Who do respiratory therapists work with?

Respiratory therapists work with doctors, nurses, respiratory assistants, and other healthcare professionals. Here is a closer look at the variety of medical professionals that a respiratory therapist works with:

• Doctors. Respiratory therapists might work with a long list of doctors, including private physicians, specialists, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare providers to organize and coordinate patient care activities, such as assessing patients, diagnosing respiratory conditions, and developing unique respiratory treatment plans.
• Nurses. Respiratory therapists often collaborate with nurses to provide patient care to people that are experiencing respiratory issues. They might work with nurses to monitor a patient's vital signs and administer medications. There are specific nurses that specialize in respiratory issues and others for more general duties.
• Respiratory assistants. Respiratory therapists often work with respiratory therapy assistants. These helpful professionals assist respiratory therapists in respiratory-related patient care tasks, such as showing patients how to use inhalers and teaching them breathing exercises and techniques.
• Other healthcare professionals. Respiratory therapists can work alongside a range of medical and healthcare professionals. The list is too long to detail here and depends on the therapist's location of employment. However, some common collaborators include speech language pathologists, physical therapists, and pharmacists.