Overview
You can live without water for a few days and without food for a few weeks. Without air, though, you'll suffer brain damage within a few minutes and die after about ten minutes. Breathing, then, would be a pretty good thing about which to become an expert.
The practice of respiratory care requires comprehensive knowledge of many technical and physiological concepts. Among a ton of other things, Respiratory Therapy programs will teach you about the therapeutic use of medical gases, oxygen-administering apparatuses, drugs and medications, ventilatory control, pulmonary rehabilitation, and home care.
As a respiratory therapist, what you'll probably do when you get out into the real world is treat people with breathing disorders (and, by the way, you shouldn't have any trouble finding a job). Respiratory therapists work in hospitals and intensive care units with (often critically ill) patients who have asthma, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, and AIDS. They provide life-support for premature infants; perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and maintain life-support systems; and assist physicians with bronchoscopies, arterial cannula insertions, and heart catheterizations. In a nutshell, they save and perpetuate human lives on a daily basis.
- $22,467 Tuition
- 1270 Avg SAT
- 59,548 Enrolled
- $24,766 Tuition
- 1100 Avg SAT
- 16,602 Enrolled
- $21,341 Tuition
- 22,064 Enrolled
- $10,718 Tuition
- 1180 Avg SAT
- 2,951 Enrolled
- $15,150 Tuition
- 1000 Avg SAT
- 8,940 Enrolled
- 1140 Avg SAT
- 3,432 Enrolled
View All Respiratory Therapy Schools
SAMPLE CURRICULUM
Biology
Cardiopulmonary Critical Care
Chemistry
Ethics for Health Professionals
Health Care Management
Human Anatomy
Introduction to Respiratory Care
Medical Terminology
Pediatric Respiratory Care
Pharmacology
Respiratory Care Procedures
Respiratory Clinical Experience
Seminar in Respiratory Care
Statistics
HIGH SCHOOl PREPARATION
Take courses in biology, chemistry, physics, and math. Lots of them. Pay particular attention in math, as Respiratory Therapy involves a significant amount of basic mathematical problem-solving.