Respiratory Therapy Degrees Online

Job Description

Respiratory Therapy

Respiratory Therapist and Respiratory Therapy Technicians carry the responsibility of evaluating and treating patients suffering from various cardiopulmonary diseases and disorders. They work directly under the guidelines created by a supervising physician.

The day to day activities that are done by Respiratory Therapists and technicians include evaluating patients, and developing patient care plans and providing treatments outlined in those plans. Respiratory Therapists and Technicians scope of treatment practices includes oxygen usage, operation and maintaining of patient ventilation devices, administer various cardiopulmonary medications to assist patients in breathing or to help treat airway problems, monitoring oxygen saturations and blood gas levels.

Career Outlook

In the U.S., safety guidelines for working and living environments have been steadily becoming more controlled over the past several years. However, the nation’s growing population of elderly patients affected by respiratory disorders before those safety standards became in effect demands that more Respiratory Therapists and Technicians be utilized to monitor and treat suffering patients.

According to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the demand for Respiratory Therapists is expected to grow by an astounding 19% between 2006 and 2016. Job opportunities in hospitals and Physician’s offices, as well as home health care, and extended care facilities are expected to be among the top options for employment.

Education

Graduates of an accredited degree program for Respiratory Therapy or Respiratory Technician training can expect be well versed in Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, especially areas that pertain to the human cardiopulmonary system. Students will be taught in areas of microbiology, physics, and mathematics.

Licensing is required in most states for practicing Respiratory Therapists, and other certificate requirements may include Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Cardiac Life Support (PALS). Only those holding at least an Associate’s degree will be licensed, and in many working environments Bachelor’s degrees are preferred.

Educational options for Respiratory Therapists and technicians vary widely. However, accreditation through one of the nation’s primary accrediting agencies is required for licensure. Colleges and Universities offering degree and certificate programs for Respiratory Therapists and Respiratory technicians have begun to play a key role in promoting enough course schedules to accommodate the number of trained individuals needed to fulfill the demand. These schools offer course not only campus based, but a great many are now offering online degree programs for Respiratory Therapy.

The opportunities for education have never been better for students. Schools have created programs designed around the schedules of its students, and allow them to fill full time jobs while attending school. This type of coursework not only fits the active schedules of those right out of high school, but also older individuals that already have families that take up much of their time.