Respiratory Therapist Job Description
A respiratory therapist is a healthcare professional who works with patients who are struggling with breathing or other cardiopulmonary problems. An employee in this role may work with premature infants, children, teenagers, and adults. They commonly treat patients who have lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
A respiratory therapist will perform a variety of tasks to improve their clients’ ability to breathe. They will perform evaluations that measure lung capacity, treat patients using oxygen mixtures, connect patients to ventilators, and teach patients how to use various types of medication and equipment, among other things.
To qualify for this role, an employee needs to have at least an associate’s degree. However, many successful respiratory therapists hold a bachelor’s degree in a related field.
Respiratory Therapist Job Description Template
We are looking to add a skilled respiratory therapist to our team. In this role, it will be your job to provide treatment to patients who are struggling with breathing and related cardiopulmonary problems. You will be tasked with evaluating clients’ lung capacities, treating them with oxygen mixtures and various types of equipment, as well as educating patients on how to use various types of equipment themselves.
You will also need to periodically provide emergency care to patients. This may involve administering cardiac massages, artificial respiration techniques, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
To do well in this role, the person that we hire will need to have a strong background in respiratory therapy. You should hold a degree in the field and be knowledgeable about its latest developments. Since this work involves working directly with patients, you should also have excellent interpersonal skills.
Respiratory Therapist Responsibilities:
- Monitor patients who are dealing with issues related to breathing and related cardiopulmonary problems
- Create targeted care plans based on each patient’s unique needs
- Provide emergency care to patients who need it
- Set up and operate various types of machinery and equipment
- Educate patients on how to use breathing equipment themselves and advise them on which medications to take
- Monitor the progress of patients by performing tests at regular intervals
Respiratory Therapist Requirements:
- Associate’s degree in respiratory therapy or a related field (bachelor’s degree preferred)
- Previous experience in a similar role
- All state and federal licenses required to practice
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Ability to operate the most commonly used types of respiratory therapy equipment
Respiratory FAQ
What tasks does a respiratory therapist do?
A respiratory therapist helps patients who are struggling to breathe or with other cardiopulmonary problems. It’s their job to administer emergency care, recommend specific medications, and to utilize machinery that will help a patient to breathe more effectively. Other tasks include monitoring patients who are receiving treatment and creating targeted care plans to address the unique needs of each individual they treat.
What should I include in my respiratory therapist help-wanted ads?
We recommend that you use a strategy that’s similar to the one that we’ve used above. Start by providing some general information about the job and the type of employee that you’re looking to hire. Then, get more specific by creating two detailed lists that explain the responsibilities and requirements of the job, respectively.
Can I use your respiratory therapist job description template?
Feel free to use our job description templates as you begin putting together your respiratory therapist help-wanted ads. Just make sure that you’re also taking the time to highlight the parts of your job that we haven’t captured in our description. It’s important that you provide interested applicants with as much relevant information about the job as possible. This will help to distinguish your available position from others they may be considering.
