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Hospitals
HCA Healthcare, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic
Respiratory Therapists
Respiratory therapists help patients who are struggling to breathe by setting up oxygen therapy, ventilators, and breathing treatments, often in urgent or high-stakes settings. The work is hands-on and clinical, with a big tradeoff: you get direct impact and steady demand, but you also have to stay calm around sick patients, equipment problems, and emergency calls.
Also known as Registered Respiratory TherapistRespiratory Care PractitionerCertified Respiratory TherapistStaff Respiratory TherapistRespiratory Care Therapist
Median Salary
$80,450
Mean $84,260
U.S. Workforce
~136K
8.8K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+12.1%
139.6K to 156.4K
Entry Education
Associate's degree
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Respiratory Therapists sits in the Healthcare category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~136K workers, with a median annual pay of $80,450 and roughly 8.8K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 139.6 K in 2024 to 156.4K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Associate's degree in respiratory therapy, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Respiratory Therapy Assistant / Student and can progress toward Respiratory Care Manager. High-value skills usually include Mechanical Ventilators & Airway Support Equipment, Active Listening, and Pulse Oximetry, Capnography & Blood Gas Analysis, paired with soft skills such as Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Monitoring.
Core Responsibilities
- Explain breathing treatments and oxygen equipment to patients so they understand what will happen and feel less anxious.
- Set up, clean, test, and keep ventilators, nebulizers, and other breathing equipment working safely.
- Watch a patient's breathing, oxygen levels, and blood test results, then alert the medical team if something looks wrong.
- Run lung function tests and other cardiopulmonary checks to see how well a patient is breathing and how treatment is working.
Keep exploring: more Healthcare careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Explain breathing treatments and oxygen equipment to patients so they understand what will happen and feel less anxious.
02 Set up, clean, test, and keep ventilators, nebulizers, and other breathing equipment working safely.
03 Watch a patient's breathing, oxygen levels, and blood test results, then alert the medical team if something looks wrong.
04 Run lung function tests and other cardiopulmonary checks to see how well a patient is breathing and how treatment is working.
05 Respond quickly when respiratory equipment fails or needs urgent adjustments, including making emergency trips if needed.
06 Work closely with doctors, nurses, and trainees while keeping clear records of treatments and patient responses.
Industries That Hire
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Health Systems and Academic Medical Centers
Kaiser Permanente, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Mass General Brigham
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Home Health and Durable Medical Equipment
Lincare, Apria Healthcare, AdaptHealth
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Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care
Encompass Health, Select Medical, Genesis HealthCare
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Children's Hospitals
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Boston Children's Hospital, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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Pay is solid for a role that typically starts with an associate's degree: the median is $80,450 and the mean is $84,260.
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The job outlook is healthy, with employment projected to grow 12.1% and about 8.8 thousand annual openings.
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You do not need prior work experience or on-the-job training to enter, which makes the path more accessible than many healthcare jobs.
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The work is very hands-on, so you can see the effect of your care quickly when a patient breathes easier or oxygen levels improve.
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No two shifts look exactly the same; you may move between bedside care, testing, equipment checks, and teamwork with nurses and physicians.
Challenges
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The job can be physically and emotionally demanding because you work with very sick patients, urgent problems, and equipment that has to work correctly the first time.
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Shifts can include nights, weekends, and emergency calls, and the work can spill over into after-hours equipment troubleshooting.
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There is real exposure to respiratory illness and other hospital hazards, so the environment is not low-risk or low-stress.
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The career ladder can flatten unless you move into management, education, or a specialty area, so advancement is not automatic.
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Most jobs are tied to hospitals and health systems, so openings can be uneven by location even when national demand is growing.
Career Progression
Respiratory Therapy Assistant / Student
0-2 years
$36K-$48K
Learners and assistants support basic setup, patient prep, and equipment handling while building the clinical foundation for licensure.
Respiratory Therapist
2-5 years
$73K-$92K
You handle routine and urgent respiratory care, run tests, monitor responses, and work directly with patients in hospitals or clinics.
Senior Respiratory Therapist THIS ROLE
5-8 years
$92K-$109K
Experienced therapists take on more complex cases, help with difficult ventilator management, and often guide newer staff.
Respiratory Care Manager
8+ years
$110K-$135K
Managers oversee staffing, quality, equipment, and policies, with less bedside work and more scheduling, training, and coordination.
Education Paths
Associate's degree in respiratory therapy
This is the main entry point, used by 82.75% of workers in the field.
Bachelor's degree in respiratory therapy or a related health field
A smaller group, 11.69%, enter with a bachelor's degree, which can help with advancement into leadership or specialized care.
Post-secondary certificate in respiratory care
A certificate route is used by 5.15% of workers and can work well when combined with state licensing and credentialing requirements.
State licensure and NBRC credentialing
Many employers also expect state licensure and National Board for Respiratory Care credentials, even when the formal education route is an associate's degree or certificate.
Key Skills
Technical
Mechanical Ventilators & Airway Support Equipment 78%
Active Listening 78%
Pulse Oximetry, Capnography & Blood Gas Analysis 77%
Pulmonary Function Testing Equipment 74%
Electronic Health Records (Epic, Cerner) & Clinical Documentation 72%
Oxygen Delivery Systems, Nebulizers & Aerosol Therapy 72%
EKGs, Stress Testing & Cardiopulmonary Monitoring 71%
Soft Skills
Active ListeningCritical ThinkingMonitoringSpeakingActive LearningSocial Perceptiveness Job Outlook and Trends
+12.1%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
8.8K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 139.6K to 156.4 K over the next decade, representing 12.1% growth. Around 8.8 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Rare. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.