What Is A Respiratory Therapy Technician? | Career Path ... - Zippia

Overview

JobsSkillsEducationCertificationsDemographicsJob DescriptionHow To HireBest CompaniesJob OutlookComparePart Time jobsEntry Level jobsFull Time jobsWhat is a respiratory therapy technician and how to become oneWritten by Zippia teamUpdated January 8, 20253 min readThere is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a respiratory therapy technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.4 an hour? That's $42,438 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 14% and produce 18,400 job opportunities across the U.S.ScoreRespiratory Therapy TechnicianUS AverageSalary3.3

Avg. Salary $42,438

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level10.0

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity8.1Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.71%

Asian 9.48%

Black or African American 14.40%

Hispanic or Latino 12.92%

Unknown 5.22%

White 57.26%

Gender

female 56.85%

male 43.15%

Age - 42Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42Stress level10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level8.9

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance8.0

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

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Respiratory therapy technician career paths

Key steps to become a respiratory therapy technician

1. Explore respiratory therapy technician education requirements

   Most common respiratory therapy technician degrees

   Associate

   48.4 %

   Bachelor's

   36.3 %

   Diploma

   4.7 %Show more

2. Start to develop specific respiratory therapy technician skills

   Skills	Percentages
   Patients	23.78%
   BLS	9.80%
   Acls	8.61%
   CPR	7.34%
   Life Support	6.91%

   Show more

3. Complete relevant respiratory therapy technician training and internships

   Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New respiratory therapy technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a respiratory therapy technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real respiratory therapy technician resumes.

4. Obtain the necessary licensing

   Becoming a licensed respiratory therapy technician usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed respiratory therapy technician in most of states. 41 states require respiratory therapy technicians to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

   State	Education	Exam	License url
   Alabama	-	-	Licensed Respiratory Therapist
   Arkansas	Degree required	State exam required	Respiratory Therapist
   California	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Respiratory Care Practitioner
   Colorado	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Respiratory Therapist
   Connecticut	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Respiratory Care Practitioner

   Show more

5. Research respiratory therapy technician duties and responsibilities

   • Manage and maintain tracheostomy vent dependent patients.
   • Perform routine pulmonary testing including EKG, holter monitor, bedside PFT and ABG.
   • Care for long term care of ventilator patients and tracheostomy patients ensuring their safety upon transfer to another facility or home.
   • Administer and monitor oxygen and/or aerosol therapy.assist physicians in instituting and maintaining continuous ventilation.

6. Prepare your respiratory therapy technician resume

   When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your respiratory therapy technician resume.

   You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a respiratory therapy technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

   Choose from 10+ customizable respiratory therapy technician resume templates

   Build a professional respiratory therapy technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your respiratory therapy technician resume.Use this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this template

7. Apply for respiratory therapy technician jobs

   Now it's time to start searching for a respiratory therapy technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

   1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
   2. Consult your professional network
   3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
   4. Watch out for job scams

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Average respiratory therapy technician salary

The average respiratory therapy technician salary in the United States is $42,438 per year or $20 per hour. Respiratory therapy technician salaries range between $26,000 and $67,000 per year.

Average respiratory therapy technician salary$42,438 Yearly$20.40 hourly

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How do respiratory therapy technicians rate their job?

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Respiratory therapy technician reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2023Pros

Helping people, utilizing your specialized training, schedule flexibility

Cons

Burnout, many in the healthcare system don't take you seriously despite your critical care experience, often in this field supervisors are not strong advocates for your field and bow to the administrators rather than enforce safety policies.

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2022Pros

Helping make a difference in someone’s life.

Cons

Our field not offering compact license.

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2022Pros

Watching a patient improve and sometimes come back for a visit that was once on the brink of death.

Cons

The red tape, the disconnect between nursing and respiratory.

More ReviewsWorking as a respiratory therapy technician? Share your experience anonymously.Overall rating*Career growthWork/Life balancePay/SalaryPros of working as a Respiratory Therapy TechnicianCons of working as a Respiratory Therapy TechnicianSubmit anonymous review

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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