Respiratory technician vs respiratory therapist

The differences between respiratory technicians and respiratory therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a respiratory therapist has an average salary of $55,617, which is higher than the $37,757 average annual salary of a respiratory technician.

The top three skills for a respiratory technician include patients, respiratory care and CPR. The most important skills for a respiratory therapist are patients, respiratory care, and BLS.

Respiratory technician vs respiratory therapist overview

	Respiratory Technician	Respiratory Therapist
Yearly salary	$37,757	$55,617
Hourly rate	$18.15	$26.74
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	45,616	33,980
Job satisfaction	-	3.33
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	Associate Degree, 70%
Average age	43	46
Years of experience	-	12

Respiratory technician vs respiratory therapist salary

Respiratory technicians and respiratory therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Respiratory Technician	Respiratory Therapist
Average salary	$37,757	$55,617
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $58,000	Between $33,000 And $91,000
Highest paying City	-	Lancaster, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Heartland Home Health Inc.
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between respiratory technician and respiratory therapist education

There are a few differences between a respiratory technician and a respiratory therapist in terms of educational background:

	Respiratory Technician	Respiratory Therapist
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	Associate Degree, 70%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Medical Technician
Most common college	Emory University	Duke University

Respiratory technician vs respiratory therapist demographics

Here are the differences between respiratory technicians' and respiratory therapists' demographics:

	Respiratory Technician	Respiratory Therapist
Average age	43	46
Gender ratio	Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%	Male, 37.5% Female, 62.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.5% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	8%	9%

Differences between respiratory technician and respiratory therapist duties and responsibilities

Respiratory technician example responsibilities.

Provide aerosol therapy, bronchial hygiene, ventilator setup, CPR, and any other career relate requirements.
Fit patient for CPAP mask, educate on equipment.
Complete EKG's, treadmill heart testing and asthma testing.
Set the CPAP machine for each individual and fit him or her with proper masks.
Administer respiratory medications, CPR, and therapeutic processes, in an ethical, orderly fashion.
Provide respiratory assistance with ventilation and medication.

Respiratory therapist example responsibilities.

Manage ventilators through morning planning and protocols for trauma, ICU, and open heart unit.
Manage artificial airways, mechanically ventilate patients, pulmonary rehab patients and perform CPR in code situations.
Perform diagnostic procedures such as EEG, PFT, and Bronchoscopy.
Perform all aspects of respiratory care from intubation to ventilation, and medication delivery.
Provide critical care services including mechanical ventilation, pulmonary toilet, respiratory pharmacological medicine, overall respiratory evaluation and observation.
Attend and complete ACLS, BLS, and telemetry monitoring certification courses.

Respiratory technician vs respiratory therapist skills

Common respiratory technician skills

Patients, 27%
Respiratory Care, 13%
CPR, 5%
EKG, 5%
Life Support, 5%
Nebulizer, 3%

Common respiratory therapist skills

Patients, 18%
Respiratory Care, 11%
BLS, 8%
RRT, 7%
Acls, 5%
Ventilation, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Respiratory Technician
Respiratory Technician vs Respiratory Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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