Will “Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP)” 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
• Oxygen Therapist
• Inhalation Therapist

Tasks for “Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP)”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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