5 Life-Saving Duties Of A Registered Respiratory Therapist

There are a whole host of medical careers out there, but few know those careers beyond surgeon, physician, and nurse.

A registered respiratory therapist serves one of the most crucial functions in the hospital. In this article, we’ll introduce you to the respiratory therapist’s duties so that you can assess whether this career is the right one for you!

Provide Physical Therapy

The first duty of a respiratory therapist is in the name: provide respiratory physical therapy to patients who have trouble breathing. This could be for patients who have endured a wide range of sicknesses or diseases and need to learn how to breathe again.

A respiratory therapist will aid in the development of proper breathing techniques and sequences, restoring a patient to proper breathing activity. This isn’t a short process and could take days, weeks, or even months to help a patient relearn appropriate breathing techniques.

Operate Respiration Equipment

A respiratory therapist is the best qualified and most certified person at a hospital to operate respiratory equipment. Such equipment includes things like a nebulizer, forced oxygen supply, and the like.

The therapist will make adjustments to the equipment as necessary after adjusting the situation and condition of the patient.

Assess Patient Breathing

One of the most important duties for a respiratory therapist is to assess the breathing of the patients that they may encounter. There are certain situations where a nurse may not be able to properly assess patient breathing and diagnose issues with their breathing. 

A respiratory therapist will ensure that if the patient does indeed have a problem with their breathing, the right person is notified and the right action is taken to correct that problem as soon as possible.

Diagnose Sleep Problems

Many of the respiratory problems that one experiences occur while one is asleep. Sleep apnea is the most common of such problems. A respiratory therapist will diagnose such sleep problems and will recommend treatments for patients who experience such problems.

This requires that the therapist have a very wide understanding of all of the various illnesses, incorrect breathing behaviors, and bad sleeping habits so that they can best diagnose any problem that they encounter. Such knowledge can be acquired at Respiratory Therapy Zone.

Enable Newborn Breathing

Last but not least, respiratory therapists often assist with and enable newborn breathing. There are some instances when a newborn does not begin to take breaths right away after being born. This is when a respiratory therapist is called in straightaway to kickstart that breathing process. In fact, many deliveries will have respiratory therapists in attendance when the baby needs to start breathing.

Registered Respiratory Therapists Do a Lot!

Suffice to say, a registered respiratory therapist has a lot of duties that they have to attend to. These duties are high-pressure and as such, only those who think they can handle the stress ought to attend respiratory therapist school and try their hand at a respiratory therapist career.

For more career advice, take a look at the rest of the articles on our website!

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