Respiratory Therapist Career Guide and Counseling

Question: Respiratory Therapist? I have to write a Paper on Respiratory Therapist and their Role in the Health Care Field in Todays Market.Does anyone know a good source I can go to, to help me write this 2 page essay?

Answer: Here is a link to a good website. This should help you. Good Luck!

Question: How to become a respiratory therapist in New Jersey? I am thinking about becoming a respiratory therapist, but I am unsure where to start. I live in central NJ and wanted to find out more about this career. What schools are there that offer this program and what is the starting salary? Thank you.

Answer: An RT program is a 2 year AAS program. (YOU can get a BS but it is not needed) OFten done at community college, The starting salary starts between 15 and 20 hour. It is a good job for the amount of education. There are lots of jobs. You can work at a hospital, PFT lab, sleep lab, dme sales, home care, nursing homes, and asthma clinics. http://www.aarc.org/education/accredited… www.aarc.org

Question: What is the difference in respiratory therapist technician and Biotechnology engineer? I want to be a respiratory therapist technician but all my professor says I have the smarts to be a biotechnology technician . I just wanted to know some info and websites on it .

Answer: Here ya go.... also a good site is the Department of Labor.. they have alot of info on alot of jobs and what traing and what not you need. Respitory therapist... http://science.education.nih.gov/LifeWor… Biotechnology engineer http://www.simhq.org/careers/career_info… Biotechnology technician http://www.acwib.org/cg/biotechnology/bi… Seems to me just by a quick glance... that a biotech career is a broader feild.. may require more schooling too. Good luck to ya

Question: What are the risks of being a Respiratory Therapist? Is that true that if a Respiratory Therapist did a mistake, he/she can be fired on the spot and be sued? And basically the career is just finished after that? I'm in the RT program now, and I'm thinking about drop out of the program. I think MLT is better than RT. ANy suggestions?

Answer: I suppose that it would depend on the mistake that you made. If you killed a patient, then naturally, your job would be at risk as well as other consequences. However, there is no more risk of losing your job because of a mistake, than in any other medical occupation. People are human, they make mistakes. However, by the time you have finished your training, you should have the competency to prevent any tragic mistakes. If you do not feel comfortable performing any task, then you should tell your supervisor. Good luck in school. Hang in there!

Question: What are all the prerequisites for a Respiratory Therapist? What are all the prerequisites for a Respiratory Therapist and can you take them online?

Answer: every school is different but most include algebra A and P chemistry lib arts-english, psy, history, computers Look at the schools that you are intersted in and the websites have the curriculm and what is required. You generally can take the lib arts online and sometimes times the math although you maybe able to test out of it. The science classes are more difficult and you have to attend the labs. Most RT classes are not online for the same reasons that you need to take the labs. IT is a very hands on curriculm. www.aarc.org

Question: Do you need work related experience to become a traveling respiratory therapist after school? I start classes for respiratory therapist in feb. I hear ppl make more money traveling, plus I think it will be perfect for me cause I have no kids, no spouse, no commitments. I want to travel I think it would a great opportunity and experience to travel. Besides I am young.Plus it would be educational to work in different environments.Is there any agencies that will except me right after school? USA Traveling only Any helpful advice is welcomed, thank You.

Answer: I was a traveling RT for 6 years. I worked all throughout the Midwest and beyond. Some companies are desperate enough to take a new grad, but the consequence is lower pay for you. Also, when you are new you cant tell the good companies from the bad. My good experiences were with, Club Staffing, Compheath, Aureus, to name a few. Go to healthcaretraveler.com for a free magazine and tons of information on travel agencies. Good Luck!

Question: What type of science classes do u have to take to become a respiratory therapist? Im lookin into being a respiratory therapist, but im not a big fan of chemistry or calculus? Are these necessary?

Answer: I am a first year RT student. It is going to depend on what school you go to, I didn't have to take calculus but had to have college algebra. I did have to take Intro to Chemistry, it is pretty basic but as I said it depends a lot on what school you go to.

Question: Is being a respiratory therapist a good career? If so, I'm wondering if going to a private school like a Concorde college; 20 months long, considerably more ($37,333.40 to be exact), with the supposed designation of Registered Respiratory Therapist (Advanced Level) or going to a Junior college (24months) and paying 3500 but put on a 2year waiting list? If anyone has any experience or feedback it will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Answer: My sister in law just finished school last month and started working a couple of months ago. Great job... if you don't mind pulling the plug on people...

Question: What is it like to be a Respiratory Therapist? I'm am in the process of becoming a Respiratory Therapist. Could anyone tell me what it's been like to be one and the advantages and disadvantages? I am very passionate about this and i just want to hear what you have to say :)

Answer: Much of what is really good about being an RT can also be a negative. I wrote to another RT student and said that everyday as an RT you will be challenged physically, emotionally and intellectually....and this is true and it is wonderful. The down side? Often you go home exhausted....physically, emotionally and intellectually. I led a fairly sheltered life before I became an RT more than 35 years ago. Since then I have had to work under extraordinary circumstances that never had been a part of in my life. Code Calls....abused babies and children, suicide attemps....(some who made it, others who didn't), car accidents, drug over doses, debilitating illness, extraordinary burns. No matter how rich or how poor...or what life style a person lives, you need to care for them and care about them. You also need to care for the people who love them. One of the worse times was when a nurse I worked with came into our ER in full cardio-pulmonary arrest and another was when the grandbaby of a friend came into the ER in full CP arrest. You may feel your heart is being ripped out....but you keep doing what you need to do for as long as you need to do it...the real tears come later, at home...and/or the next day when all who participated in such a Code gather together and hang onto each other. You learn to keep an open mind about people and let go of first judgements based on race, culture, religion, politics and financial status. Hospitals are great equalizers and you will be needed as much by one person as another. You will become a better person and richer emotionally if you allow them all to be a part of your life as you have become part of their life....even if its only for a few minutes in a life time of minutes. I have used RT to travel to many areas of the USA, working with people who have walked a different path than my own and I worked in Saudi Arabia because it was important to me to know about a culture as different from my own as possible. When we went through orientation before traveling to Saudi Arabia, we were taught that it wasn't our job to change people... people had the right to be themselves, to their own culture, their own religion, their own politics. This was a "light bulb" moment for me AND a LIFE lesson....and this belief has opened many doors and taught me to be a better listener. The pay is good, better in some places than others....I am rarely bored and I am a valuable member of a team. This is wonderful also....but then again, I have wanted to drown my beeper (accidently in the toilet) on many occassions when it keeps going off. The hallways of the hospital can seem to get very long, very quickly on an especially busy night (I work nights)..or day. I have on occassion tried to think of something "different" to do and so far...nothing comes to mind, except maybe retirement in a couple of years. The disadvantages....you work with sick people who may be contagious, you need to take care when lifting patients, working with needles, working with aggressive patients that might take a swing at you, working with patients covered in "poop", blood, urine etc. It rarely happenes anymore....but I will on occassion "gag" on something gross....but you still forge ahead with whatever your duties are. You wash your hands hundreds of times a shift it would seem (even after wearing gloves)and your hands can become raw...especially in winter months. I take advantage of my time off to get my hands in good shape, but sometimes my hands look older and feel older the the rest of me. You will deal with it and everything else that right now you cannot imagine dealing with, no matter how small, or how big or how easy, or how difficult....you manage. After all these years I still marvel at this. One VERY important bit of advice....make sure you go to the bathroom when you need to....If you don't, you can bet on a Code call!!!

Question: how much does the registry pays a Respiratory Therapist in a day of work? how much does the registry pays a Respiratory Therapist in a day of work?

Answer: depends where you work. living in hawaii, my friend started off with 45k. she's been working for about 10 years and now makes a little over 60k. she did go through college, though, so she is registered; not on the job training. it is probably much different on the mainland.