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Respiratory care practitioner education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a respiratory care practitioner. Respiratory care practitioners usually study medical technician, business, or nursing. 70% of respiratory care practitioners hold a associate degree, and 21% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 3,933 real respiratory care practitioner resumes to see exactly what respiratory care practitioner education sections show.

The most common colleges for respiratory care practitioners are the Concorde Career College and the Concorde Career College.

There are also many online respiratory care practitioner courses to help get the education required to be a respiratory care practitioner.

There are certain respiratory care practitioner certifications that you should consider. These respiratory care practitioner certifications include Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) and Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS).

What education do you need to become a respiratory care practitioner?

What degree do you need to be a respiratory care practitioner?

The most common degree for respiratory care practitioners is associate degree, with 70% of respiratory care practitioners earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 21% and bachelor's degree degree at 4%.
  • Associate, 70%
  • Bachelor's, 21%
  • Master's, 4%
  • Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a respiratory care practitioner?

You should major in medical technician to become a respiratory care practitioner. 72% of respiratory care practitioners major in medical technician. Other common majors for a respiratory care practitioner include business and nursing.

Most common colleges for respiratory care practitioners

Respiratory care practitioners often get their degrees at Concorde Career College, San Joaquin Valley College, and Pima Medical Institute. Here are the most common colleges for respiratory care practitioners in the US based on their resumes.
Respiratory care practitioner common collegePercentages
Concorde Career College23.56%
San Joaquin Valley College15.14%
Pima Medical Institute13.46%
California College-San Diego8.41%
Independence University4.81%

Best majors for respiratory care practitioners

Best colleges for respiratory care practitioners

The best colleges for respiratory care practitioners are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and University of Tulsa.

A respiratory care practitioner with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for respiratory care practitioners. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become respiratory care practitioners.

1. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

3. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

4. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

7. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

10. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,382

Enrollment

5,597

20 best online courses for respiratory care practitioners

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1. Trauma Emergencies and Care

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Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...

2. Pain Management: Easing Pain in Palliative Care

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In this course, you will be able to develop a systems view for assessing and managing pain in the palliative care setting. By the end of the course, you will be able to: 1) Describe the pain problem in the palliative care setting; 2) Assess a person’s pain, 3) Explain the benefits of integrative therapies and pharmacologic strategies to manage pain...

3. Providing Trauma-Informed Care

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Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors...

4. The Key to Happiness: Self Care

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Discover Self Care as a tool for creating positive change in your mental health, behaviours, and well-being...

5. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course

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The Palliative Care Always Capstone course is designed to let you test your knowledge about palliative and help others understand the value of palliative care, while showing your creative side. In this course, you will impact community awareness about palliative care, promote self-care and wellness, show-off your communication skills in a virtual environment, and finish the course off by proving your thoughts on ways to offer psychosocial support to a patient and family...

6. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children

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Welcome to the final course of lectures in your quest to master EMT basics. In this course, we will cover some of the highest-stress patient populations: pregnant patients and kids, also known as pediatrics. To wrap up your EMT knowledge we will end this course with information about hazmat situations, extricating patients from tight spots and finally how you write a note about your patient care. You will learn to ensure it communicates what your assessment of the patient was, what...

7. Coping Skills and Self-Care for Mental Health

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Essential skills to manage intense emotions and develop a self-care practice to promote mental health...

8. Self-Care Life Coach Certification (Boundary Setting)

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Empower Your Life Coach Your Clients to Develop Self-Care, Self-Love, Boundary Setting and How to Say No...

9. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care

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This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...

10. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes

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COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...

11. Health for All Through Primary Health Care

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This course explores why primary health care is central for achieving Health for All. It provides examples of how primary health care has been instrumental in approaching this goal in selected populations and how the principles of primary health care can guide future policies and actions. Two of the most inspiring, least understood, and most often derided terms in global health discourse are “Health for All” and “Primary Health Care.” In this course, we will explore these terms in the context...

12. Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations

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Have you ever needed health care and thought that there must be better ways to get or deliver health care? For example, have you found yourself thinking that there should be a way to get a diagnostic test or treatment at home? Or do you work in a healthcare organization and find yourself thinking that there must be better ways to deliver health care? If you have, this course is for you. Course content includes an overview of health care delivery including healthcare consumerism, the patient's...

13. Health Care IT: Challenges and Opportunities

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A strong argument can be made that the health care field is one of the most information-intensive sectors in the U.S. economy and avoidance of the rapid advances in information technology is no longer an option. Consequently, the study of health care information technology and systems has become central to health care delivery effectiveness. This course covers the modern application of information technology that is critical to supporting the vision and operational knowledge of the health care...

14. Thinking About Care

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Although all humans require care to develop and thrive, it is rarely the focus of academic studies. This course enriches learner’s understanding of this critical yet underappreciated facet of their lives by addressing such questions as: What is care? Who has traditionally provided it? How valued is care work? Does money take the care out of care work? In addition to advancing learner’s knowledge of the place of care in modern society and controversies surrounding it, Thinking About Care will...

15. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative

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Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...

16. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation

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In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...

17. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale

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Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...

18. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers

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This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...

19. Introduction to Integrative Therapies and Healing Practices

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This introductory course provides a framework for incorporating integrative therapies into your work with clients or patients. By the end of the course, you will be able to assess if integrative therapies are good options in specific situations, as well as educate patients and colleagues about benefits and risks. You will be confident discussing the evidence base for integrative therapies in general, with an understanding of some of the challenges of research in this area, and able to identify...

20. Anatomy: Cardiovascular, Respiratory and Urinary Systems

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In this anatomy course, part of the Anatomy Specialization, you will explore the interactive relationships of the cardiovascular, respiratory and urinary systems, and the roles they play in your body. This course is a primer for the cardiovascular, respiratory, and urinary systems in which students learn the pertinent details of the structures and functions through a combination of lectures, videos, labeling activities and quizzes...

Top 10 most affordable universities for respiratory care practitioners

The most affordable schools for respiratory care practitioners are Brigham Young University, minot state university, and florida international university.

If the best universities for respiratory care practitioners are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for respiratory care practitioners.

1. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

2. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

3. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

4. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. Augusta University

Augusta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$8,604

Cost of attendance

20,618

7. University of Colorado Denver

Denver, CO • Private

In-state tuition

$9,283

Cost of attendance

22,243

8. Maine College of Health Professions

Lewiston, ME • Private

In-state tuition

$12,245

Cost of attendance

18,826

9. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Cost of attendance

24,718

10. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo

Arecibo, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,872

Cost of attendance

13,476

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for respiratory care practitioners

The hardest universities for respiratory care practitioners to get into are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and University of Tulsa.

Some great schools for respiratory care practitioners are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for respiratory care practitioners based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

3. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

4. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

1,304

7. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

59%

SAT average

1,367

8. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,326

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for respiratory care practitioners

The easiest schools for respiratory care practitioners to get into are AdventHealth University, life university, and d'youville college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a respiratory care practitioner without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for respiratory care practitioners.

1. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

2. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

3. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

4. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

5. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

6. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

7. Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Canton, OH • Private

Admissions rate

75%

SAT average

1,085

8. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

9. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

10. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

Average respiratory care practitioner salary by education level

According to our data, respiratory care practitioners with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $65,689 annually. Respiratory care practitioners with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $58,149.
Respiratory care practitioner education levelRespiratory care practitioner salary
Bachelor's Degree$65,689
Some College/ Associate Degree$58,149

Respiratory care practitioner education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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