Will “Staff Respiratory 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
• 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
• Staff Respiratory Therapist
• Oxygen Therapist
• Inhalation Therapist

Tasks for “Staff Respiratory Therapist”

• Enforce safety rules and ensure careful adherence to physicians' orders.
• 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.
• Use a variety of testing techniques to assist doctors in cardiac or pulmonary research or to diagnose disorders.
• 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.
• 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.
• Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
• Monitor cardiac patients, using electrocardiography devices, such as a holter monitor.
• Perform bronchopulmonary drainage and assist or instruct patients in performance of breathing exercises.
• Transport patients to the hospital or within the hospital.
• 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.
• Make emergency visits to resolve equipment problems.
• Perform pulmonary function and adjust equipment to obtain optimum results in therapy.
• Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition.
• Relay blood analysis results to a physician.
• Inspect, clean, test, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently, ordering repairs when necessary.
• Teach, train, supervise, or use the assistance of students, respiratory therapy technicians, or assistants.
• Explain treatment procedures to patients to gain cooperation and allay fears.
• Demonstrate respiratory care procedures to trainees or other healthcare personnel.
• 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.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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