Career Tips & Advice

A Day in the Life of a Respiratory Therapist

Concorde Staff

Concorde Staff

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Updated December 11, 2013. The information contained in this blog is current and accurate as of this date.
Respiratory Tech Training in North Hollywood

Exciting, difficult, joyful, sad, fulfilling, a calling - these are just a few words used to describe the emotions one can feel during a typical day as a registered respiratory therapist. The opportunity to change lives every day is almost limitless.

Upon arriving at work, there is a sense of anticipation for what the day will bring. Will I be the first to help a newborn take its first breath? Will I be the therapist who delivers the treatment that breaks an asthma attack? Will I be the therapist who intubates the cardiac arrest patient or manages the life support system of the open heart surgery patient? Will I be the therapist who teaches a family how to care for their loved one who is going home on a ventilator?

As a respiratory therapist, you can choose to work in a variety of healthcare settings.

  • In a pulmonary function lab, you may perform vital tests to determine the extent of damage done to a patient's lungs.
  • As a transport therapist, air or ground, you may bring critically ill patients to the hospital or transport patients to another facility.
  • Respiratory therapists often care for premature newborns who cannot breathe on their own. You may even be part of the team that monitors the baby and the life support system keeping them alive.
  • Intensive Care Units (ICU) often need respiratory therapists to monitor the ventilators that oxygenate and ventilate patients until they are well enough to breathe on their own.
  • Respiratory patient education may include a 3rd grader who needs to know how to use their metered dose inhaler (MDI) and peak-flow meter. Patient education often times decreases the number of times a patient has to come to the hospital and could even save their life.

From critical care to patient and family education, the respiratory therapist is a vital part of the healthcare team as they help those with breathing problems get well and improve the quality of their day to day lives.

Take The Next Step Towards a Brighter Future

Interested in learning more about our Respiratory Therapy program? We have a Concorde representative ready to talk about what matters most to you. Get answers about start dates, curriculum, financial aid, scholarships and more!

  1. Program length may be subject to change dependent on transfer credits and course load. Please refer to current course catalog for more information. Concorde does not guarantee admittance, graduation, subsequent employment or salary amount.

  2. Professional certification is not a requirement for graduation, may not be a requirement for employment nor does it guarantee employment.

  3. Financial aid is available to those who qualify but may not be available for all programs. Concorde does not guarantee financial aid or scholarship awards or amounts.

  4. Clinical hour requirements and delivery may vary by campus location and may be subject to change. Concorde does not guarantee clinical site assignments based upon student preference or geographic convenience; nor do clinical experiences guarantee graduation, post-clinical employment or salary outcomes.

  5. Registration and certification requirements for taking and passing these examinations are not controlled by Concorde, but by outside agencies, and are subject to change by the agency without notice. Therefore, Concorde cannot guarantee that graduates will be eligible to take these exams, at all or at any specific time, regardless of their eligibility status upon enrollment.

  6. Externships are a non-paid in-person learning experience, whose length and location may be subject to change. Concorde does not guarantee externship placement, graduation, post-externship employment or salary outcomes.