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Respiratory Care Therapy

A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of physicians, to assist in developing respiratory care plans, administer respiratory care procedures, supervise personnel and equipment operation, maintain records, and consult with other health care team members. Includes instruction in the applied basic biomedical sciences; anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the respiratory system; clinical medicine; therapeutic procedures; clinical expressions; data collection and record-keeping; patient communication; equipment operation and maintenance; personnel supervision; and procedures for special population groups.

Types of Degrees Respiratory Care Therapy Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Respiratory Care Therapy can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	113
Associate’s Degree	4,918
Bachelor’s Degree	1,428
Master’s Degree	227

What Respiratory Care Therapy Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Respiratory Care Therapy emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Respiratory Care Therapy graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Respiratory Care Therapy emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Respiratory Care Therapy program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Respiratory Care Therapy careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Respiratory Care Therapy graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.5 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Respiratory Care Therapy professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
eClinicalWorks EHR software	Medical software	—
Electronic medical record EMR software	Medical software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Respiratory Care Therapy graduates include:

• Medical Technologist
• Polysomnographic Technologist
• NICU Respiratory Therapist (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Respiratory Therapist)
• Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT)
• Respiratory Therapist (RT)
• Hospital Respiratory Therapist
• Staff Therapist
• Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Respiratory Therapist
• Travel Respiratory Therapist
• Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP)
• Inhalation Therapist
• Oxygen Therapist
• Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT)
• Travel Registered Respiratory Therapist (Travel RRT)
• Staff Respiratory Therapist

What Can You Do With a Respiratory Care Therapy Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Respiratory Care Therapy commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Respiratory Therapists	4.8%	$128,345	$106,006–$150,685
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Respiratory Care Therapy graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	35.5%
Postsecondary certificate	15.2%
Bachelor’s degree	14.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	13.6%
Master’s degree	9.7%
Some college courses	5.3%
Doctoral degree	2.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.3%
Post-doctoral training	1.9%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Respiratory Care Therapy?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 72.4% of Respiratory Care Therapy degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	4,840	72.4%
Men	1,846	27.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Respiratory Care Therapy graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,927	43.8%
Asian	501	7.5%
Hispanic or Latino	1,614	24.1%
Black or African American	969	14.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	54	0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	40	0.6%
Two or More Races	216	3.2%
Race Unknown	258	3.9%
International Students	107	1.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Respiratory Care Therapy Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Respiratory Care Therapy graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$67,845
4 years	$61,295
5 years	$69,015

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $69,015 — roughly 2% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Respiratory Care Therapy Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Respiratory Care Therapy. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	16
Bachelor’s	16	19
Master’s	5	5

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Respiratory Care Therapy Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Respiratory Care Therapy graduates earn a median of $61,295 four years after completion — roughly 61% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	29,337
Physician Associate/Assistant	13,046
Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer	11,777
Surgical Technology/Technologist	7,626
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist	4,111
Athletic Training/Trainer	3,132
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	2,445
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	1,540
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician	677
Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist	596
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist	374

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.