Will “Oxygen Therapist” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

Job Description

Assess, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders. Assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care modalities, including the supervision of respiratory therapy technicians. Initiate and conduct therapeutic procedures; maintain patient records; and select, assemble, check, and operate equipment.

Job Details

• The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 29-1126.00
• The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 60,640.00
• The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 29.00
• Currently, there are 126,770 people on this job

☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Respiratory Therapists”.

Also Known As…

• Respiratory Therapists
• Staff Therapist
• Staff Respiratory Therapist
• Respiratory Therapy Director
• Respiratory Therapist (RT)
• Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP)
• Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT)
• Clinical Coordinator of Respiratory Therapy
• Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT)
• Cardiopulmonary Technician and EEG Tech (Cardiopulmonary Technician and Electroencephalogram Technician)
• Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Respiratory Therapist
• Inhalation Therapist

Tasks for “Oxygen Therapist”

• Demonstrate respiratory care procedures to trainees or other healthcare personnel.
• Educate patients and their families about their conditions and teach appropriate disease management techniques, such as breathing exercises or the use of medications or respiratory equipment.
• Perform bronchopulmonary drainage and assist or instruct patients in performance of breathing exercises.
• Transport patients to the hospital or within the hospital.
• Enforce safety rules and ensure careful adherence to physicians' orders.
• Monitor cardiac patients, using electrocardiography devices, such as a holter monitor.
• Make emergency visits to resolve equipment problems.
• Perform pulmonary function and adjust equipment to obtain optimum results in therapy.
• Relay blood analysis results to a physician.
• Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information.
• Work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals to manage patient care by assisting with medical procedures or related duties.
• Inspect, clean, test, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently, ordering repairs when necessary.
• Explain treatment procedures to patients to gain cooperation and allay fears.
• Teach, train, supervise, or use the assistance of students, respiratory therapy technicians, or assistants.
• Use a variety of testing techniques to assist doctors in cardiac or pulmonary research or to diagnose disorders.
• Perform endotracheal intubation to maintain open airways for patients who are unable to breathe on their own.
• Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
• Conduct tests, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), stress testing, or lung capacity tests, to evaluate patients' cardiopulmonary functions.
• Set up and operate devices such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.
• Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition.
• Determine requirements for treatment, such as type, method and duration of therapy, precautions to be taken, or medication and dosages, compatible with physicians' orders.
• Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur.

Related Technology & Tools

• Pulmonary function testing PFT equipment
• Volume ventilators
• Bronchoscopes
• Oxygen monitors
• Mechanical stethoscopes
• Humidifiers
• Percussors
• Intra-aortic balloon pumps IABP
• Nasal airways
• Hemodynamic monitors
• Blood gas kits
• Internal positive pressure breathing IPPB machines
• Oxygen hoods
• Bedside spirometers
• Sputum traps
• Endotracheal ET tubes
• Portable flat computers
• Tracheotomy masks
• Oxygen masks
• Personal computers
• Cell savers
• Medical suction equipment
• Ambu bags
• Manual blood pressure equipment
• Incentive spirometers
• Oral airways
• High-frequency ventilators
• Infant incubators
• Oxygen concentrators
• Blood gas machines
• Tourniquets
• Apnea monitors
• Therapeutic treadmill exercisers
• Cannulas
• Oxygen flowmeters
• Christmas tree adapters
• Electronic blood pressure equipment
• Small particle aerosol generators
• Oxygen tents
• Continuous positive airway pressure CPAP ventilators
• Pulse oximeters
• Medical aerosol tents
• Indirect calorimeters
• Medical oxygen masks
• Notebook computers
• Personal digital assistants PDA
• Manometers
• Evacuated blood collection tubes
• Aerosol masks
• Saturation of oxygen SaO2 monitors
• Wright's spirometers
• Electrocardiography EKG units
• Air compressors
• Negative pressure ventilators
• Bilevel positive airway pressure BiPAP ventilators
• Oxygen tanks
• Capillary catheters
• Tracheostomy tubes
• Blood collection syringes
• Nebulizers
• Surgical suits
• Oxygen regulators

• Electronic medical record EMR software
• Microsoft Office
• Database software
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Outlook
• Calendar and scheduling software
• Microsoft Excel
• HMS
• MEDITECH software