Respiratory Therapist

A respiratory therapist (RT) is a healthcare provider who helps you manage conditions that affect your lungs and airways. They also perform tests to help diagnose lung conditions. They work closely with pulmonologists, emergency medicine doctors and other healthcare providers.

You may see a respiratory therapist while you’re in the hospital. Or you might schedule visits at your home or an outpatient office.

Respiratory therapists must complete a two- or four-year degree program, have practice working with patients in clinical rotations and pass exams to be licensed to work in the U.S.

What does a respiratory therapist do?

Respiratory therapists help diagnose and treat people with breathing (respiratory) issues. Areas they work in include:

• Diagnostic testing, like pulmonary function testing and blood oxygen level testing
• Oxygen therapy
• Setting up and monitoring mechanical ventilation
• Airway management, including intubation and suctioning
• Giving certain breathing medications, like nebulizer and inhaler medications
• Assessing and monitoring breathing
• Pulmonary rehabilitation
• Airway clearance
• Patient education

When would you see a respiratory therapist?

Your healthcare provider may refer you to a respiratory therapist to help you manage ongoing breathing conditions, like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or cystic fibrosis. You also might see an RT for lung function tests that can help your provider diagnose or monitor respiratory conditions.

A respiratory therapist might be part of your care team if you’re in the hospital and need mechanical ventilation or help clearing your lungs.

What conditions do respiratory therapists treat?

Respiratory therapists can help manage:

• Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
• Acute (sudden) respiratory failure
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease)
• Asthma
• Bronchiolitis
• Bronchitis
• Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)
• Chest trauma that keeps you from breathing without assistance
• COPD
• Cystic fibrosis
• Lung cancer
• Pneumonia
• Sleep-related breathing disorders, including sleep apnea
• Spinal muscular dystrophy

Do you need a referral?

Yes, you usually need a referral to work with a respiratory therapist. This will typically come from your healthcare provider, like a pulmonologist. At your first appointment, your RT will evaluate you and recommend how often you should have therapy appointments.

Your provider usually orders pulmonary function tests and other diagnostic tests based on your symptoms.