Tasks
In this field, you will be required to assess patients to see the severity of their breathing issues. Then medical equipment is used for therapy to improve the oxygen levels of the individual. Some of the conditions that respiratory therapist technicians treat include asthma, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, lung cancer, congestive heart failure, recent lung surgery and a variety of other health care problems that affect breathing.
Kinds of Therapeutic Procedures
There are different types of therapies that respiratory therapist techs provide their patients with, including chest physiotherapy, which is involves the use of aerosol medicines and machines that help breathing. These are used for dilating or widening the airways of the individual. Another treatment that is used includes giving oxygen and ventilators to patients in the ICU.
Features
Other than using therapeutic procedures, the respiratory therapist technician is known to teach their patients about the care they can provide themselves with when they are at home, to better their physical condition.
Training and Certification
To become a respiratory therapist tech, you will have to obtain an associate's degree, which can take two years to complete. It will have to be in the respiratory therapy field. Or you can get a bachelor's degree, which takes four years of schooling. Once you graduate, you will have to take a written exam to obtain a license to work in the field.
Considerations
In some institutions, the respiratory therapist and tech are two different positions. The therapist is responsible for giving care to patients and techs act more like an assistant.
Salary
The average annual salary for respiratory therapists was between $34,000 and $69,000 as of November 2009.
