29-2054.00 - Respiratory Therapy Technicians

Updated 2010

Summary Report for:
29-2054.00 - Respiratory Therapy Technicians

Provide respiratory care under the direction of respiratory therapists and physicians.

Sample of reported job titles: Respiratory Therapy Technician, Certified Respiratory Therapy Technician (CRTT), Respiratory Technician, Registered Pulmonary Function Technologist

View report: Summary Details Custom

Tasks

Monitor patients during treatment and report any unusual reactions to the respiratory therapist.
Use ventilators or various oxygen devices or aerosol and breathing treatments in the provision of respiratory therapy.
Work with patients in areas such as the emergency rooms, neonatal or pediatric intensive care, or surgical intensive care, treating conditions such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, asthma, cystic fibrosis, or pneumonia.
Collect and analyze arterial blood gas samples.
Read and evaluate physicians' orders and patients' chart information to determine patients' condition and treatment protocols.
Set equipment controls to regulate the flow of oxygen, gases, mists, or aerosols.
Assess patients' response to treatments and modify treatments according to protocol if necessary.
Perform diagnostic procedures to assess the severity of respiratory dysfunction in patients.
Keep records of patients' therapy, completing all necessary forms.
Prepare or test devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, aerosol generators, or electrocardiogram (EKG) machines.

Tools & Technology

Tools used in this occupation:

Blood gas analyzers — Arterial blood gas ABG machines

Breathing circuit bags — Bag-valve masks

Medical aerosol tents — Oxygen tents

Medical oxygen masks or parts — Adult oxygen masks; Oral nasal face masks; Pediatric oxygen masks; Venturi masks

Nebulizers or accessories — Aerosol masks; Electronic compressor nebulizers

Suction kits — Endotracheal suction equipment; Nasal suctioning equipment; Oropharyngeal suction equipment

Technology used in this occupation:

Electronic mail software — Microsoft Outlook

Medical software — Omnicare Cypress Therapy Management; Patient electronic medical record EMR software; Ventilator operation software

Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel

Word processing software — Microsoft Word

Knowledge

Medicine and Dentistry — Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Psychology — Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Biology — Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Chemistry — Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Skills

Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.

Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Operation Monitoring — Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities

Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Work Activities

Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.

Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Work Context

Exposed to Disease or Infections — How often does this job require exposure to disease/infections?

Contact With Others — How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Telephone — How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Physical Proximity — To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?

Face-to-Face Discussions — How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?

Work With Work Group or Team — How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?

Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?

Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets — How much does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets?

Freedom to Make Decisions — How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?

Job Zone

Title	Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Education	Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Related Experience	Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Job Training	Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Job Zone Examples	These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include food service managers, electricians, agricultural technicians, legal secretaries, interviewers, and insurance sales agents.
SVP Range	(6.0 to < 7.0)

Education

Percentage of Respondents	Education Level Required
52	Associate's degree
40	Some college, no degree
8	Bachelor's degree

Interests

Interest code: SRI

Social — Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Investigative — Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Conventional — Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Work Styles

Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.

Self Control — Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Concern for Others — Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.

Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Independence — Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

Work Values

Relationships — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.

Support — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

Achievement — Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Wages & Employment Trends

National

Median wages (2011)	$22.28 hourly, $46,350 annual
Employment (2010)	14,000 employees
Projected growth (2010-2020)	Slower than average (3% to 9%)
Projected job openings (2010-2020)	3,000
Top industries (2010)	Health Care and Social Assistance

State & National

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2011 wage data and 2010-2020 employment projections . "Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2010-2020). "Projected job openings" represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Summary Report for: 29-2054.00 - Respiratory Therapy Technicians