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		ALUMNI

Who is a Respiratory Therapist?

Need more information? Ask RT @ OSU

RTs are licensed to provide direct patient care services	For example, therapists...	Assess patient needs, measure cardiopulmonary volumes, flow rates, pressures, electrocardiograms and arterial blood gases. Develop respiratory care plans, educate patients and manage patient care. Provide ventilatory life support, monitor cardiopulmonary systems, administer medical gases and aerosol medications, assure airway patency and lung inflation, perform bronchopulmonary hygiene and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
RTs provide and apply medical equipment	For example, therapists use...	Adult and pediatric ventilators, nebulizers, medications, blood and gas analyzers, masks, medical gases, spirometers, heart and lung monitors, electrocardiographs, laryngoscopes, endotracheal and tracheostomy tubes, manual resuscitators, suction systems, stethoscopes, treadmills, oximeters, percussors, defibrillators, transducers, needles and syringes...etc...etc...etc.
RTs serve diverse patients and treat diverse problems	For example, RTs treat patients with...	Asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, chest and head trauma, infant prematurity, congenital heart disease, open-heart patients, cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, sleep apnea, respiratory distress syndromes, cardiopulmonary arrest, neuromuscular paralysis, spinal cord injuries, heart failure, smoke inhalation, etc...etc...etc.
*RTs work* *in a variety of places*	For example...	Clinical RTs work in adult, infant, and pediatric critical care units, sub-acute care facilities, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation centers, emergency departments, medical offices and clinics, cardiopulmonary diagnostic labs, sleep disorder centers, community hospitals, etc...etc...etc. Non-clinical RTs work for medical equipment manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies in sales, research, development, and as clinical applications specialists; some work in education, insurance, and business.