Everything You Wanted To Know About Respiratory Therapist Programs
So, are you thinking about how to become a respiratory therapist? Congratulations! You have really taken an excellent decision. There are many outstanding respiratory therapist programs in Bakersfield Ca. You will be happy to know that the career prospects in this profession is really good. As a practicing pro in the field, not only will you be assisting the medics to heal all those who will be looking up to you for your care and compassion, but you will also have the privilege of earning their trust, respect and love. This should surely make you feel satisfied. And on top of that, you can earn good money, because the average respiratory therapist salary is more than decent. In fact, the salary can be so good that this can be the reason enough to join this profession. Actually, a lot of people want to join up because they are drawn by the high payouts. What is your reason?
What Is the Role of a Respiratory Therapist?
The term respiratory care practitioner is often used as well to describe a respiratory therapist in Kern County. But no matter which term you use, the job you are expected to do, or your responsibilities, will remain the same of course. As the therapist or practitioner, you are expected to assist the physician in diagnosing, treating, and managing all patients who are suffering from pulmonary disorders. You will be responsible for collecting and analyzing blood, sputum and breath specimens so that you can find out the oxygen level, carbon dioxide as also the levels of other gases. You will also be measuring lung capacity to find out if the person’s function is impaired or not. All of us can have breathing problems, whether we are old or young. As the therapist, you will be responsible for ensuring that air is able to flow freely to the lungs. Of course, if there are any problems here, it can become a serious issue, and could also be fatal. If there is an issue, you will need to help in the diagnosis, and once done, you will have to deliver the treatment. So, principally, you have 3 main responsibilities, and they are – the evaluation, treatment, and caring for your patients. Yes, you will certainly working under the supervision of a physician, and will also be assisting the person, but the physician will also be consulting you for your professional knowledge, because your experience you have learned from one of the Respiratory Therapist Programs In Bakersfield Ca is highly valued here.
Job Prospects and the Respiratory Therapist Salary
Here’s the best part. Not only is the job of the therapist exciting, but the fact is that, it could be extremely profitable as well. That is because, the respiratory therapist salary is really attractive. If you have the qualifications and some experience, you could end up earning not only a decent earning, but much more than the national average as well.
How Much Does a Respiratory Therapist Make?
How much can you earn in this profession? Let us take a look at this. According to the National Salary Statistics, the hourly rate of a professional here ranges between $17.20 and $30.96. The overtime is between $20.11 and $48.11 for each hour of extra work. Add to this the bonus, which is usually between $51.42 and $4,884, and what you have is something that looks really attractive. Everything considered, the total annual pay will be anything between $35,354 and $68,128. Now, that is respiratory therapist salary you can certainly be proud of.
What Does the Salary Depend On?
There are various factors that will determine your salary after you have completed one of the Respiratory Therapist Programs In Bakersfield Ca. One of them is the industry where in California you are employed. Here is a check list.
- In the healthcare industry you can earn between $16.58 and $31.22 for each hour.
- If you are employed in a hospital, your earning will vary from $16.96 and $31.91 hourly.
- In an acute care hospital, it will be between $17.45 and $33.02.
- Those who are in the medical services can earn respiratory therapist salaries between $16.43 and $31.27.
- In rehab/long-term care facilities, you could earn between $17.06 and $31.03 for each hour of services rendered.
There are several other factors too based on which your actual respiratory therapist pay is decided. For instance, it can vary depending on the actual city where you are employed. For instance, you are likely to earn more money in facilities that are located in the bigger cities than in any of the smaller towns in the US. The statistics also tells us that you can make the maximum salary in the US state of California. Interestingly, the top three cities according to the salary are all located in CA. They are Sacramento, San Jose and San Francisco. At the 4th position is Washington in the District of Columbia. There is another extremely important factor that will determine your respiratory therapist salary. And it is your academic background. To join the profession, you will need to have the associate’s degree, and you should also have cleared the RRT or the professional exam. When you do this, you will be known as a Registered Respiratory Therapist. That’s when the employers will begin to give you the job offers. But it is always better to go for even higher education, because this will fetch you really high respiratory therapist salary. The more qualified you are, the better it is for you. Remember, you should always keep yourself updated because the field is changing all the time. So, even if you are a working professional, you should still go for an updated or advanced course once in 5 years or so, because you can then learn the latest things in your chosen area. Your employers will recognize this, and will certainly offer you a higher income. Of course, the salary you will actually earn will also depend on your experience and the reputation you have. If you are a fresher, you cannot expect to earn very high, but once you have put in a couple of years of service, you can certainly expect the respiratory therapist salary to go up by quite a bit. All employers value experience and will be ready to offer you more.
As the average life expectancy all over the world, that includes the United States of America, has gone up by leaps and bounds, the number of elderly people has also gone up in equal proportions. But, as they are living longer, the healthcare system has to rely more on qualified paramedical personnel to provide crucial medical care and services at affordable costs. For instance, respiratory problems, being quite common with elderly people are now being deftly handled by respiratory therapists, which once belonged to the domain of qualified doctors.
Job of Qualified Respiratory Therapists or RT’s
Patients in Kern County suffering from respiratory or cardiopulmonary disorders are clinically looked after by respiratory therapists. They provide them with the correct evaluation, proper line of treatment, as also the appropriate patient care. Many respiratory therapists work professionally in hospitals as members of the respiratory care team, while others engage themselves in private practice or home health care units. It is quite common among veteran billionaires to privately engage qualified respiratory therapists on a monthly basis to look after their respiratory problems.
Senior respiratory therapists also perform diagnostic tests and procedures, and provide breathing aids, while offering emergency and intensive care services to the critically ill patients. They also supervise other staff that includes respiratory technicians.
How to Become a Respiratory Therapist?
If you want to join this profession, you have to know how to become a respiratory therapist.
An associate or bachelor’s degree in respiratory therapy is needed by a student to join the profession. A student aspiring to become a RT may become either a Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) or a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT), as required by many US states. The NBRC requirements to become a certified pro include completing an accredited respiratory care program, and passing the certification exam. Certified graduates can continue their education if they wish, and advance their career by finishing the advanced care programs and by clearing the two National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) registration exams. They will then be known as registered professionals.
In the final stage of training in all the states, except Alaska and Hawaii, involves the therapist license. But to become eligible for taking the licensing examination, you must provide evidence that you have graduated from a respiratory therapy institution that is accredited.
Here are a few tips on how to become a respiratory therapist.
Tip 1
Prepare yourself early in your high school days. Do not skip any course in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and health science, because these will help you enormously during your later courses.
Tip 2
Finish the 2-year, post secondary-level training program that is proffered by any hospital, college, vocational-technical school, or even any military institution. The value of these programs is immense, since these include both classroom as well as clinical components.
Tip 3
To become a licensed respiratory therapist, you should pass the licensing exam as offered by the National Board for Respiratory Care. Licensing is preferred by most employers.
Tip 4
Increase your knowledge by reading more. Higher marks are always appreciated by potential employers.
Stop asking how to become a respiratory therapist. Join up the course, clear the exam, and you can definitely get the job you want.
Respiratory Therapist Programs In Bakersfield Ca
There are quite a few respiratory therapist schools in Kern County. So, those who want to take up this profession can consider themselves lucky. Students wishing to attend any of these schools in the US state of California may join private schools, universities as also community colleges where respiratory therapy programs are routinely offered. Most of these not only include classroom work, but also prearranged clinical work done at numerous hospitals. It is however crucial to remember that a program you might be interested in has been approved by the commission that gives the accreditation otherwise; you won’t be allowed to appear for the National Certification or the State Board exams.
Even though the admission requirements, content of the course and method of tuition do not vary much from one school to another, students often seem more intent on preferring programs at community colleges as they are not as pricey as private institutions. What is more, many of the therapy programs at the community colleges are set to grant associate degrees, and so, require the applicants to study human anatomy, chemistry and algebra up to certain extent. Alternatively, students wishing to go for a comprehensive respiratory program faster, often consider joining private school or colleges in the state.
Here is a listing of some of the premiere institutions in California that offer respiratory therapy programs for aspiring students.
Respiratory therapist schools in California – The Private Schools
- Concord College, which is a private school offering respiratory therapy to students, is located at four different places covering San Diego and Los Angeles. Concord Career Degree Program involves 60 weeks in completing the theoretical, while exposure to more than 800 hrs of clinical practice at several hospitals in this region settles the issue.
- Loma Linda close to Los Angeles has been preferred by students wishing to get a Bachelor’s Degree in the field. Here the students attend classes in general education for the first two years, and in the remaining two they are required to attend classes that give more stress on pharmacology, respiratory therapy as well as critical care. This program, nevertheless, includes clinical rotations as well.
- California College in San Diego proffers BS in this profession.
- Western College is capable of offering a Certificate as well as an Associate’s Degree in the trades.
Respiratory therapist schools in Kern County – The Community Colleges
The Bakersfield Community College takes only 30 students for their program where algebra, human anatomy and chemistry are a basic qualification. The program stretches over 5 semesters. There is also a summer semester that is for 6 weeks. Students preferring better flexibility can opt for a 3-year program.
Antelope Community College offers a RT program for 2 years, admitting students each fall. This college also has a mandatory requirement of education in college level biology and algebra. Students attending this college are exposed to community hospitals that are small, as also to significant teaching hospitals like UC Medical Center.
Yes, it is a fact that there are many respiratory therapist programs in Bakersfield Ca. It is however important to remember that not all of them are good. You must choose a good school.
What Does A Respiratory Therapist Do
What does a respiratory therapist in Bakersfield do? The person actually does a lot of jobs. Let us take a detailed look into the jobs and responsibilities of the professional. We will then have a better idea about, what does a respiratory therapist do.
The primary objective of a respiratory therapist involves helping his/her patient improve the ability to breathe more comfortably. This may be done with the help of medication, specialized type of equipment, or even through appropriate training. Incidentally, there are several fields open to the respiratory therapist – he/she can join a hospital for in-hospital care or go for home care setting where the patient can be instructed about using suitable instruments that help breathing better. The professional may also educate the person about usefulness of postures that facilitate easy breathing. Some respiratory therapists prefer attaching themselves with renowned physicians as their private respiratory therapist.
There are two distinct types of practicing respiratory therapists. They are the CRT or the Certified Respiratory Therapist, and the RRT or the Registered Respiratory Therapist. If you must know what does a respiratory therapist do, it is important that you realize this difference. With the former, the therapist must have the associate degree after attending 2 years in college training. On completion of the degree, the therapist sits for and passes the exam to emerge as the CRT or the Certified Respiratory Therapist. While some end up there to get employed and earn money, others go for higher education, passes two more examinations after obtaining a four-year degree to become a RRT or the Registered Respiratory Therapist. Needless to say, the latter’s earning potential is more as compared to the former on account of more proven skill and awareness in the field.
But practically speaking, as healthcare personnel, both CRTs and RRTs function as diagnosticians as well as practitioners. If a patient exhibits breathing problem, the therapist, either individually or performing under the supervision of the physician, diagnoses the case. In his/her quest for diagnosing the case, the therapist employs several methods that include collecting samples of sputum, analyzing the level of oxygen in the patient’s blood, as also conducting a series of tests to evaluate the extent of pulmonary impairment. In extreme cases, some of them work in sleep study clinics to monitor and diagnose sleep apnea.
However, once the diagnosis is confirmed, the professional immediately begins the work by employing several methods. These usually comprise providing respiratory support by way of administering oxygen, providing inhalation of beta-2 agonists for severe asthma patients, or suggesting Intubation (provision of breathing tubes) for people who are unable to breathe on their own. It is also an important duty on part of a CRT or RRT to keep such patients under observation, remove the oxygen supply when not needed, and to make the correct decision about when a patient can be Extubated (the removal of breathing tube).
What does a respiratory therapist do – there is one final task. Therapists are expected to help hospital patients to go home for home-care treatment.
Respiratory Therapist Resume
The respiratory therapist resume can certainly look most attractive if you have the right qualifications to show. This is one profession that is looking up, as the resume can get you a high paying job, even in this tough economic condition. In fact, this is one job that is recession-proof. The numbers have their own story to tell. Thousands of jobs are to be created over the next decade or so in the United States, and this is much the same elsewhere in the world as well. The experts are even saying that in the future, we will need even more therapists, and so, there could be a lot of job openings. But of course for this, you must at least have the minimum qualification. You should go to a school to have the education – only then will your respiratory therapist resume look anywhere near as impressive.
Luckily, there are plenty of schools all across the United States, and many of them are quite good indeed. So, to get a job, you should first select a good school for yourself. Look up the Internet, do some research, read up the brochure before you make the selection. And of course, you must confirm that the school has the necessary professional certification. This is a must.
How Should Your Respiratory Therapist Resume Look
Like the resume for any other profession, here too, it should include your name and contact details, such as the phone number, the email address and the postal address. It should also include a brief summary of your education, and information about the educational certification that you have. This is really very important because RT or Respiratory Therapist is one profession that requires professional training from an expert.
Your respiratory therapist resume should also include a couple of paragraphs about your experience. Of course if you are just out of college and do not have anything to mention here, then you can mention this in this section. But, this section is really very important for you, if you are already working as a therapist, and currently are looking for a better job. In such a situation, you should mention about all your jobs, starting with the first one. Mention just a little bit about the job you held, and your specific role in it. This will give your future employer some idea about the kind of experience that you have. It will be a good idea to mention the main points or your roles and duties as bullet points. This will make them stand out – nobody can miss it in your resume.
Your respiratory therapist resume can take you a long way. Just ensure that you have the correct education from a right school to show in it. If you have worked as a therapist already, give it some thought, take your time to create the resume carefully. Do it well, and your respiratory therapist resume will help you get the right job and a good salary.