Quick answer: the best description of respiratory therapist work is this. A respiratory therapist (RT) assesses and treats patients who have trouble breathing, from premature infants to older adults with chronic lung disease. RTs run diagnostic tests, manage ventilators and other life support equipment, give breathing treatments, respond to emergencies, and teach patients how to manage their condition at home. Most roles require an associate degree in respiratory therapy, a credential from the National Board for Respiratory Care, and a state license.

What does a respiratory therapist do?

Respiratory therapists care for patients whose lungs or airways are not working well. That includes people with asthma, COPD, pneumonia, and cystic fibrosis, as well as trauma patients, surgical patients, and newborns whose lungs are not fully developed.

The role is diagnostic and hands on. An RT might draw an arterial blood gas sample in the morning, adjust a ventilator at noon, and coach a COPD patient on inhaler use before discharge. During a code, the RT usually manages the airway.

Where respiratory therapists work

Most RTs work in hospitals, but the setting shapes the job.

• Intensive care unit: managing mechanical ventilation, weaning patients off life support, and monitoring critically ill adults
• Neonatal intensive care units: supporting premature and medically fragile infants with ventilation, oxygen, and surfactant therapy
• Emergency department: airway management, rapid assessment, and resuscitation
• General medical and surgical floors: breathing treatments, oxygen therapy, and assessments
• Pulmonary function labs and outpatient clinics: diagnostic testing and pulmonary rehabilitation
• Home care and long term care facilities: home ventilators, oxygen equipment, and patient education

Many RTs work full time on twelve hour shifts, including nights and weekends, because hospitals need respiratory coverage around the clock.

Respiratory therapist duties and responsibilities

Respiratory therapist duties vary by unit, but these responsibilities appear in almost every respiratory therapist job description.

Assessment and diagnostics

• Assess breathing, oxygen levels, lung sounds, and vital signs at the start of care and throughout each shift
• Perform and interpret diagnostic tests such as arterial blood gases, pulse oximetry, and pulmonary function tests
• Report findings and changes in condition to physicians and the care team

Treatment and life support

• Set up, monitor, and adjust mechanical ventilators and noninvasive ventilation such as CPAP and BiPAP
• Administer oxygen therapy, aerosol medications, and airway clearance treatments according to physician orders
• Manage artificial airways, including suctioning and tracheostomy care
• Respond to rapid response calls and codes, and assist with intubation and resuscitation

Care planning and documentation

• Help develop and update individualized respiratory care plans with physicians and nurses
• Document assessments, treatments, and patient responses in the electronic health record

Patient education

• Teach patients and families to use inhalers, nebulizers, and home oxygen safely
• Explain breathing exercises and warning signs that mean a patient should seek help

RTs care for patients at the moments when breathing is most at risk. A resume can list “ventilator management” without showing when the candidate would change a setting, which is why screening matters.

Education, credentials, and licensure

Most employers set this baseline for a respiratory therapist:

• An associate degree in respiratory therapy from an accredited program. Some larger hospital systems prefer a bachelor’s degree.
• A credential from the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). The Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) credential is the entry point; the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential is preferred by many hospitals and often required for critical care roles.
• A state license, which is required in every state except Alaska
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification. Many units also require Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and roles in neonatal intensive care units often require Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) or Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification.

The NBRC also offers specialty credentials, such as Neonatal/Pediatric Specialist and Adult Critical Care Specialist, for RTs who focus on one patient population. In your job description, separate required credentials from preferred ones. Requiring every specialty certification narrows the pipeline without improving quality.

Top respiratory therapist skills

Credentials show a candidate is qualified to practice. These skills decide how they perform on a busy shift.

• Clinical judgment: reading blood gas results, ventilator data, and the patient in front of them, then deciding what to change
• Technical skill with equipment: ventilators, high flow oxygen, airway devices, and diagnostic tools
• Calm under pressure: managing an airway during a code without losing focus
• Interpersonal skills: clear handoffs with nurses, direct escalation to physicians, and patient conversations that ease anxiety
• Patient teaching: turning a treatment plan into steps a patient can follow at home
• Documentation accuracy: complete, timely charting of every treatment and setting change

Respiratory therapist salary and job outlook

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, respiratory therapists earned a median annual wage of $82,280 in May 2025. The BLS projects 9 percent employment growth from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 8,600 openings projected each year.

Respiratory therapist job description template

Copy this template and adjust the details for your facility.

Job title: Respiratory Therapist (RRT or CRT)

About the role: We are hiring a respiratory therapist to care for patients with breathing and airway conditions on our [unit or department] team. You will assess patients, deliver respiratory treatments, manage life support equipment, and work closely with physicians and nurses to keep patients safe.

Responsibilities:

• Assess patients’ respiratory status and perform diagnostic tests, including arterial blood gases and pulmonary function tests
• Set up, monitor, and adjust mechanical ventilators and noninvasive ventilation
• Administer oxygen therapy, aerosol medications, and airway clearance treatments as ordered
• Respond to rapid response calls and codes, including airway management
• Develop and update respiratory care plans with the care team
• Document care accurately in the electronic health record
• Educate patients and families on respiratory conditions, medications, and home equipment
• Follow infection control and patient safety policies

Requirements:

• Associate degree in respiratory therapy from an accredited program (bachelor’s degree preferred)
• CRT or RRT credential from the National Board for Respiratory Care (RRT preferred)
• Active respiratory care license in [state]
• Current BLS and ACLS certification; NRP or PALS for [neonatal or pediatric roles, if applicable]
• [Number] years of experience in [adult critical care, neonatal intensive care, or general acute care]

Preferred:

• Experience in an intensive care unit or neonatal intensive care units
• Specialty NBRC credential in [area]

Schedule: [work full time / part time / per diem], [twelve hour day or night shifts], [weekend and holiday rotation]

How to screen respiratory therapist candidates

Every applicant lists the same duties, and respiratory care managers rarely have time for long first round interviews. Checking credentials tells you who is allowed to practice. It does not tell you who will catch a dangerous blood gas trend at 4 a.m.

Use this checklist to test the work itself before the interview:

1. Confirm the basics first. Check NBRC credential status, state licensure, life support certifications, and shift availability before anyone books an interview.
2. Use scenario questions. Ask how the candidate would respond to a ventilated patient whose oxygen saturation is falling, or how they would teach a new COPD patient to use an inhaler. Strong answers name the assessment, the action, the escalation, and the follow up.
3. Score answers against a rubric. Decide in advance what strong, acceptable, and weak answers look like, so two reviewers rate the same response the same way.
4. Let shift workers answer on their schedule. Recorded responses let RTs on rotating nights take part without trading shifts.
5. Confirm identity on remote steps. Make sure the person who completes the online assessment is the person who shows up to the interview and the first shift.

Glider supports these steps. Its skill assessment software includes question content for more than 200 non technical and functional roles, with open ended responses scored against a purpose built rubric and a human override available. One way video interviews let candidates record answers to scenario questions on their own time, which suits therapists on night rotations. Glider’s ID verification matches photo ID, a live selfie, location, and an audio sample across hiring stages, so a mismatch is flagged before the offer. Flags are recorded as facts for a recruiter to review, not automatic rejections.

For a wider view of hiring in the sector, see Glider’s approach to healthcare recruiting, or browse more roles in the job description library, including the critical care nurse job description and the physical therapist job description.

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