Pulmonologist vs respiratory therapist

The differences between pulmonologists and respiratory therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pulmonologist has an average salary of $297,512, which is higher than the $55,617 average annual salary of a respiratory therapist.

The top three skills for a pulmonologist include internal medicine, EMR and exam rooms. The most important skills for a respiratory therapist are patients, respiratory care, and BLS.

Pulmonologist vs respiratory therapist overview

	Pulmonologist	Respiratory Therapist
Yearly salary	$297,512	$55,617
Hourly rate	$143.03	$26.74
Growth rate	7%	14%
Number of jobs	17,570	33,980
Job satisfaction	-	3.33
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Associate Degree, 70%
Average age	48	46
Years of experience	-	12

Pulmonologist vs respiratory therapist salary

Pulmonologists and respiratory therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pulmonologist	Respiratory Therapist
Average salary	$297,512	$55,617
Salary range	Between $115,000 And $766,000	Between $33,000 And $91,000
Highest paying City	Fargo, ND	Lancaster, CA
Highest paying state	North Dakota	California
Best paying company	Tucson Medical Center	Heartland Home Health Inc.
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between pulmonologist and respiratory therapist education

There are a few differences between a pulmonologist and a respiratory therapist in terms of educational background:

	Pulmonologist	Respiratory Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Associate Degree, 70%
Most common major	Medicine	Medical Technician
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Duke University

Pulmonologist vs respiratory therapist demographics

Here are the differences between pulmonologists' and respiratory therapists' demographics:

	Pulmonologist	Respiratory Therapist
Average age	48	46
Gender ratio	Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7%	Male, 37.5% Female, 62.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 19.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	13%	9%

Differences between pulmonologist and respiratory therapist duties and responsibilities

Pulmonologist example responsibilities.

Perform IM injections, SubQ injections, EKG's, and peak flows.
Use of EKG machine, placement of holter monitors, performance of PT/INR, and lab testing specimen collections.
Prepare necessary correspondence that is related to medical records of patients including sending lab results to outside physicians/hospitals.
Scan and index medical records in the ICS (NextGen).

Respiratory therapist example responsibilities.

Manage ventilators through morning planning and protocols for trauma, ICU, and open heart unit.
Manage artificial airways, mechanically ventilate patients, pulmonary rehab patients and perform CPR in code situations.
Perform diagnostic procedures such as EEG, PFT, and Bronchoscopy.
Perform all aspects of respiratory care from intubation to ventilation, and medication delivery.
Provide critical care services including mechanical ventilation, pulmonary toilet, respiratory pharmacological medicine, overall respiratory evaluation and observation.
Attend and complete ACLS, BLS, and telemetry monitoring certification courses.

Pulmonologist vs respiratory therapist skills

Common pulmonologist skills

Internal Medicine, 64%
EMR, 29%
Exam Rooms, 4%
Family Practice, 3%
Medical History, 0%

Common respiratory therapist skills

Patients, 18%
Respiratory Care, 11%
BLS, 8%
RRT, 7%
Acls, 5%
Ventilation, 4%

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Pulmonologist
Pulmonologist vs Respiratory Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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