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Respiratory therapist assistant education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a respiratory therapist assistant. Respiratory therapist assistants usually study medical technician, business, or general studies. 43% of respiratory therapist assistants hold a associate degree, and 33% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 257 real respiratory therapist assistant resumes to see exactly what respiratory therapist assistant education sections show.
The most common colleges for respiratory therapist assistants are the Stevens - Henager College and the Stevens - Henager College.
There are also many online respiratory therapist assistant courses to help get the education required to be a respiratory therapist assistant.
There are certain respiratory therapist assistant certifications that you should consider. These respiratory therapist assistant certifications include Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) and Medical Assistant.
What education do you need to become a respiratory therapist assistant?
What degree do you need to be a respiratory therapist assistant?
- Associate, 43%
- Bachelor's, 33%
- High School Diploma, 12%
- Master's, 3%
- Other Degrees, 9%
What should I major in to become a respiratory therapist assistant?
- Medical Technician, 38%
- Business, 6%
- General Studies, 6%
- Other Majors, 46%
Most common colleges for respiratory therapist assistants
| Respiratory therapist assistant common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Stevens - Henager College | 13.89% |
| University of Phoenix | 11.11% |
| Weber State University | 8.33% |
| Azusa Pacific University | 8.33% |
| Daymar College - Bowling Green | 5.56% |
Best majors for respiratory therapist assistants
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical Technician | 38.0% |
| 2 | Business | 6.5% |
| 3 | General Studies | 6.5% |
| 4 | Health Sciences And Services | 3.7% |
| 5 | Health Care Administration | 3.7% |
Best colleges for respiratory therapist assistants
The best colleges for respiratory therapist assistants are Northwestern University, New York University, and Vanderbilt University.
A respiratory therapist assistant 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 therapist assistants. 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 therapist assistants.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$15,730
Enrollment
18,830
3. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce
Mercedita, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,914
Enrollment
4,155
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. Clarkson College
Omaha, NE • Private
In-state tuition
$13,392
Enrollment
646
6. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo
Arecibo, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,872
Enrollment
3,553
7. Jefferson College of Health Sciences
Roanoke, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$26,886
Enrollment
774
8. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
9. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$10,726
Enrollment
45,769
10. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Barranquitas
Barranquitas, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,902
Enrollment
1,513
20 best online courses for respiratory therapist assistants
Advertising disclosure
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6. Medical Emergencies: CPR, Toxicology, and Wilderness
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) Identify the signs and symptoms associated with a patient in shock, to describe the major categories of shock, to assess a patient with signs of shock and formulate a plan for treatment to stabilize the patient for transport, (2) Identify a patient in cardiac arrest and to describe the components of high performance CPR...
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10. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
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...
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20. A Specialty Approach to Learning Medical Billing and Coding
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Top 10 most affordable universities for respiratory therapist assistants
The most affordable schools for respiratory therapist assistants are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and florida international university.
If the best universities for respiratory therapist assistants 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 therapist assistants.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
3. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
4. Louisiana State University at Alexandria
Alexandria, LA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,668
Cost of attendance
14,488
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$9,233
Cost of attendance
18,110
7. University of Colorado Denver
Denver, CO • Private
In-state tuition
$9,283
Cost of attendance
22,243
8. Trident University International
Cypress, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$9,240
Cost of attendance
17,912
9. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo
Arecibo, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,872
Cost of attendance
13,476
10. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce
Mercedita, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,914
Cost of attendance
13,564
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for respiratory therapist assistants
The hardest universities for respiratory therapist assistants to get into are Northwestern University, New York University, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for respiratory therapist assistants 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 therapist assistants 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. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
3. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
4. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT • Private
Admissions rate
49%
SAT average
1,318
8. University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
59%
SAT average
1,367
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
60%
SAT average
1,303
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for respiratory therapist assistants
The easiest schools for respiratory therapist assistants to get into are AdventHealth University, d'youville college, and university of the incarnate word.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a respiratory therapist assistant 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 therapist assistants.
1. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
2. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
3. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
4. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
5. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
6. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
7. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
8. Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,033
9. Washington Adventist Hospital
Takoma Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
52%
SAT average
958
10. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
Average respiratory therapist assistant salary by education level
| Respiratory therapist assistant education level | Respiratory therapist assistant salary |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | $62,678 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $55,036 |
Respiratory therapist assistant education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025