What is a certified respiratory therapist and how to become one

Key steps to become a certified respiratory therapist

1. Explore certified respiratory therapist education requirements

   Most common certified respiratory therapist degrees

   Associate

   74.2 %

   Bachelor's

   14.8 %

   Certificate

   3.2 %

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2. Start to develop specific certified respiratory therapist skills

   Skills	Percentages
   Patients	21.68%
   Respiratory Care	10.98%
   BLS	8.37%
   Life Support	4.81%
   CRT	4.56%

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3. Complete relevant certified respiratory therapist training and internships

   Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New certified respiratory therapists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a certified respiratory therapist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real certified respiratory therapist resumes.

4. Obtain the necessary licensing

   Becoming a licensed certified respiratory therapist usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed certified respiratory therapist in most of states. 41 states require certified respiratory therapists to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

   State	Education	Exam	License url
   Alabama	-	-	Licensed Respiratory Therapist
   Arkansas	Degree required	State exam required	Respiratory Therapist
   California	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Respiratory Care Practitioner
   Colorado	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Respiratory Therapist
   Connecticut	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Respiratory Care Practitioner

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5. Research certified respiratory therapist duties and responsibilities

   • Manage and maintain tracheostomy vent dependent patients.
   • Perform airway management and intubations need for ACLS patients.
   • Provide education and instructions for CPAP and BIPAP patients about the actual disease process then report results to referring physician.
   • Order HME equipment for patients (oxygen, CPAP's etc . )

6. Prepare your certified respiratory therapist resume

   When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your certified respiratory therapist resume.

   You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a certified respiratory therapist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

   Choose from 10+ customizable certified respiratory therapist resume templates

   Build a professional certified respiratory therapist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your certified respiratory therapist resume.
   

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7. Apply for certified respiratory therapist jobs

   Now it's time to start searching for a certified respiratory therapist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

   1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
   2. Consult your professional network
   3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
   4. Watch out for job scams