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)
• 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
• Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP)
• Oxygen Therapist
• Inhalation Therapist

Tasks for “Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP)”

• 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.
• Perform bronchopulmonary drainage and assist or instruct patients in performance of breathing exercises.
• Teach, train, supervise, or use the assistance of students, respiratory therapy technicians, or assistants.
• 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.
• Relay blood analysis results to a physician.
• 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.
• Explain treatment procedures to patients to gain cooperation and allay fears.
• Transport patients to the hospital or within the hospital.
• Monitor cardiac patients, using electrocardiography devices, such as a holter monitor.
• Conduct tests, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), stress testing, or lung capacity tests, to evaluate patients' cardiopulmonary functions.
• Make emergency visits to resolve equipment problems.
• Perform endotracheal intubation to maintain open airways for patients who are unable to breathe on their own.
• 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.
• Perform pulmonary function and adjust equipment to obtain optimum results in therapy.
• 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.
• Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
• Demonstrate respiratory care procedures to trainees or other healthcare personnel.
• Determine requirements for treatment, such as type, method and duration of therapy, precautions to be taken, or medication and dosages, compatible with physicians' orders.
• Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition.
• Inspect, clean, test, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently, ordering repairs when necessary.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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