Respiratory therapist job market?

how does the job market look for a respiratory therapist? Couldnt a doctor or nurse do these tasks as well and eliminating the need for a respiratory therapist?

Where are you looking for work? the job market will be different in different areas.

respiratory therapist , is a special field, they need you to help people with respiratory problems. good luck!

Doctors can make a lot more money referring people to therapists than wasting their time giving patients therapy themselves.Diagnostic medical specialists usually have more work than they need.Problems like asthma are becoming an international epidemic and there is plenty of room in the field for respiratory therapists.

i really can,t answer your question, per sa...but i can can tell you this much....my younger sister started in resp.therapy about 16 years ago....being a free spirit type.... shes bought and sold homes moving from this part of the country , to that....her only thoughts in moving were of, " i think i,d like to live there...." shes never been out of work, and the jobs she,s left tried hard to keep her.....my thinking ; "the moneies good, jobs are plentiful , and no doctors do not want to carry more insurance than they have to.. and and rn, without sep. cert. can not do the job... good luck

some doctors and nurses do these tasks in an office setting. like they'll give you a breathing treatment with a nebulizer. but resp. techs. go to nursing homes, patient homes when hospice is involved, work at hospitals, hospital emergency rooms, etc. my brother has been in this field for 30 years now. he can't get out! seriously, he's tired of it, but there is always a demand for his specialty, so he has always been able to find work. our air is getting dirtier and dirtier, so more and more people are developing respiratory problems.
anyway, good luck to you in your endeavors!
~S~

My impression is that respiratory therapy is a pretty specialized field and that while a doctor or nurse could probably perform the actual therapy for any given patient, the professional respiratory therapist is better able to assess need and progress and tailor therapy to fit. As one of your answerers already mentioned, job opportunities are different in different states, but from browsing the want ads in various papers around the country, medical professionals are always in demand. Good Luck!

Yes, they could do the job, but the medical field has specific requirements for each job so that every person has expertise in their field. If doctors and nurses handled everything, they would have too much to remember, and would make more mistakes. I don't know where you are, but in Tennessee, the demand for respiratory therapists is quite high due to the amount of people that smoke, have chronic allergies, and the newborn babies that are born with respiratory problems. Just check with the human resources department at your area hospitals. If you're willing to relocate, I can get you some numbers for some hospitals around here that may positions open.

Go for it! A respiratory therapist is a specialized area of health care. With the baby boomers reaching 50-60 years old, millions of older folks are going to be needing your services. Your idea of going into this profession is a great one. And fairly easy as well. Hospitals, clinics, doctors treating emphysema and asthma, your choose in a specialized (no stress) career is a good one. There are positions open for your field in just about every major city! Good choice!

Look to any children's hospital...there is always a need in most major markets for respitory therapists...especially in NICUs and PICUs at Children's Hospitals...Premature infants..most especially...

Maybe. Although, it creates more jobs. I would think doctors and nurses have enough to do that this would be something off their shoulders.

My best estimate from freinds in the field is very good, as long as you are willing to move to find work. With todays aging population, need for medical jobs will onyl increase.

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