respiratory therapist

[nursingnurse2b1]

does this job require as much physical demand as nursing? maybe more?

if you were to go back to time would you choose this major instead of nursing, why

thank you - .

just seem interesting job for more mechanical inclined people and want to compare to nursing.

[TriciaJ, RN]

From all your threads it seems you have misgivings about becoming a nurse. Are you more technically-oriented and would prefer less interaction with people? Have you considered an allied health job like lab tech, ultrasound tech, CT tech, etc etc.? There would still be patient contact but you would do your procedure and be done. If you are gravitating towards health care but not too sure about nursing, you have a lot of options.

[jennylee321]

More difficult job market to break into. Less physically demanding probably, you would be responsible for more patients. Depending on the environment would still be a highly stressful job, in the NICU RTs manage the airway during codes, where I've worked they do the majority of intubations.

[jennylee321]

I did consider respiratory therapy as a career option but I thought nursing offered more opportunity, which it did. Good thing I didn't become an RT because it is not a profession in many countries outside North America, so that's something to consider for anyone wanting to work overseas.

[seaofclouds21, BSN, RN]

I wouldn't necessarily say it is a less physically demanding position. Depending on where you are working, you could be covering multiple units. That would mean a lot of walking from unit to unit. If you are working in a critical care unit, you may be helping with patient care (I've worked with RT's that help while turning patients on ventilators to help watch the airway).

For any career you are really considering, it would be best if you can find someone to shadow to see what their job is really like.

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

No. I am glad I chose nursing. RTs, while valuable, have limited job and advancement opportunities than their nursing counterparts.

[ventmommy]

Being an RT is amazing but there are things to consider. There is less room for advancement. There is no equivalent of NP or APRN for RTs. RT departments generally have 1 manager, an assistant manager or two, and 2-4 clinical specialists. Nursing has managers and advanced opportunities in nearly every department. Depending on where you work, you need to know how to handle patients from delivery to geriatric. You need a solid science background. You might have 20 patients if you are on the floors (lots of walking) or 6 patients if you are in an ICU. Your acuity can range from a PRN albuterol nebulizer to a 350g baby on a jet with a critical airway and a host of medical issues.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

No way.

I read a joke once (I don't remember if it was on here or elsewhere) that the way to tell the difference between a nurse and a respiratory therapist is to put them up to their necks in poop and throw snot at their faces. The nurse will duck.

Most of the environments I've worked in other than the hospital, there isn't much of a market for respiratory therapists. Nursing is more diverse. Plus, my favorite thing about nursing is that our mindset is to look at the whole picture. Respiratory therapists just focus on the respiratory piece, PTs focus on mobility, OTs focus on ADLs, Social Work focuses on the social situation, MDs focus on what's medically going on with the patient. Nurses need to see every piece of it.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Moved to prenursing forum

[3ringnursing, BSN]

I've never seen an RT doing heavy lifting of any kind - unless I was SOL and had no one to help me turn, position, or clean a soiled patient and they took pity on me.

[3ringnursing, BSN]

No way.

I read a joke once (I don't remember if it was on here or elsewhere) that the way to tell the difference between a nurse and a respiratory therapist is to put them up to their necks in poop and throw snot at their faces. The nurse will duck.

Most of the environments I've worked in other than the hospital, there isn't much of a market for respiratory therapists. Nursing is more diverse. Plus, my favorite thing about nursing is that our mindset is to look at the whole picture. Respiratory therapists just focus on the respiratory piece, PTs focus on mobility, OTs focus on ADLs, Social Work focuses on the social situation, MDs focus on what's medically going on with the patient. Nurses need to see every piece of it.

Love the joke! And, as sputum (reeeeeeetchhhhh ) is my kryptonite - particularly the foul smelling kind, I will take poop over snot (hoike! Yakkkkkk ...) any day.

I once knew an RT who actually parleyed his career into case management. He'd been at it for 25-30 years before then. Not something you see too often though.

[MykRTstudent]

Respiratory is definitely less physically demanding than nursing. Nurses cannot leave the patients bedside for their entire shift. Respiratory therapists travel around the hospital to various floors, so they just go into the patients room, do what they have to, and then leave. Though I am currently in summer clinical for my respiratory program and sometimes nurses will ask me to help lift a patient since I am male, but still, you will not do that nearly as much as nurses do.

Both nursing and respiratory are good careers. I was first in nursing school and hated it right away. I knew it wasn't for me, I could not deal with BM/Urine. Once I got into clinical it hit me. Plus nurses have so much responsibility when it comes to their patients and in most states will only make around $5 more per hour than respiratory.

I love respiratory. It's an awesome field that I feel is underrated. It can be stressful at times in clinical but still no where to the degree of nursing. In respiratory you still have a lot of autonomy and contact with the patients and you're not stuck to them all shift. However, there seems to be a lack of respect for RRT's as **some** (not all) nurses think that they know how to do our jobs when RRT's spent so much more time learning the respiratory system than they did. Respiratory is a much younger career than nursing, hence less flexibility and advancement opportunities currently but this does not bother me much at the moment. It is still a growing field which is exciting to be a part of!