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Respiratory Therapy Technician

Types of Degrees Respiratory Therapy Technician Majors Are Earning

Those studying Respiratory Therapy Technician may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	46
Associate’s Degree	333
Bachelor’s Degree	52

What Respiratory Therapy Technician Majors Need to Know

Programs in Respiratory Therapy Technician build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Respiratory Therapy Technician graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Respiratory Therapy Technician emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Respiratory Therapy Technician program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Respiratory Therapy Technician careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Respiratory Therapy Technician graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.5 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Respiratory Therapy Technician professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
JavaScript	Web platform development software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Respiratory Therapy Technician graduates include:

• Medical Technologist
• Polysomnographic Technologist
• Care Navigator
• Patient Relations Representative (PRR)
• Patient Navigator
• Healthcare Registrar
• Patient Service Representative
• Patient Reimbursement Agent
• Patient Registration Representative
• Patient Resource Coordinator
• Patient Relations Coordinator
• Registrar
• Intake Specialist
• Patient Ombudsperson
• Clinical Liaison

What Can You Do With a Respiratory Therapy Technician Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Respiratory Therapy Technician commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Patient Representatives	4.8%	$47,419	$38,091–$56,747
Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other	12.2%	$153,940	$132,704–$175,175
Ophthalmic Medical Technologists	9.4%	$153,819	$121,211–$186,427
Neurodiagnostic Technologists	14.1%	$81,316	$67,093–$95,538

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Respiratory Therapy Technician graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	22.1%
Postsecondary certificate	21.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	18.7%
Bachelor’s degree	15.4%
Master’s degree	9.9%
Some college courses	8.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.5%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Respiratory Therapy Technician?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 70.8% of Respiratory Therapy Technician degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	305	70.8%
Men	126	29.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Respiratory Therapy Technician graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	151	35.0%
Asian	67	15.5%
Hispanic or Latino	90	20.9%
Black or African American	68	15.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	8	1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.9%
Two or More Races	13	3.0%
Race Unknown	25	5.8%
International Students	5	1.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Respiratory Therapy Technician Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Respiratory Therapy Technician graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$27,434
4 years	$29,082
5 years	$32,352

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $32,352 — roughly 18% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Respiratory Therapy Technician Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Respiratory Therapy Technician. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Respiratory Therapy Technician Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Respiratory Therapy Technician graduates earn a median of $29,082 four years after completion — about 23% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Medical/Clinical Assistant	52,819
Pharmacy Technician/Assistant	7,541
Physical Therapy Assistant	5,633
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist	4,111
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services, Other	4,065
Emergency Care Attendant (EMT Ambulance)	3,923
Occupational Therapist Assistant	3,178
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	2,445
Radiologist Assistant	1,513
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Assistant	614
Anesthesiologist Assistant	423

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.