What does a respiratory care practitioner do?
A Respiratory Care Practitioner assesses and treats patients with pulmonary diseases. They diagnose lung and breathing disorders and recommend treatment methods.
Respiratory care practitioner responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real respiratory care practitioner resumes:
- 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.
- Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
- Home care sales and Rrt.
- Provide care in the ICU and general floor.
- Respond to all code situations and participate in ACLS.
- Perform EKG's, ABG's and follow chest pain protocols.
- Educate and assess patients with COPD and other respiratory disease processes.
- Maintain respiratory license and BLS card and perform on call duties as required.
- Stock respiratory supplies and equipment in all ICU and general floor storage areas.
- Respond and assist to emergency and code situations (CPR, airway management).
Respiratory care practitioner skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Respiratory Care Practitioners are proficient in Patients, Respiratory Care, and BLS. They’re also known for soft skills such as Compassion, Patience, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Respiratory Care Practitioners that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 14%
Adhered to respiratory treatment protocols to ensure the delivery of high-quality respiratory care services to patients.
- Respiratory Care, 8%
Provide respiratory care involving the application of well-defined therapeutic techniques under the supervision of a respiratory therapist and a physician.
- BLS, 6%
Registered Respiratory Therapist-NBRC - BLS, ACLS, PALS and NRP Certification
- Acls, 5%
Received certificates in ACLS, NRP, PALS.
- RCP, 5%
Charge RCP II-Routine 12 lead EKG's-Cardiac post-surgical ventilator management and liberation via therapist driven protocols-Experience with therapist driven protocols
- RRT, 5%
Earned my CRT followed by my RRT.
"patients," "respiratory care," and "bls" are among the most common skills that respiratory care practitioners use at work. You can find even more respiratory care practitioner responsibilities below, including:
Compassion. One of the key soft skills for a respiratory care practitioner to have is compassion. You can see how this relates to what respiratory care practitioners do because "respiratory therapists should be able to provide emotional support to patients undergoing treatment." Additionally, a respiratory care practitioner resume shows how respiratory care practitioners use compassion: "received organization accolade for patient safety, compassion, empathy, and collaboration. "
Patience. Many respiratory care practitioner duties rely on patience. "respiratory therapists may work for long periods with patients who need special attention.," so a respiratory care practitioner will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways respiratory care practitioner responsibilities rely on patience: "treat asthmatic patience, assisted and monitor sleep apnea machine on patience under physician order. "
Problem-solving skills. respiratory care practitioners are also known for problem-solving skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to respiratory care practitioner responsibilities, because "respiratory therapists must evaluate patients’ symptoms, consult with other healthcare professionals, and recommend and administer the appropriate treatments." A respiratory care practitioner resume example shows how problem-solving skills is used in the workplace: "started soporex sleep solutions cpap supply program. "
Detail oriented. Another common skill required for respiratory care practitioner responsibilities is "detail oriented." This skill comes up in the duties of respiratory care practitioners all the time, as "respiratory therapists must stay focused to ensure that a patient receives appropriate treatments and medications." An excerpt from a real respiratory care practitioner resume shows how this skill is central to what a respiratory care practitioner does: "oriented new staff to nicu and adult icu provided respiratory support on transport for critically ill neonates. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill commonly found on respiratory care practitioner job descriptions is "interpersonal skills." It can come up quite often in respiratory care practitioner duties, since "respiratory therapists interact and build relationships with patients." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day respiratory care practitioner responsibilities: "demonstrated excellent interpersonal skills that prioritized individualized care and communication amongst diverse patient population, respectful of culture and belief systems. "
The three companies that hire the most respiratory care practitioners are:
- Houston Methodist102 respiratory care practitioners jobs
- SSM Health85 respiratory care practitioners jobs
- RWJBarnabas Health51 respiratory care practitioners jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable respiratory care practitioner resume templates
Build a professional respiratory care practitioner resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your respiratory care practitioner resume.
Compare different respiratory care practitioners
Respiratory care practitioner vs. Staff therapist
A staff therapist is someone who assists in the treatment of patients using electrical stimulation, exercise, and other means of electrotherapy to regain their bodily functions. The core skills that a staff therapist should possess to accomplish their responsibilities include a keen eye for details and excellent mathematical and problem-solving skills. The job's education requirements include completing a physical therapy program and possessing a bachelor's degree in medical technician, physical work, occupational therapy, or a related field.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a respiratory care practitioner are more likely to require skills like "bls," "acls," "rcp," and "rrt." On the other hand, a job as a staff therapist requires skills like "individual therapy," "mental health," "group therapy," and "crisis intervention." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Staff therapists really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $55,251. Comparatively, respiratory care practitioners tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $58,106.On average, staff therapists reach higher levels of education than respiratory care practitioners. Staff therapists are 23.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 2.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Respiratory care practitioner vs. Clinical coordinator of respiratory therapy
A respiratory supervisor is tasked with the job of administering life support and respiratory therapy to patients with abnormalities, deficiencies, and injuries of the cardiopulmonary system. They work under the supervision of the physician in charge. They monitor patients' conditions and report to the medical team or nurses. Their duties and responsibilities also include assigning, training, supervising, and counseling employees.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, respiratory care practitioner responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "patients," "respiratory care," "acls," and "rrt." Meanwhile, a clinical coordinator of respiratory therapy has duties that require skills in areas such as "respiratory therapy," "airway," "direct patient care," and "icu." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Clinical coordinator of respiratory therapies tend to reach similar levels of education than respiratory care practitioners. In fact, they're 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for respiratory care practitioners in the next 3-5 years?
Karen Schell
President, American Association for Respiratory Care
Respiratory care practitioner vs. Certified respiratory therapist
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from respiratory care practitioner resumes include skills like "rcp," "rrt," "nrp," and "acute care," whereas a certified respiratory therapist is more likely to list skills in "crt," "physical therapy," "respiratory treatments," and "medical equipment. "
Certified respiratory therapists earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $54,094. Respiratory care practitioners earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $58,106.When it comes to education, certified respiratory therapists tend to earn similar degree levels compared to respiratory care practitioners. In fact, they're 1.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Respiratory care practitioner vs. Respiratory supervisor
Even though a few skill sets overlap between respiratory care practitioners and respiratory supervisors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a respiratory care practitioner might have more use for skills like "rcp," "rrt," "life support," and "pulmonary function." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of respiratory supervisors require skills like "departmental policies," "direct patient care," "performance evaluations," and "staff development. "
In general, respiratory supervisors hold similar degree levels compared to respiratory care practitioners. Respiratory supervisors are 3.8% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of respiratory care practitioner
Updated January 8, 2025
