Respiratory care practitioner vs respiratory director

The differences between respiratory care practitioners and respiratory directors 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 practitioner and a respiratory director. Additionally, a respiratory director has an average salary of $75,123, which is higher than the $55,702 average annual salary of a respiratory care practitioner.

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

Respiratory care practitioner vs respiratory director overview

	Respiratory Care Practitioner	Respiratory Director
Yearly salary	$55,702	$75,123
Hourly rate	$26.78	$36.12
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	99,895	24,790
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 70%	Associate Degree, 58%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	12	12

Respiratory care practitioner vs respiratory director salary

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

	Respiratory Care Practitioner	Respiratory Director
Average salary	$55,702	$75,123
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $99,000	Between $52,000 And $108,000
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 practitioner and respiratory director education

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

	Respiratory Care Practitioner	Respiratory Director
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 70%	Associate Degree, 58%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Medical Technician
Most common college	Duke University	University of Southern California

Respiratory care practitioner vs respiratory director demographics

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

	Respiratory Care Practitioner	Respiratory Director
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 41.1% Female, 58.9%	Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between respiratory care practitioner and respiratory director duties and responsibilities

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 director example responsibilities.

Manage ventilated-dependent patients, assist with ventilator transports, prepare equipment for decontamination, bronchial hygiene management
Conduct therapeutic procedures to maintain a patent airway, remove via suctioning of secretions, to achieve adequate ventilation & oxygenation.
Organize efforts for JCAHO accreditation.
Perform ABG draws and run results, monitor and maintain IRMA blood gas machine.
Operate and monitor patients on mechanical ventilator, CPAP/BiPAP, bedside PFT, arterial blood gas (i-STAT).
Certify and proficient in tracheostomy insertion and replacement.

Respiratory care practitioner vs respiratory director skills

Common respiratory care practitioner skills

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

Common respiratory director skills

Patients, 32%
EKG, 8%
RRT, 7%
Acute Care, 4%
Acls, 4%
Direct Patient Care, 3%

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Respiratory Care Practitioner vs Respiratory Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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