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What is a respiratory supervisor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
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Respiratory supervisors work in hospitals or other healthcare facilities administering respiratory support for patients who struggle with their lung capacities. They work under the supervision of licensed physicians. They are primarily responsible for monitoring the patients' breathing and cardiac functions.

Working in this position, it will be your job to recruit and train new employees. You will supervise their schedules and provide them coaching. Apart from carrying out respiratory therapy for patients in need, you will be there to respond to alerts and perform life-saving interventions. Documenting the expenses required for providing this service will also be your duty.

The minimum requirement for this position is an associate's degree in respiratory therapy. Being registered and certified as a respiratory therapist will also be necessary, as well as years of experience in supervising hospital staff. Communication and customer service skills will be essential, and you also have to know your way around budget tracking and statistical analysis to provide financial reports related to your activities.

ScoreRespiratory SupervisorUS Average
Salary
4.7

Avg. Salary $60,604

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
9.9

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 6.45%

Black or African American 11.77%

Hispanic or Latino 13.79%

Unknown 4.12%

White 63.59%

Gender

female 46.45%

male 53.55%

Age - 47
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47
Stress level
9.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
7.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
8.3

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Respiratory supervisor career paths

Key steps to become a respiratory supervisor

  1. Explore respiratory supervisor education requirements

    Most common respiratory supervisor degrees

    Associate

    56.7 %

    Bachelor's

    29.4 %

    Master's

    7.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific respiratory supervisor skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Patients20.00%
    BLS12.15%
    Acls8.29%
    Acute Care5.82%
    NRP4.29%
  3. Complete relevant respiratory supervisor training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New respiratory supervisors 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 supervisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real respiratory supervisor resumes.
  4. Obtain the necessary licensing

    Becoming a licensed respiratory supervisor usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed respiratory supervisor in most of states. 41 states require respiratory supervisors to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.
    StateEducationExamLicense url
    Alabama--Licensed Respiratory Therapist
    ArkansasDegree requiredState exam requiredRespiratory Therapist
    CaliforniaDegree requiredThird-party exam requiredRespiratory Care Practitioner
    ColoradoDegree requiredThird-party exam requiredRespiratory Therapist
    ConnecticutDegree requiredThird-party exam requiredRespiratory Care Practitioner
  5. Research respiratory supervisor duties and responsibilities

    • Manage a staff of 6 therapists , 2.5 FTE's and 3 PRN.
    • Manage DME and respiratory activities for the company.
    • Provide emergency care such as manual ventilation, intubation, and CPR.
    • Assist with neonatal resuscitation and intubation.
  6. Prepare your respiratory supervisor resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your respiratory supervisor 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 supervisor 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 supervisor resume templates

    Build a professional respiratory supervisor 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 supervisor resume.
    Respiratory Supervisor Resume
    Respiratory Supervisor Resume
    Respiratory Supervisor Resume
    Respiratory Supervisor Resume
    Respiratory Supervisor Resume
    Respiratory Supervisor Resume
    Respiratory Supervisor Resume
    Respiratory Supervisor Resume
    Respiratory Supervisor Resume
  7. Apply for respiratory supervisor jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a respiratory supervisor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first respiratory supervisor job

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Average respiratory supervisor salary

The average respiratory supervisor salary in the United States is $60,604 per year or $29 per hour. Respiratory supervisor salaries range between $30,000 and $119,000 per year.

Average respiratory supervisor salary
$60,604 Yearly
$29.14 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do respiratory supervisors rate their job?

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Respiratory supervisor reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2023
Pros

Helping people, utilizing your specialized training, schedule flexibility


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A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2022
Pros

Helping make a difference in someone’s life.

Cons

Our field not offering compact license.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Pros

Like saving lives and health education

Cons

That nobody really knows about our profession and how important it is in the hospital. And how much knowledge we really have about more than just the heart and lungs. Also, if you are out of the hospital for awhile to raise kids, there really isn’t any refresher program and it’s harder to get hired by hospitals


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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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