Respiratory care assistant vs respiratory care practitioner

The differences between respiratory care assistants and respiratory care practitioners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a respiratory care assistant and a respiratory care practitioner. Additionally, a respiratory care practitioner has an average salary of $55,702, which is higher than the $33,491 average annual salary of a respiratory care assistant.

The top three skills for a respiratory care assistant include patients, CPR and RRT. The most important skills for a respiratory care practitioner are patients, respiratory care, and BLS.

Respiratory care assistant vs respiratory care practitioner overview

	Respiratory Care Assistant	Respiratory Care Practitioner
Yearly salary	$33,491	$55,702
Hourly rate	$16.10	$26.78
Growth rate	16%	14%
Number of jobs	134,726	99,895
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 47%	Associate Degree, 70%
Average age	37	46
Years of experience	12	12

Respiratory care assistant vs respiratory care practitioner salary

Respiratory care assistants and respiratory care practitioners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Respiratory Care Assistant	Respiratory Care Practitioner
Average salary	$33,491	$55,702
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $48,000	Between $31,000 And $99,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between respiratory care assistant and respiratory care practitioner education

There are a few differences between a respiratory care assistant and a respiratory care practitioner in terms of educational background:

	Respiratory Care Assistant	Respiratory Care Practitioner
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 47%	Associate Degree, 70%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Medical Technician
Most common college	-	Duke University

Respiratory care assistant vs respiratory care practitioner demographics

Here are the differences between respiratory care assistants' and respiratory care practitioners' demographics:

	Respiratory Care Assistant	Respiratory Care Practitioner
Average age	37	46
Gender ratio	Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4%	Male, 41.1% Female, 58.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 9.6% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	6%	9%

Differences between respiratory care assistant and respiratory care practitioner duties and responsibilities

Respiratory care assistant example responsibilities.

Experience using BIPAP, CPAP, MetaNeb, IPPB
Perform routine and stat EKG testing.
Administer breathing treatments to patients in the trauma center under the watch of a respiratory therapist.
Administer medications via nebulizer, as well as, participate in other forms of intermittent non-invasive patient care.
Maintain intubation equipment and ambulation bags.
Work with mechanical vents and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation ..

Respiratory care practitioner example responsibilities.

Conduct therapeutic procedures to maintain a patent airway, remove via suctioning of secretions, to achieve adequate ventilation & oxygenation.
Administer therapeutic and diagnostic respiratory care and life support for patients with cardiopulmonary deficiencies and abnormalities.
Certify in BLS and CPR.
Provide emergency care, including CPR, ACLS and assisting physician with intubations.
Provide emergency care, artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Adhere to respiratory treatment protocols to ensure the delivery of high-quality respiratory care services to patients.

Respiratory care assistant vs respiratory care practitioner skills

Common respiratory care assistant skills

Patients, 54%
CPR, 9%
RRT, 5%
EKG, 4%
Direct Patient Care, 4%
Resuscitation, 3%

Common respiratory care practitioner skills

Patients, 14%
Respiratory Care, 8%
BLS, 6%
Acls, 5%
RCP, 5%
RRT, 5%

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Zippia Careers
Healthcare Support Industry
Respiratory Care Assistant
Respiratory Care Assistant vs Respiratory Care Practitioner

Updated January 8, 2025

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