What is Respiratory Care? Respiratory care is the study, and science of taking care of the lungs, and the work of breathing. Technicians, called; Respiratory Therapists or Cardiopulmonary Technicians deliver medication to patients who have difficulty breathing. This field is also referred to as Cardiopulmonary in many hospitals across America.
Respiratory Care became an accredited field in 1960 with the formation of the National Board for Respiratory Care. This board became the governing body, and agency responsible for testing the competency of every Respiratory Therapist to graduate from an accredited program.
Respiratory Therapy programs are offered in two different settings. There are some programs that are a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care; while most are an Associate of Science in respiratory Care. No matter what program a student attends, they all do the same job when they graduate.
There are five different credentials a Respiratory therapist can hold. The first is an entry level position, CRT (Certified Respiratory Therapist). The second and more advanced RRT (Registered Respiratory Therapist). The following are all sub specialties within the field of Respiratory Care. Neonatal/Perinatal Specialist (NPS). Certified Pulmonary Function Technologist (CPFT). Registered Pulmonary Function Technologist (RPFT).
Many respiratory therapists go on to become, Physician Assistants, Nurses, Doctors, and so on. This is a good field to get a solid foot hold in the health care industry.
Respiratory Therapists or Cardiopulmonary Technicians perform, EKG’s, Holter Monitors, Event Monitors, Hand Held Nebulizer Therapy, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, Ventilator or Life Support Management, Intubation or Placing Artificial Airways, Arterial Blood Gas Analysis, Pulse-Oximetry, Pulmonary Function Testing, Chest Physiotherapy, Transportation of Patients within the hospital and outside of the hospital, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, Oxygen Management, when necessary Help Resuscitate Babies on Deliveries.
We also provide a full line of Cardiopulmonary Testing
