Respiratory Therapy Technician

Working Schedule

• Respiratory Therapy Technicians work indoors with occasional travel required, depending on their duties. They work full-time and may expect evening, weekend, or holiday shifts. 

Typical Duties

• Communicate with patients about their breathing problems and treatment
• Run medical diagnostics such as blood gas analysis to determine oxygen levels
• Use electrocardiograms, conduct stress testing, measure patient lung capacity
• Help diagnose medical conditions
• Work with medical staff and generate viable treatment options to include therapy and medications
• Perform chest physiotherapy to loosen and dislodge mucus
• Track patient progress and perform follow-ups
• Perform endotracheal intubation; connect patients to ventilators when needed for oxygen delivery
• Assess patient response to treatment
• Operate applicable equipment such as aerosol generators, mechanical ventilators, or gas administration apparatus
• Additional Responsibilities
• Education patients on proper breathing apparatus and medicine usage
• Conduct home visits to assess conditions and provide further training 
• Teach patients and family members about the risks of smoking 
• Train new staff members as needed
• Aid with cardiopulmonary resuscitation 
• Instruct patients on breathing techniques 

Soft Skills

• Clear communication skills 
• Compassion and empathy
• Critical thinking
• Cultural sensitivity and awareness
• Desire to help ill patients
• Good listening skills 
• Patience
• Persistent 
• Reasoning abilities to figure out problems
• Resilience and composure; able to operate under pressure
• Resourcefulness 
• Skills for coordinating and instructing activities
• Sound judgment and decision-making, sometimes under pressure

Technical Skills

• Respiratory Therapy Technicians must know how to use a vast area of equipment, such as:
• Adult or pediatric intensive care ventilators, apnea monitors, arterial blood gas monitors, and autotransfusion units
• Bedside pulmonary function screeners, blood collection syringes bronchoscopes, cardiac output monitoring units, and chest percussors
• Oxygen delivery connectors and monitors
• Nebulizers, and noninvasive continuous positive air pressure machines
• Medical aerosol tents, gas cylinders, oxygen masks, suction/vacuum appliances, and mercury blood pressure units
• Clinical incubators, electrocardiography devices, electronic blood pressure units, endotracheal tubes, flow sensors, and ventilators
• Intermittent positive pressure breathing machines, intraaortic balloon pumps, and stethoscopes
• Sputum collection apparatus, tracheostomy tubes, treadmill exercisers, and vacuum blood collection tubes 
• Pulmonary functioning tubing, pulse oximeter units, humidifiers and vaporizers, therapy compressors, resuscitation masks, and spirometers
• Electronic medical record software

• Hospitals
• Nursing care facilities
• Doctors’ offices

Respiratory Therapy Technicians provide lifesaving medical assistance to patients, which can be a stressful experience. They’re expected to maintain composure and perform duties effectively, no matter what person they’re treating is experiencing. For example, the patient might stop breathing right in front of them. This can demand a level of emotional detachment during the situation, and those pent-up feelings of stress, fear, sadness, or anxiety will eventually want to come out. It’s important for workers in this career field to take care of their own wellness needs and manage their stress levels. 
 
There’s also the risk of exposure to infectious disease and other contagions when treating patients. In particular, those with lung conditions may cough a lot, spewing germs into the air surrounding them. For this reason, Respiratory Therapy Technicians should always do a careful assessment before treating their patient, and determine the proper personal protective equipment or mask to wear, when needed. 

Respiratory Therapy Technicians have been in high demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The job outlook is expected to expand as much as 19% in the coming decade, which is substantially higher than most fields. This is not simply because of the effect of the coronavirus, but also because people are living longer, but not necessarily healthier, lives. 
 
As a result, patients may develop any number of respiratory conditions requiring treatment and therapy from trained professionals. This may include increasingly providing care in non-hospital areas, such as nursing homes. 
 
Other trends include a focus on early detection and prevention, and continuing focus on air pollution and anti-smoking educational awareness. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts an emphasis on certification and a willingness to travel to rural areas. 

Respiratory Therapy Technicians are devoted to helping others in their time of greatest need. These frontline workers may have always had a desire to come to the rescue of others, perhaps due to some childhood experience. While it’s required for them to have compassion and empathy, they must also be objective and composed in stressful situations. They may have honed their skills as early leaders of activities in school, perhaps in sports or clubs. Chances are they also exhibited an aptitude for biology and science, or tech gadgets. It’s also possible they thrive in high-stakes environments, which could have any number of reasons behind it, including early exposure to risky or chaotic situations.