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”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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