Have you wondered “What is a Respiratory Therapist?”. This article will hopefully clearly answer this question. A respiratory therapist is a health care professional whose main job is to help people breathe better. These professionals work in a variety of settings with a variety of different patients.
Most respiratory therapists work under the guidance of a physician, but in addition, they may supervise a team of respiratory technicians. Most people in this profession work in hospital settings. In a hospital, they may work various shifts including 1st, 2nd, and 3rd shifts or even twelve or twenty four hour shifts. Some of the respiratory therapists who are employed in hospitals will work in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit). There, they are often responsible for making important independent decisions that have great impact upon whether or not the patient survives.
They may also deal with patients who have had a heart attack or a stroke that has caused breathing problems, or they may deal with patients who suffer from chronic problems like asthma or emphysema. They will see patients who are at the beginning of their lives like premature infants with immature lung development, and they also will see patients who are near the end of their lives like elderly people with lung diseases.
The answer to the question what is a respiratory therapist must also include information about how these healthcare professionals deals with their patients. Regardless of the age of their patient or their exact lung problem, the therapist will deal with them in a similar fashion. Initially, he or she will likely interview the patient. Then, they will examine their lung capacity using specialized machinery or blood tests. Finally, they will prescribe a course of action for the patient.
When the patient leaves the hospital, it is very important that they continue to follow the plan for wellness that the has created for them. For this reason, many respiratory therapists work outside the hospital setting. Their jobs focus on home visits where they will monitor their patients. In addition, the therapist may also teach their patients how to use ventilators or other equipment at home.
The above information is only a partial look at the question what is a respiratory therapist. The job is constantly changing and evolving. For instance, in many hospitals, respiratory therapists are responsible for providing smoking cessation counseling to smokers who want or need to quit smoking. The job is fast paced and challenging, but it is also very rewarding.
