So lets hear the truth, is respiratory therapy really a good job?

I want to be a respiratory therapist but everyone keeps asking me why? what do they do? so any respiratory therapists out there, what is the answer?

Why would you want to be a Respiratory therapist and you yourself doesn't know what they do...ever heard of google????

I'm here to say, DON'T do RN, do respiratory therapy! Why? Because RN's have to deal with so much more abuse and crap that RT's don't. And the pay difference staring out can be pretty close. The only problem you might have is the market being so flooded with new grads that it might be hard to find a job. At least that's the case here in Southern California.

HOW OLD ARE U, AND I WANT TO DO RESPIRATORY THERAPIST TO

Please don't decide RN over respiratory because of the money.

I love my job but then again, I've only been working as a full RT since July. I feel bad for the RN's I work with sometimes...especially if they have a burn victim.

Respect is something you earn. The ones that complain about the lack of respect most likely won't work for it.

And nobody on their death bed ever says "Damn. I wish I made more money."

sometimesibreathe.blogspot.com/

MarisaL in San Diego, California said: I'm here to say, DON'T do RN, do respiratory therapy! Why? Because RN's have to deal with so much more abuse and crap that RT's don't. And the pay difference staring out can be pretty close. The only problem you might have is the market being so flooded with new grads that it might be hard to find a job. At least that's the case here in Southern California.

To MarisaL in San Diego, CA,
I am very interested in starting school for RT but am worried about the job market for SD. I see lots of threads about different parts of US but very seldom for SD. After three years and lots of education expense in the program I am worried that there will not be jobs in SD. Your opinion?? Are you a working RT? Hospital or ?

Spencer Selph in Thomaston, Georgia said: I am going to Work Force Development today to see if RRT training is availabe for me and the status of how much demand there will be for this field. I have been reading at lot of negative feed back regarding this field in this forum. I do not want to waste my time in a retraining program that has a dead end. I know that OT and PT schools in Georgia are to far from me to go. The closest RRT offered is in Griffin. Thats about 26 miles. My DIL is there in Radioloy. Could someone who is not bitter, disfunctional, or snake bit post an objective view of RRT and the possibilities.

Just one thing to keep in mind.....you must be willing to relocate. I am in an RT program now and from all the research I have done and RT's, instuctors, etc.,etc., I have talked to, there are jobs out there but you must be willing to relocate to another state if necessary, that's the bottom line. If you are unable or unwilling to relocate than your chances of finding employment is pretty slim especially if you are located in a location where they are pumping out hundreds of RT's a year.

Jim is right you might have to relocate. You can also check for government jobs as well. Like at a VA hospital or clinic. If your near a military base they us RT's as well. There is also the chance to work in home health as well. I read on these boards from the folks in Cali. that they can't find a job but I think those people are not willing to move. My class has 23 people in it and one of the 2 medical centers nearby have 11 openings. That's just for the RT department. There are also a few home health companies here that are looking for RT's as well. The jobs are there you just have to look for them.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

My workforce development appointment has been rescheduled for tomorrow. This information has been very helpful. My wife and I are cargivers for my elderly parents. Relocation is out of the question for me.Occupationaql and Physical Therapy seems to be in demand in this area more as there are no close schools that offer this study.The one OT that is working with my parents went to Augusta to Georgia Medical college. That is 4 hours one way. The closest is in Atlanta, about 1 1/2 hours away. I thought about the LPN program but I have some neuropathy in my hands and feet(diabetic) so I don't know if that would be a problem in my clinicals with checking pulses. So I don't know which would be the best route to take. Does anyone else have any suggestions?

HI any one can tell me the school for RT in Tx such as around dallas? I want to be a respiratory therapist? can anyone can give me the more infor about this? what they requ and all that thanks

Here is a link for Respiratory info:
www.aarc.org/career/be_an_rt/index.cfm

Here is a link of 2 year programs around the country:
www.coarc.com/documents/new/CoARC%20Accredited%20Programs%20-%20100%20&%20200.pdf

Hope this helps.

K7779 in Bothell, Washington said: Dude my point was... Why is respiratory a good career path. I know why I want to do it. I just want some positive feedback about being a respiratory therapist. Are you a therapist? why did you choose this path. Do you love your job? or are you like 85% of the people on these forums saying "don't do respiratory be a RN...I would never choose this path again,Respiratory therapists get NO respect and don't get paid as well as a nurse."

do not go in to RT!!

Go for it! RT's Rock!

thanks! I'm glad to hear you like being a respiratory therapist. What do you like about it? do you work in a hospital?

hann in Baltimore, Maryland said: Go for it! RT's Rock!

If you do not mind how much do RT make in Maryland starting out? Thank You

K7779 in Bothell, Washington said: Dude my point was... Why is respiratory a good career path. I know why I want to do it. I just want some positive feedback about being a respiratory therapist. Are you a therapist? why did you choose this path. Do you love your job? or are you like 85% of the people on these forums saying "don't do respiratory be a RN...I would never choose this path again,Respiratory therapists get NO respect and don't get paid as well as a nurse."

the above statements far outweigh my current job, but I have worked 7 yrs in acute respiratory care and I know it is exhausting, for now I work at a small rehab hospital 54 bed unit, while we may have only 12-14 pts on breathing tx's you have to hunt them down in the cafeteria, gym, etc... there is only so much time that the patient is actually in their room, so you run around hooking up treatments and then turning them off. there is no personal one on one couseling with the patient because you are always in a hurry. Besides the fact that I work the graveyard the patients are asleep and in the bed exhauseted from their day,so you are throwing a treatment on them while they are trying to sleep, still no therapeutic intervention, our doctors at the rehab are internal medicine doctors who do not understand or know much about respiratory, so then it is up to us to perform evaluation/assessment based upon their entire medical history, deciding upon their treatment regimen, I run, run, run from the time I clock in and until I clock out, and still do not get all my work done. There is too much paperwork involved and very little time for one on one time with the patient. Also, we draw the AM lab draws in the morning for the nurses, then rush to perform AM rounds for the next shift before they get up and go to breakfast, it is a complete nut-house job. The nurses are always calling us for simple things like p.ox or O2 tanks or O2 extensions, where is the team work anymore, and why does Respiratory

MY POST CONTINUED:
and why does Respiratory Therapy always get the short end of the stick: You never see advertisements on hospitals websites about Respiratory Therapists and our hospital did nothing for us on Respiratory Care Week-absoloutely nothing. How are we to respect our co-workers when there is no respect for us? In my opinon healthcare has abused the field of Respiratory Therapy, and in reality Respiratory Therapists are people, so therefore they are actually abusing and demoralizing human beings, in my opinion ther

MY POST CONTINUED AGAIN:
in my opinion there is no justice in this field, and i am looking forward to getting out after 12 years of acute, critical access, long-term acute and rehab respiratory care. There is no respect, I am the only respiratory therapist on my shift for 12 hrs. and the nurses act like I am a nobody, shes just respiratory,some don't even call me by name, they say "Hey Respiratory", give me a break there's only 8 or 9 on staff, it's ridiculous!!! because i am not a nurse, does anyone feel like this, we do have a voice and we can make a difference, but how? I am burnt out.

I don't answer them if they say "hey, respiratory" or "hey, breathing guy". I just look at them and keep doing what I am doing until they call me by name. Seriously. Try calling them by saying "hey, nurse". See how they like it.

I have been an RT for 23 years, and all I can say; is wait till Obama Care gets a hold of this field and disintegrates it like a roman candle on the fourth of july; yep, nursing will wish they had respected us. The bean counters upstairs in administration, and finance are clueless....let them get out there one day, and intubate someone, draw gases, suction a child, perform cpr....and the list goes on.
THEY ARE ALL LIVING in Lah, lah, land. BECOME ANY THING BUT A RESPIRATORY THERAPIST.......VERY SORRY TO HAVE TO SPEAK THIS SOLEMN TRUTH!

I beieve you are right about this. At the critical access hospital i worked at for 3 years called to tell me out of the blue, that i did not have a job anymore, they SHUT DOWN our department with absolutely no notice, laid off all the respiratory therapists,it was shocking! this happened in a small town in east texas. yucky administration trying to cut costs for their hospital, and they made the nurses do all respiratory interventions and duties, from intubation to bipap,anyone out there thinking about it had better rethink the field, it could be wiped out suddenly.

burnt out in Genoa, Arkansas said: I beieve you are right about this. At the critical access hospital i worked at for 3 years called to tell me out of the blue, that i did not have a job anymore, they SHUT DOWN our department with absolutely no notice, laid off all the respiratory therapists,it was shocking! this happened in a small town in east texas. yucky administration trying to cut costs for their hospital, and they made the nurses do all respiratory interventions and duties, from intubation to bipap,anyone out there thinking about it had better rethink the field, it could be wiped out suddenly.

Please contact the AARC! this has happened before and they have stepped in and stopped this!

Way to go...Doomsday Responders. Some of us are presently enjoying the work we have right now. Yeah, it could get worse, but so could everything else. Go for it! You can switch to a different field now or you can wait, finish a 2year degree and start working, and then get into something else. It's a quick start into the medical field. There are offshoots to the respiratory program too, you know...Sleep studies....CPAP's are selling like crazy right now...Pulmonary Function Testing.
However, God forbid we should put the NBRC out of business...They're counting on all of the new RT's to bring in that $25 fee per year! It's not mandatory of course, but you have to file your CEU's with them, therefore, you have to be a member...but not active...but if you don't pay the $125 in 5 years you become inactive....and you can't file the CEU's...and then you have a license without a credential....which makes you unable to get a license, which makes it.....kind of mandatory! Oh....then you have to retake the tests...for a few hundred $$$$ of fees! :)

I live in Louisiana and lots of hospitals here seem to be hiring for RT's. I see ads online as well as the newspaper. I am starting school in August fo RT and eventually I want to Bridge over into RN. Bottom line is just because something doesn't work for 1 person does not mean it can't work for me. I say go for whatever your passion is.

Erny in Baltimore, Maryland said: Hello I am from Baltimore Maryland and I am applying for the ccbc RT program this Fall 2010. Can someone from Bmore tell me about the jobs, salary and the procedure far as getting your Lic. Thank You

Hello I am a Respiratory Therapist from Baltimore Md. and attended Bccc. The job isnt that bad and the pay is good. Dont listen to people telling you that Nurses make more money.Not always true. Many Therapist that I know have made (including myself) $100,000+ yrly. with over time, unfortunatly the recession is effecting many jobs now including Health care Respiratory and Nursing alike. But go for it, its a cool job.

RASL in Dundalk, Maryland said: Hello I am a Respiratory Therapist from Baltimore Md. and attended Bccc. The job isnt that bad and the pay is good. Dont listen to people telling you that Nurses make more money.Not always true. Many Therapist that I know have made (including myself) $100,000+ yrly. with over time, unfortunatly the recession is effecting many jobs now including Health care Respiratory and Nursing alike. But go for it, its a cool job.

Thank You so much.

Erny in Baltimore, Maryland said: Thank You so much.

If that therapist made a 100 grand + in a year, he worked 7 twelves 365 days of the year. Now, as far as becoming an RT it has it's pro/con, there is very little flexibility with RT, where with nursing you will have more opportunities to pick and choose what shift, what area etc.... A new grad RT is going to work night shift for a year or better, bottom line, if you prefer nights well then this is a pro, as far as pay, nurses definately make more money, don't let anybody tell you that they don't, however; they put up with more crap (sometimes literally) than RT does. The thing I like about being an RT is the ventilator side, no one can do what we do when it comes to vents, vents are exclusive to RT's, keep in mind however that the vents they are designing these days practically manage and wean the patient by themselves, so I must say that job security for RT's is unstable. I don't know if this will help you, for me personally I have enjoyed RT, but looking back I maybe would have chosen nursing. Also, just on a side note, the healthcare industry is all about money, and if they think they can cut you and make it, they will. Sadly, RT would go first.

As I stated earlier Respiratory Therapist can make 100,000+ WITH OVER TIME. Im not talking about the lower South states, Im referring to Maryland and the upper states. The lower south states dont pay well be it Respiratory or Nursing. The ficility that I work at pays 26.50 for CRT's and 28.50 for RRT's and 45.00 for overtime bonus.10,000 sign on bonus for two year contracts. Nursing does pay well with overtime and BSN or MSN.Most agencies in Maryland start at 30.00 and up for CRT and RRT. If your working only 3 days a week for 12 hours that leaves a lot of days to do over time...u do the math. This is the misconception that people have about respiratory and nursing. They both go to school for the same amount of time, they take the same pre reqs. Respiratory Therapist make good money with less crap. Get your facts right... Thank You! (28.50x72+ 2,050.00( reg. time) + 45x36+ 1620(overtime) 2,050+1,620= 3,670 x 2= 7340 a month (88,080) a year. this is with only 2 days of over time a week.

RASL in Essex, Maryland said: As I stated earlier Respiratory Therapist can make 100,000+ WITH OVER TIME. Im not talking about the lower South states, Im referring to Maryland and the upper states. The lower south states dont pay well be it Respiratory or Nursing. The ficility that I work at pays 26.50 for CRT's and 28.50 for RRT's and 45.00 for overtime bonus.10,000 sign on bonus for two year contracts. Nursing does pay well with overtime and BSN or MSN.Most agencies in Maryland start at 30.00 and up for CRT and RRT. If your working only 3 days a week for 12 hours that leaves a lot of days to do over time...u do the math. This is the misconception that people have about respiratory and nursing. They both go to school for the same amount of time, they take the same pre reqs. Respiratory Therapist make good money with less crap. Get your facts right... Thank You! (28.50x72+ 2,050.00( reg. time) + 45x36+ 1620(overtime) 2,050+1,620= 3,670 x 2= 7340 a month (88,080) a year. this is with only 2 days of over time a week.

I have to back you up on this. Believe it or not but there is this one RT who work at Redlands, who made $150,000 last year. He told me he worked 5-6 days a week.It was very hard to believe, but it was the truth.The Therapist starts off $30+ an hour

Ok, how was I wrong? You say two days of overtime at the rate you quote will earn 88,080, that means 3 days regular time plus two days overtime that equals 5 days, and you are still not at that 100,000 + so to get there you need to tack on a couple more days. My point is this, you have to work a lot of time to make that, regardless of where you live!! I am not saying it cannot happen, but there are very few therapists that put that kind of time in

Ok this is the last time that I will reply to u, I just want you to understand that you do not know what you are talking about and do not try to discourage others. I am a therapist in Maryland and many therapist do put in those hours. Listen, 3 days a week is the normal shift here. 12 hours times 3 for a normal 2 week pay is 72 hours. That leaves a lot of time for over time. What is it to work 5 days a week. thats nothing. if some works 2 days over time each week, thats 48 hours of over time per pay check and you still have days off. What are you saying. Many Therapist work like that each and every day. Down south the pay for therapist is around 18.00 to 20.00. nursing is a little more. the cost of living is not that high down there, common sense. New york therapist can make up to 50.00 an hour, again cost of living. I work every day and I know what I make compared to others around me and we are all doing pretty well. Stop debating me about what I do everyday. No more replies. Thank You!

Fritz in Abbeville, South Carolina said: Ok, how was I wrong? You say two days of overtime at the rate you quote will earn 88,080, that means 3 days regular time plus two days overtime that equals 5 days, and you are still not at that 100,000 + so to get there you need to tack on a couple more days. My point is this, you have to work a lot of time to make that, regardless of where you live!! I am not saying it cannot happen, but there are very few therapists that put that kind of time in

Hi Fritz, Actually, experienced Respiratory Therapists earn higher salaries; many at $30.00/hour or higher.

$30.00 x 72 hours = $2,160.00/week
$2,160.00 x 4 weeks = $8,640.00/month
$8,640.00 x 12 months = $103,680.00/year......Without Overtime

Rolinda in Chula Vista, California said: Hi Fritz, Actually, experienced Respiratory Therapists earn higher salaries; many at $30.00/hour or higher.

$30.00 x 72 hours = $2,160.00/week
$2,160.00 x 4 weeks = $8,640.00/month
$8,640.00 x 12 months = $103,680.00/year......Without Overtime

Whoops!, Sorry about that.....Too much in a hurry. Wow, I really miss calculated. It would actually be $2,160.00/2 weeks, with an outcome of $51,840.00/year. You are correct Fritz a lot of overtime would be involved in order to earn this amount of income.
I wish everyone well. Good journey.

This therapist at riverside community hospital also said him and a few of his friends also made over $100,000+ in a year. Riverside starts off at $36 an hour.He said all you need is 2 jobs and alot of therapist has 2 jobs. All that overtime and time and a half, ofcourse you can make that much. I am speaking for california therapist i dont know about other states. I even remember this 1 therapist that only works registery bringing home $500 a shift and $3000 a week. Plus the closer you work towards Los Angeles the more you get paid

unknown in Victorville, California said: This therapist at riverside community hospital also said him and a few of his friends also made over $100,000+ in a year. Riverside starts off at $36 an hour.He said all you need is 2 jobs and alot of therapist has 2 jobs. All that overtime and time and a half, ofcourse you can make that much. I am speaking for california therapist i dont know about other states. I even remember this 1 therapist that only works registery bringing home $500 a shift and $3000 a week. Plus the closer you work towards Los Angeles the more you get paid

Wow, At $500.00($41.66/hour) a shift, this Respiratory Therapist is working 6, 12 hour shifts, totaling 72 hours a week to bring home $3,000.00 a week. In 2 weeks, that's a total of 144 hours(12, 12 hour shifts) to earn $6,000.00. Essentially working 2 Full Time jobs.

$6,000.00/2 weeks x 2 = $12,000.00/month
$12,000.00 x 12 months = $144,000.00/year

Rolinda said: Wow, At $500.00($41.66/hour) a shift, this Respiratory Therapist is working 6, 12 hour shifts, totaling 72 hours a week to bring home $3,000.00 a week. In 2 weeks, that's a total of 144 hours(12, 12 hour shifts) to earn $6,000.00. Essentially working 2 Full Time jobs.

$6,000.00/2 weeks x 2 = $12,000.00/month
$12,000.00 x 12 months = $144,000.00/year

The one who made $500 a shift was working registry at Saint Bernardine in san bernardino making $3000 a week and thats all he did. The Asian guy who work at Redlands Community hospital was only working at that hospital 5-6 days a week and after a certain amount of hours it was considered either overtime or time and half, and he made $150,000 last year and he told me if he wanted to he could have made $200,000 that year. yes i agree its hard to believe but he have been working their for a while

U Have to also remember when u work night shifts, holidays, and weekends you make even more on top of your regular pay. Riverside Community starts off at $36hour
$36 x 12 = 432
432 x 3 days = 1296
$1296 x 1 month =$5184
$5184 x 1 year/12 months = $62208

say u also work at another hospital making the same, working 3 days a week
$62208 x 2 = $124416
The asian guy makes more than $36 an hour, plus he only works at Redlands community so after a certain amount of hours he gets paid overtime and made $150,000 last year

unknown in Victorville, California said: U Have to also remember when u work night shifts, holidays, and weekends you make even more on top of your regular pay. Riverside Community starts off at $36hour
$36 x 12 = 432
432 x 3 days = 1296
$1296 x 1 month =$5184
$5184 x 1 year/12 months = $62208

say u also work at another hospital making the same, working 3 days a week
$62208 x 2 = $124416
The asian guy makes more than $36 an hour, plus he only works at Redlands community so after a certain amount of hours he gets paid overtime and made $150,000 last year

Yes, I realize the earning potential is there, but a Respiratory Therapist has to essentially work 2 Full Time jobs in order to make this amount of income. It's difficult when you're running during a shift. I'm exhausted after working 4, 12s. Kudos to those who can do it. Good journey.

K7779 in Bothell, Washington said: I want to be a respiratory therapist but everyone keeps asking me why? what do they do? so any respiratory therapists out there, what is the answer?

therapist for 32 yrs. all of my rt friends have left the business yrs ago, lots of reasons , 1 to many patients to see in a shift ,, impossible,, so you have to protocall, which leads to many problems. Terrible retirement .

r.n have much more flex ability , many avenues, pay is poor for the work,,,, deal with life and death every day,,, minimal respect,,, and on and on ,, recommend not to do it

look at some of these other comments, i`ll bet they are newbees, fresh from school . Yes it is exciting at first, and when you are young, wait a couple of yrs and it wears off. Car accidents, shootings, burns, drug overdoses, stabbings, drownings, crushed, stabbed, shot, you name it,,, babys ,teens, parents etc ,,, everyday. You go numb to it and deal with it in your head in many ways ,,, but eventually it catches up to you. Do you want to work in a war zone EVERYDAY? One mistake and your job can be gone for good,Yes you can make money at it if you work your butt off,,,, suggest you do it while your young,,,and again there is no flexability in RT. RN or radiology has more going for it, in and out of hospitals. Now there you have it the bare bone truth

No. 3
from kickmeiamanurse
Yesterday, 07:10 PM

Your frustrations won't change once you become a nurse.

I am outraged at how my facility uses one nurse to 120 residents (because someone called in sick and they don't replace the person) then the poor nurse trying to care for 120 people gets disciplined because a 15 minute check wasn't performed on a resident in the area where the nurse called in sick.

The facilities cannot keep staff because it's horrible and the ones that do stay are getting fired for missing something because they are given way too many patients to be able to care for them efficiently.

Pick something else for a career! My sister does Respiratory Therapy and is doing great! She makes better money than I do as an RN and is much happier. She doesn't have all the bull that Nurses are going through these days.

X ray is a great area to get into.

The comment I pasted above is from allnurses.com website.

Each experience is as unique as the individual. Every profession has positive as well as negative aspects. No job is perfect. I have enjoyed working in this field for 13 years. For me, the positives far outweigh the negatives. I like what I do. As a (RT)Respiratory Therapist, I work in an exciting field where I meet interesting people and learn something new every day. I work with a good employer whose priority is our patients. As a RT, I care for Hospital inpatients on the Floors and in the ER/ED, ICU, PICU, NICU,....etc. While working in our Clinic, I care for our outpatients, performing a variety of Comprehensive Pulmonary Function Tests, including Pulmonary Stress/Treadmill Exercises, Cold Air Challenges and Altitude Studies with or without Treadmill Exercises. I can also work in our Day Shift Sleep Clinic and our Night Shift Sleep Lab, helping patients with sleep disorders. My job offers the challenge, variety and flexibility I need to keep me interested and to continue growing both professionally and personally. RTs can work in Home Care and as transporters on Life Flight, as well as help lung and wound care patients by administering Hyperbaric Therapy. I work with an excellent team of providers and I know we RTs make a difference. Please everyone, research potential careers thoroughly and choose wisely. Remember, our current economy is effecting every profession and jobs are very difficult to find. Network. Keep the Faith, stay positive and never give up. I hope this helps. I wish you well. Good jouney everyone.

Hello Everyone,
Ive been a Respiratory Therapist for almost 3 yr's, and it has pros
and cons. The feild is very demanding and can be stressful alot of the
time,especially now,due to the economic situations. The pay starting out
is just a couple of dollars shy of a nurses pay,but we work alittle
harder than nurses do. When a Code happens the nurses pare like the red
sea,and the RT'S take over and get the job done. And one more thing what
is the big deal when a PT needs to be suction? because nurses freak out
when they need to suction a PT,but they can clean B.M. off someone with
no problems.

I havent worked as a RT, still looking for a job but its tough out their so i cant say much about working as one but i will give some insight of what I experienced going through my clinical rotation. I do know for a fact that being an RT is a little bit cleaner job then being a nurse, that's why i choose RT because i wont touch anything below the belt on a patient. RT's have many patients to take care of in different units, depending who you are this may be bad or good. I enjoy moving around alot so this isnt an issue, while nurses usually have two patients to take care of all day and stay in one unit. Still both being a RT and RN is stressful job at time but rewarding, thats why you make the big bucks.

Rolinda in Chula Vista, California said: Hi Fritz, Actually, experienced Respiratory Therapists earn higher salaries; many at $30.00/hour or higher.

$30.00 x 72 hours = $2,160.00/week
$2,160.00 x 4 weeks = $8,640.00/month
$8,640.00 x 12 months = $103,680.00/year......Without Overtime

72 hrs???? no overtime huh??? 72 hrs a week is actually 32 hrs of overtime! In almost most cases anything over 40 hrs is considered overtime.

Brian in Orlando, Florida said: 72 hrs???? no overtime huh??? 72 hrs a week is actually 32 hrs of overtime! In almost most cases anything over 40 hrs is considered overtime.

Rolinda in Chula Vista, California said: Hi Fritz, Actually, experienced Respiratory Therapists earn higher salaries; many at $30.00/hour or higher.
$30.00 x 72 hours = $2,160.00/week
$2,160.00 x 4 weeks = $8,640.00/month
$8,640.00 x 12 months = $103,680.00/year......Without Overtime

Whoops!, Sorry about that.....Too much in a hurry. Wow, I really miss calculated. It would actually be $2,160.00/2 weeks, with an outcome of $51,840.00/year. You are correct Fritz a lot of overtime would be involved in order to earn this amount of income.
I wish everyone well. Good journey.

I am a Respiratory Therpist, DONT DO IT!!!!!!!! And dont be an RN either. Pick something totally different out of health care. If you want to enjoy life and your job then dont do health care. Do something you will enjoy forever. I am misreable. I work 3 nights a week. 12 hours shifts. 7pm to 7am and it is EXHAUSTING!!!!!!! People say oh stop you only work 3 days a week. But they have no idea. On your day off after your 3 12's your sleeping the day away. On my days off i feel like crap. You will never get enough rest. If I had to do over again id pick a 9 to 5 job...normal hours...dont pick a career because of the money. Do yourself a favor and save yourself while you can. And take it from a real Respiratory Therapist, dont do it, I am 25 years old and I feel 50. Lifting patients, you will hurt your back, your legs and feet will hurt so bad by the end of the shift you just wanna pass out. Good luck and pick a different career.

RespTherapist in Wilmington, Delaware said: I am a Respiratory Therpist, DONT DO IT!!!!!!!! And dont be an RN either. Pick something totally different out of health care. If you want to enjoy life and your job then dont do health care. Do something you will enjoy forever. I am misreable. I work 3 nights a week. 12 hours shifts. 7pm to 7am and it is EXHAUSTING!!!!!!! People say oh stop you only work 3 days a week. But they have no idea. On your day off after your 3 12's your sleeping the day away. On my days off i feel like crap. You will never get enough rest. If I had to do over again id pick a 9 to 5 job...normal hours...dont pick a career because of the money. Do yourself a favor and save yourself while you can. And take it from a real Respiratory Therapist, dont do it, I am 25 years old and I feel 50. Lifting patients, you will hurt your back, your legs and feet will hurt so bad by the end of the shift you just wanna pass out. Good luck and pick a different career.

Tell me, please, exactly what "enjoyable" career field is hiring? People don't have the luxury to do something they love anymore. I love being an architect. That's certainly in demand these days.
I don't mean to sound gruff, but there are millions of people out there who wish they had a job that gave them sore feet and made them tired.

If you hate it so much, quit. Go do something that makes you happy. Let someone else have that job.

I said that I woulnt reply again but Im shocked to here how tired you are. Are you really a Therapist or janitor. I have never heard a Respiratory Therapist complain of that kind of thing, unless they worked mad over time. We work at John Hopkins Hospital all day long and it's never that bad. My gosh...