How much does a respiratory therapist make?

The median pay is $39.56 per hour — roughly $82,500 a year, with the real range running from about $30.61/hr (10th percentile) to $56.75/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a respiratory therapist?

The typical entry-level education is: Associate degree. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

What does a respiratory therapist actually do all day?

Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur. Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.

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Respiratory Therapists

Assess, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders. Assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care modalities, including the supervision of respiratory therapy technicians. Initiate and conduct therapeutic procedures; maintain patient records; and select, assemble, check, and operate equipment.

What it pays
Respiratory Therapists earn a median of $39.56/hr — about $82,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $30.61/hr; the top 10% earn $56.75/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)

What you'd actually do

Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur.
Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.
Work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals to manage patient care by assisting with medical procedures or related duties.
Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information.
Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: Associate degree. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

The feel of the work

The work is mostly indoors; you're around people constantly; precision matters — small details carry weight. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 0% of respiratory therapists are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are people-focused, hands-on and analytical.

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Quick questions

How much does a respiratory therapist make?: The median pay is $39.56 per hour — roughly $82,500 a year, with the real range running from about $30.61/hr (10th percentile) to $56.75/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Do you need a degree to be a respiratory therapist?: The typical entry-level education is: Associate degree. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).
What does a respiratory therapist actually do all day?: Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur. Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.

Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.