Questions for RRT's (and nurses!)

[Alliecat78104]

Hi everyone,

First, i'm sorry if this is in the wrong place; I couldn't decide where to post it. I know this is a nursing forum but I found a lot of great info when I did a search here for respiratory therapy. I have a BA in Psychology and after a couple years going back and forth between several different healthcare careers I've decided to do respiratory therapy. I have a couple questions that I either didn't see answered in other threads.

1) What is the starting pay range? I've looked up the median, average,etc salaries but couldn't find much on starting pay, especially by region. Mostly important to me because it might affect how long I'll stay at my current job before starting a program

2) What areas have the best job market for RRT's these days? I'd love to work in Boston at some point (I'm from NH) but I'm single, don't own a home, and have family scattered across the country so I'm open to relocating just about anywhere, at least temporarily.

3)Which types of hospitals/where in the country do RT's usually have a greater scope of practice? I don't think I'd want to work in a setting where RT's cannot intubate/extubate, etc.

4) Any relevant settings to gain experience in the meantime? I have an active LNA license (CNA in other states) and wouldn't mind picking up hours on a part-time or per diem basis.

5) Are there any other accelerated programs besides the one at Bellarmine University? I'd love to finish in a year, but the Bellarmine program is pretty pricey compared to community colleges.

Thanks everyone!

[respstudent]

I know this is an old thread, but maybe the response will be useful for the future.

1. The starting pay depends on where you're located and what facility you're employed at. In my area the pay for a hospital based therapist with the RRT credential varies from 18.50/hour at a publicly-funded children's hospital to 28.50 an hour at a private not-for-profit. This translates to 40,000-50,000 as a first year salary, not including overtime. Some states have starting salaries in the 60's, but they're also states with much higher costs of living.

2. Avoid California and Georgia. You'll have better employment prospects if you work in the area you went to school in.

3. Large academic/teaching hospitals tend to see procedures like intubuation and line placement left to residents. It varies by facility.

4. You can sometimes arrange to volunteer or shadow in a respiratory department. Nursing assistant experience isn't really very helpful for a career as an RT, although you will benefit from learning to listen to breath sounds and check vitals.

5. I'm not familiar with many accelerated first-professional RT degree programs; I think Concord Career college offers a program that can be done in 17 months. IIRC the Concorde student I talked to during one of my early rotations was paying somewhere north of $40,000 per year (around 60k total). I paid under 10k at a community college and was done in 22 months.

Don't let the generally poor opinion of respiratory therapists on AllNurses get you down, we gripe about each other all the time, but we're elbow to elbow when it matters.

The profession is working on increasing therapist scope of practice, exclusive licensure, and advanced practice opportunities; it's a pretty good time to be a therapist.