Will “Respiratory Therapy Director” 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 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
• Respiratory Therapy Director
• Oxygen Therapist
• Inhalation Therapist

Tasks for “Respiratory Therapy Director”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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