What Do Respiratory Therapists Do?
Respiratory Therapists assess, treat and care for all types of patients with breathing disorders from the premature infant to the elderly. Therapists provide oxygen therapy for patients who are short of breath and lacking oxygen as well as providing life support to patients who have stopped breathing. A separate admission process must be completed in order to be considered for the Respiratory Care program.
What are my career options?
Respiratory therapists are mainly employed in hospitals, in departments of respiratory care, anesthesiology, or pulmonary medicine. Others are in offices of physicians or other health practitioners, consumer-goods rental firms that supply respiratory equipment for home use, nursing care facilities, and home health care services.
| Respiratory Care Career | Median Annual
SalaryⓘBased on research conducted by KCEWS in 2016 for the state of Kentucky
|
|---|---|
| Respiratory Therapist | $48,412 |
| Electrocardiographic and Cardiac Monitoring Technician | $43,496 |
| Polysomnographic Technologist | $46,486 |
What are my degrees, diploma, and certificate options?
Associate in Applied Science
- Respiratory Therapist
Certificates
- Electrocardiographic and Cardiac Monitoring Technician
Additional Information
Is the Respiratory Program Accredited? YES!
The Respiratory Therapist Program at Big Sandy Community and Technical College has received Continuing Accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC). For more information on CoARC or to find out how to contact the Commission, please visit their website at http://www.coarc.com/
Resources
- Respiratory Therapist Program Information (PDF)
- Instructions for Clinical Observation
- Pre-Admission Conference Schedule
- Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care
- Admission Point System
- Programmatic Outcomes Data
- BSCTC Respiratory Care Policy Procedure Manual
- Respiratory Care Program Application
