What is a respiratory therapy technician and how to become one

Key steps to become a respiratory therapy technician

1. Explore respiratory therapy technician education requirements

   Most common respiratory therapy technician degrees

   Associate

   48.4 %

   Bachelor's

   36.3 %

   Diploma

   4.7 %

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2. Start to develop specific respiratory therapy technician skills

   Skills	Percentages
   Patients	23.78%
   BLS	9.80%
   Acls	8.61%
   CPR	7.34%
   Life Support	6.91%

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3. Complete relevant respiratory therapy technician training and internships

   Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New respiratory therapy technicians 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 therapy technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real respiratory therapy technician resumes.

4. Obtain the necessary licensing

   Becoming a licensed respiratory therapy technician usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed respiratory therapy technician in most of states. 41 states require respiratory therapy technicians to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

   State	Education	Exam	License url
   Alabama	-	-	Licensed Respiratory Therapist
   Arkansas	Degree required	State exam required	Respiratory Therapist
   California	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Respiratory Care Practitioner
   Colorado	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Respiratory Therapist
   Connecticut	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Respiratory Care Practitioner

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5. Research respiratory therapy technician duties and responsibilities

   • Manage and maintain tracheostomy vent dependent patients.
   • Perform routine pulmonary testing including EKG, holter monitor, bedside PFT and ABG.
   • Care for long term care of ventilator patients and tracheostomy patients ensuring their safety upon transfer to another facility or home.
   • Administer and monitor oxygen and/or aerosol therapy.assist physicians in instituting and maintaining continuous ventilation.

6. Prepare your respiratory therapy technician resume

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

   Build a professional respiratory therapy technician 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 therapy technician resume.
   

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7. Apply for respiratory therapy technician jobs

   Now it's time to start searching for a respiratory therapy technician 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