Chapter 28: Respiratory Care Practitioners

What do Respiratory Therapists do?

-Also known as respiratory care practitioners -Evaluate, treat, and care for patients with breathing or other cardiopulmonary disorders. -Assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care therapeutic treatments and diagnostic procedures, including supervision of respiratory therapy technicians. -Provide complex therapy requiring considerable independent judgment. -Interview patients, perform limited physical examinations, and conduct diagnostic tests. -Test breathing capacity and determine concentration of oxygen and other gases in the blood. -Measure blood pH, which indicates acidity or alkalinity. -Have patients breathe into an instrument that measures volume and flow of oxygen during inhalation and exhalation. -Use oxygen or oxygen mixtures, chest physiotherapy, and aerosol medications. -Teach patients how to inhale aerosol properly to ensure effectiveness. -Apply oxygen masks or nasal cannulas and set the oxygen flow at the level prescribed by a physician. -Connect patients to ventilators that deliver pressurized oxygen into the lungs. -In some hospitals, therapists are involved in pulmonary rehabilitation, smoking-cessation counseling, disease prevention, case management, and polysomnography—the diagnosis of breathing disorders during sleep, such as apnea. -Respiratory therapists also treat critical care patients, either as part of surface and air transport teams or as part of rapid-response teams in hospitals.

Educational and Legal Requirements of Respiratory Therapy Technicians

-An associate's degree generally is required to work as a respiratory therapy technician. -The entry-level requirement is a postsecondary certificate from an accredited school.

Education and Legal Requirements of a Respiratory Therapist...

-Associate's degree is the minimum educational requirement, but a bachelor's or master's degree may be important for advancement. -All states except Alaska and Hawaii require respiratory therapists to be licensed.

What do Respiratory Therapy Technicians do?

-Follow specific, well-defined respiratory care procedures under the direction of respiratory therapists and physicians. -Help to evaluate, treat, and care for patients with breathing or other cardiopulmonary disorders. -Administer oxygen and breathing treatments to ensure patients are breathing properly. -Prepare and test equipment before procedures begin, analyze samples, and maintain patient records.

Licensure and Certification for Respiratory Therapists...

-License is required to practice as a respiratory therapist, except in Alaska and Hawaii. -The National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) offers the certified respiratory therapist (CRT) credential to those who graduate from entry-level or advanced programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) and who pass an exam. -The NBRC also awards the registered respiratory therapist (RRT) to CRTs who have graduated from advanced programs and pass two separate exams. -Supervisory positions and intensive-care specialties usually require RRT.

Respiratory Therapist Technicians Work Environment:

-Typically work between 35 and 40 hours per week -Some healthcare facilities require patient care continuously, requiring technicians to work evenings and weekends. -Direct patient care involves exposure to disease; technicians can minimize risk by following proper hygiene protocols.

Job Prospects for Respiratory Therapy Technicians

Most work in respiratory care is being done by respiratory therapists, resulting in limited demand for respiratory therapy technicians.