Respiratory Therapy Technicians

• Keep records of patients' therapy, completing all necessary forms.
• Monitor patients during treatment and report any unusual reactions to the respiratory therapist.
• Work with patients in areas such as the emergency rooms, neonatal or pediatric intensive care, or surgical intensive care, treating conditions such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, asthma, cystic fibrosis, or pneumonia.
• Use ventilators or various oxygen devices or aerosol and breathing treatments in the provision of respiratory therapy.
• Follow and enforce safety rules applying to equipment.
• Collect and analyze arterial blood gas samples.
• Set equipment controls to regulate the flow of oxygen, gases, mists, or aerosols.
• Read and evaluate physicians' orders and patients' chart information to determine patients' condition and treatment protocols.
• Administer breathing or oxygen procedures, such as intermittent positive pressure breathing treatments, ultrasonic nebulizer treatments, or incentive spirometer treatments.
• Prepare or test devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, aerosol generators, or electrocardiogram (EKG) machines.
• Assess patients' response to treatments and modify treatments according to protocol if necessary.
• Explain treatment procedures to patients.
• Interview or examine patients to collect clinical data.
• Provide respiratory care involving the application of well-defined therapeutic techniques under the supervision of a respiratory therapist and a physician.
• Perform diagnostic procedures to assess the severity of respiratory dysfunction in patients.
• Clean, sterilize, check, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment.
• Teach patients how to use respiratory equipment at home.
• Teach or oversee other workers who provide respiratory care services.
• Recommend or review bedside procedures, x-rays, or laboratory tests.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Respiratory Therapy Technicians.

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Respiratory Therapy Technicians.