Career in Respiratory Therapist

Respiratory therapists work with doctors to diagnose a specific respiratory problem and treat it by charting patient's progress. The role of a therapist is to decide what levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, or what type of ventilator a patient may or may not need. Hence the responsibility of the therapist towards the patient is very crucial. At times, therapists are present in the room when surgery is performed in order to give patients oxygen while their operation is in progress. The patients of respiratory therapists can range from premature infants who have breathing difficulties to stroke victims to elderly patients with lung disease. They help patients suffering from asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and COPD.

Students who are interested in getting a degree as a respiratory therapist should have passed 10+2 or equivalent exam with physics, chemistry and biology and have scored at least 50 percent marks in the aggregate. The duration of the course is 3 ½-4 years which also includes internships. Students could also pursue diploma courses after 10+2 science with physics, chemistry and biology.

In the course, students are taught to some basic medical courses such as anatomy, physiology as well specialised courses such as introduction to respiratory therapy, foundations of respiratory therapy, respiratory therapy equipment, cardiopulmonary anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, patient assessment, patient monitoring, airway management, microbiology, pathophysiology, mechanical ventilation, mechanical ventilators, introduction to pulmonary function testing, neonatal/pediatric respiratory care, pulmonary rehabilitation and so forth.

 Manual dexterity (to handle respiratory equipment)
 Fair reasoning ability
 Empathy and warmth toward patients
 Precision

Most respiratory therapists work in a hospital setup. They work in neonatal, emergency, intensive care, surgical and cardiac departments. They are an integral part of the emergency medical service team, and are often to be found busy in ambulances or trauma and emergency units of hospitals.