to graduate from an accredited
respiratory therapy program these programs typically take two years to complete and
provide the student with an associate's degree this makes the candidate eligible
to take the TMC exam which is the national credentialing exam that is offered by the mbrc
if you want to become a registered respiratory therapist you must pass the exam with a high cut
score this makes you eligible to take the clinical Sims exam which is a separate board exam that if
passed will award you the rrt credential so just to clarify there are two board exams
that you need to pass to become a respiratory therapist another common question is about salary
how much do respiratory therapists make according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the median
annual salary for Respiratory therapists is approximately sixty two thousand dollars per
year however this number will vary depending on factors such as experience education and location
another common question is how long does it take to become a respiratory therapist
again this can vary as well but it typically takes about two to four years to become an RT
to do so the student must complete an accredited program which usually takes two years however
most programs require that the student complete prerequisite courses before entering the program
these courses can add an additional year or two to the total time it takes to become a
respiratory therapist from there the candidate must pass the board exams as I mentioned which
can also add additional time for studying and preparation thankfully our videos and
materials can help make that process much easier for students and for the most part
throughout this video I pointed out all the great things about being a respiratory therapist but
it can't be all good right which leads to the question what's the worst part about being an RT
in my opinion one of the worst things about being a respiratory therapist is that the
job can be physically and emotionally demanding respiratory therapists are required to work long
hours and they regularly care for patients who are in a great deal of pain or suffering from a
life-threatening illness it can be tough treating patients who are in their final days which is
definitely one of the most unfortunate parts of the job however to me the rewards of the job do
outweigh the challenges which is why I believe that respiratory therapy is such a great career
rites often get a great deal of satisfaction from helping their patients improve and recover from
their conditions it's definitely a great feeling to be able to help a patient breathe easier if
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there should be some other helpful videos popping up on your screen right about now that I think you
will enjoy and just a quick reminder we are not doctors this video is for informational purposes
only thank you so much for watching have a blessed day and as always be easy my friend