Respiratory Therapist Salary – Registered Respiratory Therapist Salary
Familiarization with the job of a respiratory therapist is essential in order for you to better assess if this is the career path that you would want to travel. Contemplating on the respiratory therapist salary at first might give a wrong impression, especially those dwelling on the concept that allied healthcare occupations command very high salaries.
Indeed, the respiratory therapist salary is very competitive if you are to compare it with other occupations in the healthcare sector. Though not as much as what nurses can possibly get, pay rates could escalate especially in the more advanced medical centers and specialty clinics.
What respiratory therapists basically do is airway management and mechanical ventilation. In the area of airway management, they are in charge of assuring that their patients have pathways that are clear for air to smoothly pass through and be rid of any foreign bodies. When performing mechanical ventilation, therapists assist with a patient’s breathing mechanism by using a ventilator.
Becoming a respiratory therapist only requires an associate degree. However, to have the opportunity to aim at higher ground, one should pursue a bachelor’s degree. Having a master’s degree would definitely guarantee a higher pay. As with probably all other allied healthcare jobs, a license is needed for the profession to be practiced. State board examinations are necessary to acquire the license.
Another way of maximizing the respiratory therapist salary is by engaging in post-secondary studies. There are institutes (medical schools, colleges or universities and vocational or technical facilities) offering programs that can intensify one’s learning and allow him the possibility of earning more.
As of early 2010, the median respiratory therapist salary by the hour ranges from $26.00 to $28.00. On the average, the yearly rates can go between $41,500 and $59,870. These estimates are rather basic. With overtime and bonuses, the figures can go really higher.
Salary ranges per specific sector (hourly basis):
1. Healthcare sector $19.77 to $26.60
2. Hospitals $19.93 to $26.84
3. Acute care hospitals $20.50 to $27.68
4. Medical services $19.85 to $26.81
5. Long term care or rehabilitation $20.02 to $26.29
Salary ranges per years of experience (annual rates):
1. Less than a year $32,537 to $49,381
2. 1 to 4 years $35,230 to $49,415
3. 5 to 9 years $40,872 to $59,490
4. 10 to 19 years $45,648 to $61,209
5. 20 years and above $48,792 to $67,982
The acute care hospital setting has the possibility to generate more income for respiratory therapists. Maintaining a clean and healthy airway is of crucial importance in recuperating patients. Airborne diseases make patients very vulnerable to regression, and this is where a respiratory therapist becomes very much indispensable.
In terms of job security, becoming a respiratory therapist is a practical choice. Offers in the healthcare sector are increasing annually, basically because of the need. And this is also probably one business sector that isn’t bound to suffer from economic downfall. The medical industry can rake in the income by the minute, as there is always someone in need of medical treatment.
You could be getting the right respiratory therapist salary that you deem necessary to sustain a living by obtaining further learning, experience and a good health sector or facility that really provides for their employees.
