Respiratory Therapists
What Respiratory Therapists Do
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.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 3 of 5Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.3/5
- Medicine and Dentistryimportance 4.3/5
- English Languageimportance 3.9/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 3.7/5
- Psychologyimportance 3.4/5
- Biologyimportance 3.3/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.2/5
- Chemistryimportance 3.1/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Telephone Conversations4.9/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.9/5
- Exposed to Disease or Infections4.9/5
- Contact With Others4.8/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.8/5
- Physical Proximity4.7/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Veterinary Technologists and Technicians96% skill match
- Nurse Anesthetists95% skill match
- Nuclear Medicine Technologists94% skill match
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographers93% skill match
- Fish and Game Wardens93% skill match
- Radiation Therapists93% skill match
- Prepress Technicians and Workers93% skill match
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians92% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.6/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.6/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.4/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.4/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.4/5
- Instructingimportance 3.3/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
- Operations Monitoringimportance 3.0/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Stress Tolerance
- Cooperation
- Self-Control
- Empathy
- Cautiousness
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- SocialMedium
- InvestigativeMedium
- ConventionalMedium
- EnterprisingLow
- ArtisticLow
Specific Interests
A more detailed breakdown of this occupation’s interest profile, per O*NET.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where respiratory therapists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Rome, GA2.90× national avg
- 2Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA2.62× national avg
- 3Tyler, TX2.44× national avg
- 4Charleston, WV2.36× national avg
- 5Gadsden, AL2.26× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Radiation TherapistsLateral Move
- Cardiovascular Technologists and TechniciansLateral Move
- Diagnostic Medical SonographersLateral Move
- Nurse AnesthetistsAdvancement
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist
- Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale (Fort Lauderdale, FL)grads earn ~$61,608
- Santa Rosa Junior College (Santa Rosa, CA)
- Victor Valley College (Victorville, CA)grads earn ~$119,604
- Meridian Institute of Surgical Assisting (Nashville, TN)grads earn ~$79,119
- Smith Chason College (Los Angeles, CA)grads earn ~$64,611