RT vs RRT

medic2crna · Mar 13, 2008

Same thing. RRT is short for Registered Respiratory Therapists. Many states now require RT's to licensed and request they be called LRT.

Rob

RN Randy · Mar 14, 2008

Well, be careful that you don't confuse RT with Radiologic Technology... X-Ray techs.

Lots of places use RT for x-ray. Best to just say Respiratory.

Now, as for Respiratory, it's divided up into two licenses, CRT and RRT.

CRT is Certified Respiratory Therapist, what used to be called CRTT, Certified Respiratory Therapy Technician, until the big CRTT push to have it changed from "technician" to "therapist".

RRT is Registered Respiratory Therapist, always been that way since they quit using the term Inhalation Therapist, which btw is why the dinosaurs fell dead.

CRT and RRT cannot really be divided up in practice like RN/LPN. The duties of each can very well be exactly the same, and up until recently, in smaller hospitals, there was only a difference in pay. Some states however; did their own licensing laws and split it up like, a CRT can draw and run an ABG, but only an RRT can interpret the results. CRT's work the floor, RRT's work the unit, Stuff like that.

Used to be you could hop a technical school to get both, working on a 2-step program... get your CRTT in 1 year, then go to work and finish your RRT in another 6 months.

Nowadays, CRT is being taken out of some schools options and you have to go straight to the RRT degree, AS or BS and is part of a college program, just like nursing.

I believe they are trying to completely phase out the CRT option [not current people] over a period of time and I guarantee you will have trouble finding a job as a CRT nowadays.

GET YOUR 4 CLASSES so you don't regret it later and work that RN pay while you go to the RRT program. Then choose.

Trust me, you can gadget all you want in the right nursing job, with Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy machines, Continuous Cardiac Output monitors, traction beds, Roto-beds, Intra-Aortic balloon pumps, Automated CPR devices, IV pumps, Art-line setups, and more. Respiratory is turning into a glass world, all software driven touch-screens and proprietary circuits, etc. I think today's RRT is much improved and educated, but isn't the jury-rigger from 20 years ago.

rb

RRTM2 · Mar 14, 2008

if you really want to work with the gadgets, have you considered biomed? it's 2 years for a degree and the machines you could play with then!

this is an example of a school - http://www.scc.spokane.edu/?electbiotech

ok, here's the respiratory alphabet soup...

[color=#231f20]rt is the all-encompassing nickname for respiratory therapists.

rrt = registered respiratory therapist. this is a credential awarded by the national board of respiratory care (nbrc). the credential held depends on the exams passed.

credentials/exams administered by the nbrc are:

[color=#231f20]crt - certified respiratory therapist (entry level credential. every licensed rt is a crt)

[color=#231f20]rrt - registered respiratory therapist

[color=#231f20]crt-nps or rrt-nps - neonatal/pediatric respiratory care specialist

[color=#231f20]cpft - certified pulmonary function technologist

[color=#231f20]rpft - registered pulmonary function technologist

lrt, rcp, lrtc, lrtr are all titles/acronyms that vary by state licensing agencies.

it's usually variations of licensed, respiratory, therapist, care practitioner, certified, registered, etc.

i'll post more info if you would like but basically my license as a respiratory care practitioner is issued by california, after schooling approved by caahep & coarc, and testing by the nbrc, which awarded me a credential for a skill level as first a crt, then a rrt.

rrt[color=#231f20] sometimes means a higher salary but mostly it seems to mean that you take your career seriously and it looks good on a resume. a lot of the actual education/testing is really out of the rt (at least, my) scope of practice... i.e. swan ganz placement, er assessment/meds/interventions, crashing babies.

we don't differentiate much between crt and rrt tasks. you eventually end up where you fit best.

ventilators are the most tinkering i do... and it's software/settings tinkering, not putting things together.

(you intubate a flash pulmonary edema in er and that's going to be some fancy tinkering to get that person ventilated!).

there are other occupations within respiratory - polysomnography (sleep labs) is a growing field. vendor equipment maintenance and in-service. management or teaching (with more education). you already know the home care. there's no getting away from people and their quirks though! if i had known about biomed when i was going back to school that's the way i would have gone.

bullseye · May 21, 2008

although it is true that RRT is a registered repiratory therapist, one must not over look that, RRT could also mean Rapid Response Team, some places would also call RRT MET which stands for medical emergency team. So, do not limit your definition. Bullseye:yeah: