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What is a respiratory care practitioner and how to become one
Respiratory care practitioners access and treat numerous conditions that affect the respiratory system. They evaluate patients with difficulty breathing. They research, test, and develop new medications. They also care for and treat chronic respiratory diseases, earning a median sum of $57,000 per year or $27 per hour.
Respiratory care practitioners run appropriate diagnostics to figure out the specific pulmonary condition affecting a patient and administer treatment accordingly. They are practically in every aspect of today's health care services and they treat several conditions such as asthma, emphysema, cystic fibrosis, and so on.
They are professionals who are compassionate toward their patients and co-workers. Their analytical and technical skills are also exceptional. It is a rapidly growing profession and, as such, it is highly competitive. They hold a bachelor's degree before they head off into medical school. A license and certification to practice medicine are given after successful completion of medical school and residency.
Avg. Salary $55,702
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 14%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%
Asian 7.04%
Black or African American 9.85%
Hispanic or Latino 14.68%
Unknown 4.16%
White 63.97%
Genderfemale 58.94%
male 41.06%
Age - 47American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 47Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is good
6.4 - fair
Respiratory care practitioner career paths
Key steps to become a respiratory care practitioner
Explore respiratory care practitioner education requirements
Start to develop specific respiratory care practitioner skills
Skills Percentages Patients 14.13% Respiratory Care 8.39% BLS 6.11% Acls 4.93% RCP 4.89% Complete relevant respiratory care practitioner training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New respiratory care practitioners 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 respiratory care practitioner based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real respiratory care practitioner resumes.Obtain the necessary licensing
Becoming a licensed respiratory care practitioner usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed respiratory care practitioner in most of states. 41 states require respiratory care practitioners 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 Research respiratory care practitioner duties and 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.
Prepare your respiratory care practitioner resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your respiratory care practitioner 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 respiratory care practitioner resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable respiratory care practitioner resume templates
Build a professional respiratory care practitioner 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 respiratory care practitioner resume.
Apply for respiratory care practitioner jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a respiratory care practitioner job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first respiratory care practitioner job
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Average respiratory care practitioner salary
The average respiratory care practitioner salary in the United States is $55,702 per year or $27 per hour. Respiratory care practitioner salaries range between $31,000 and $99,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do respiratory care practitioners rate their job?
Respiratory care practitioner reviews
Helping people, utilizing your specialized training, schedule flexibility
Burnout, many in the healthcare system don't take you seriously despite your critical care experience, often in this field supervisors are not strong advocates for your field and bow to the administrators rather than enforce safety policies.
Helping make a difference in someone’s life.
Our field not offering compact license.
Watching a patient improve and sometimes come back for a visit that was once on the brink of death.
The red tape, the disconnect between nursing and respiratory.
Updated January 8, 2025
