Respiratory therapists evaluate, treat and care for patients who have breathing and other cardiopulmonary disorders.
Respiratory therapists in nursing uniform diagnose and treat all kinds of patients, from premature infants whose lungs have not developed fully, to elderly patients with diseased lungs.
They also proved care for patients with emphysema and chronic asthma, and they give emergency care to heart attack patients and victims of strokes, shock, or drowning.
They practice under the direction of physicians and assume primary care responsibility for all respiratory therapeutic diagnostic procedures and treatments, including supervising technicians.
Respiratory therapy technicians follow specific respiratory care procedures beneath the supervision of physicians and respiratory therapists.
In their clinical practice the daily duties of respiratory therapists and technicians overlap.
Therapists, however, usually have greater responsibilities than technicians.
For example, they develop, implement, and modify patients' care plans in consultation with physicians and other members of the health care staff.
They are more likely than technicians to provide complex therapies which require independent judgment, such as the care of patients who are on life support in hospital intensive care units.
Respiratory therapists in nurses uniforms evaluate their patients by interviewing them, performing physical examinations, and conducting diagnostic tests.
For example, they may test patients' breathing capacity to determine the concentration of oxygen and other gases in the patients' blood.
The patients breathe into an instrument which measures the flow and volume of oxygen during inhalations and exhalations, which provides information about whether the patients have lung deficiencies.
They draw arterial blood samples and place them in blood gas analyzers to determine the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood, and the pH level of the blood.
These results enable attending physicians to make decisions about treatment.
Respiratory therapists in Katherine Heigl scrubs treat patients with oxygen, aerosol medications, and chest physiotherapy.
They teach the patients how to inhale aerosols properly to ensure their effectiveness.
When patients have difficulty getting sufficient oxygen into their bloodstream, they increase the concentration of oxygen in the patients' blood with an oxygen mask or nasal cannula.
Patients who can't breathe on their own are connected to ventilators which deliver pressurized oxygen directly into the lungs.
The therapists insert tubes into patients' trachea (windpipe) and set the ventilator's volume and oxygen concentration as prescribed by the attending physician.
They also perform chest physiotherapy to remove mucus from patients' lungs and to make it easier to breathe.
They place the patients in positions which help to drain the mucus, and tap on the patients' chests to vibrate their rib cages.
Chest physiotherapy is often required after surgery to get patients' lungs back to normal, since anesthesia can depress respiration.
A minimum of an associate degree is required, but bachelor's and master's degrees can be important for advancement.
Training is offered by colleges, universities, vocational and technical institutes, medical schools, and the armed forces.
Most programs lead to associate or bachelor's degrees and prepare graduates for advanced jobs.
The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs certifies 45 entry level, and 334 advanced level, programs in the U.
S.
All states except for Hawaii and Alaska require licensing to become a respiratory therapist.
In 2006 there were 122,000 respiratory therapists in the U.
S.
, and employment growth is projected to be faster than average, with about 20% growth from 2006 to 2016.
Average annual earnings for respiratory therapists in 2006 were over $47,000.
Respiratory therapists in nursing uniform diagnose and treat all kinds of patients, from premature infants whose lungs have not developed fully, to elderly patients with diseased lungs.
They also proved care for patients with emphysema and chronic asthma, and they give emergency care to heart attack patients and victims of strokes, shock, or drowning.
They practice under the direction of physicians and assume primary care responsibility for all respiratory therapeutic diagnostic procedures and treatments, including supervising technicians.
Respiratory therapy technicians follow specific respiratory care procedures beneath the supervision of physicians and respiratory therapists.
In their clinical practice the daily duties of respiratory therapists and technicians overlap.
Therapists, however, usually have greater responsibilities than technicians.
For example, they develop, implement, and modify patients' care plans in consultation with physicians and other members of the health care staff.
They are more likely than technicians to provide complex therapies which require independent judgment, such as the care of patients who are on life support in hospital intensive care units.
Respiratory therapists in nurses uniforms evaluate their patients by interviewing them, performing physical examinations, and conducting diagnostic tests.
For example, they may test patients' breathing capacity to determine the concentration of oxygen and other gases in the patients' blood.
The patients breathe into an instrument which measures the flow and volume of oxygen during inhalations and exhalations, which provides information about whether the patients have lung deficiencies.
They draw arterial blood samples and place them in blood gas analyzers to determine the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood, and the pH level of the blood.
These results enable attending physicians to make decisions about treatment.
Respiratory therapists in Katherine Heigl scrubs treat patients with oxygen, aerosol medications, and chest physiotherapy.
They teach the patients how to inhale aerosols properly to ensure their effectiveness.
When patients have difficulty getting sufficient oxygen into their bloodstream, they increase the concentration of oxygen in the patients' blood with an oxygen mask or nasal cannula.
Patients who can't breathe on their own are connected to ventilators which deliver pressurized oxygen directly into the lungs.
The therapists insert tubes into patients' trachea (windpipe) and set the ventilator's volume and oxygen concentration as prescribed by the attending physician.
They also perform chest physiotherapy to remove mucus from patients' lungs and to make it easier to breathe.
They place the patients in positions which help to drain the mucus, and tap on the patients' chests to vibrate their rib cages.
Chest physiotherapy is often required after surgery to get patients' lungs back to normal, since anesthesia can depress respiration.
A minimum of an associate degree is required, but bachelor's and master's degrees can be important for advancement.
Training is offered by colleges, universities, vocational and technical institutes, medical schools, and the armed forces.
Most programs lead to associate or bachelor's degrees and prepare graduates for advanced jobs.
The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs certifies 45 entry level, and 334 advanced level, programs in the U.
S.
All states except for Hawaii and Alaska require licensing to become a respiratory therapist.
In 2006 there were 122,000 respiratory therapists in the U.
S.
, and employment growth is projected to be faster than average, with about 20% growth from 2006 to 2016.
Average annual earnings for respiratory therapists in 2006 were over $47,000.