Respitory Therapist Significant Points Hospitals will continue to employ more than 9 out of 10 respiratory therapists, but a growing number will work in home health agencies, respiratory therapy clinics, and nursing homes. Job opportunities will be best for therapists who work with newborns and infants.
Respiratory therapists evaluate, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders.
To evaluate patients, therapists test the capacity of the lungs and analyze oxygen and carbon dioxide concentration. To measure lung capacity, therapists have patients breathe into an instrument that measures the volume and flow of oxygen during inhalation and exhalation. By comparing the reading with the norm for the patient's age, height, weight, and sex, respiratory therapists can determine whether lung deficiencies exist. To analyze oxygen, carbon dioxide, and pH levels, therapists draw an arterial blood sample, place it in a blood gas analyzer, and relay the results to a physician. Respiratory therapists treat all types of patients, ranging from premature infants whose lungs are not fully developed, to elderly people whose lungs are diseased.