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Respiratory Therapists

SOC 29-1126.00Job Zone 3 · Medium Preparationv.26.05

Context coveredThis framework covers respiratory therapists working across acute care, critical care, emergency, and specialty inpatient settings, from entry-level clinical practice through departmental leadership and organizational strategy.

Sources:O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.SkillsCrosswalkSkillsCrosswalk — O*NET enrichment + adjacency index. Opens in new tab.
Emerging
Entry / Apprentice
  1. Respiratory therapy equipment (ventilators, aerosol generators, oxygen delivery devices) — identify and set up under direct supervision in an inpatient clinical setting.
  2. Patient prescriptions and basic medical records — read and review with guidance to gather initial information about a patient's respiratory condition.
  3. Arterial blood gas collection procedures — perform foundational steps under close supervision in an acute care unit.
  4. Blood analysis results — relay accurately to the supervising physician or charge nurse using standard communication protocols.
  5. Patient vital signs and physiological responses — record and report changes to a supervising clinician during routine therapy sessions.
  6. Basic emergency response protocols (artificial respiration, CPR support) — recognize activation cues and assist credentialed staff during simulated or supervised emergency scenarios.
  7. Patient therapy charts — document pertinent identification data and treatment information under direction following departmental charting standards.
  8. Respiratory therapy equipment cleaning and inspection checklists — complete step-by-step under supervision to support equipment safety in a clinical environment.
  9. Healthcare team communications — participate in structured handoff and bedside rounds by listening actively and relaying observations in clear, concise language.
  10. Scheduling and electronic health record software — navigate basic functions to locate patient assignments and log therapy data under supervisory guidance.
Developing
Mid-level / Established
  1. Mechanical ventilators and therapeutic gas administration apparatus — set up, calibrate, and adjust within prescribed parameters for stable patients across general medical-surgical and step-down units.
  2. Arterial blood gases and blood chemistry results — measure, interpret within normal reference ranges, and consult the physician independently when values indicate adverse patient response.
  3. Patient physiological monitoring data — analyze trends in vital signs and respiratory indicators and adapt therapy delivery to maintain patient safety with routine oversight.
  4. Emergency care interventions (external cardiac massage, assisted ventilation) — execute established protocols during actual emergent events under a team-based hospital response structure.
  5. Patient condition assessments — integrate prescription review, arterial blood gas values, and clinical history to form a working clinical picture without step-by-step direction.
  6. Respiratory therapy equipment maintenance schedules — perform inspection, cleaning, and functional testing independently and initiate repair orders when equipment performance deviates from specifications.
  7. Multidisciplinary care teams — coordinate effectively with physicians and nurses during procedures and care-plan discussions, contributing respiratory-focused clinical observations.
  8. Therapy documentation — maintain complete and accurate patient records in medical software platforms, applying departmental standards with minimal correction needed.
  9. Active learning strategies — apply updated clinical guidelines and continuing education content to daily practice in familiar patient-care contexts.
  10. Time management tools (scheduling software, task lists) — organize a multi-patient caseload across a shift to ensure timely therapy delivery in a busy inpatient department.
Proficient
Senior / Expert IC
  1. Complex ventilator management — autonomously optimize mode, pressure, volume, and weaning parameters for critically ill patients across ICU and emergency department environments.
  2. Comprehensive patient assessments — integrate prescription data, arterial blood gas analysis, chest imaging context, and clinical observations to formulate and execute individualized respiratory care plans.
  3. Non-routine physiological events — apply inductive and deductive reasoning to identify atypical patient responses and implement evidence-based interventions without physician prompting.
  4. Advanced emergency interventions — lead or fully participate in resuscitation efforts, including coordinating CPR, airway management, and cardiac support within a rapid-response team.
  5. Environmental control and specialty aerosol therapy systems — operate and troubleshoot across diverse clinical settings including neonatal, pediatric, and adult populations.
  6. Clinical judgment and decision-making — independently evaluate risk-benefit tradeoffs when standard protocols do not clearly apply, escalating appropriately and documenting clinical rationale.
  7. Interdisciplinary collaboration — take a primary role in care-coordination discussions, translating respiratory data into actionable clinical recommendations for physicians, nurses, and allied health colleagues.
  8. Equipment safety programs — oversee the full lifecycle of respiratory devices, identifying systemic maintenance issues and recommending procurement or process changes to department leadership.
  9. Complex problem solving — diagnose multifactorial causes of treatment failure (patient, equipment, and protocol factors) and implement corrective plans with measurable outcomes.
  10. Patient and family education — design and deliver clear, empathetic explanations of respiratory conditions and home therapy devices, adapting communication style to health literacy level.
Advanced
Lead / Principal / Executive
  1. Departmental respiratory care standards and clinical protocols — develop, revise, and implement evidence-based guidelines that govern practice across an entire respiratory therapy department.
  2. Respiratory therapy staff — mentor, supervise, and evaluate emerging and developing therapists, designing individualized learning strategies to accelerate competency growth.
  3. Organizational quality-improvement initiatives — lead data-driven projects targeting ventilator-associated events, readmission rates, or therapy utilization, presenting findings to hospital leadership.
  4. Interdisciplinary care models — champion respiratory therapy integration into ICU liberation bundles, rapid-response teams, and care-transition programs at the institutional level.
  5. Advanced clinical education programs — design and deliver orientation curricula, simulation training, and continuing-education sessions that elevate team-wide clinical performance.
  6. Healthcare technology selection — evaluate and advocate for acquisition of respiratory equipment and medical software platforms, applying technical expertise and cost-benefit analysis for executive decision-makers.
  7. Regulatory and accreditation compliance — ensure departmental practices meet Joint Commission, state licensure, and professional credentialing requirements, leading audit readiness activities.
  8. Strategic workforce planning — assess staffing models, recruitment pipelines, and retention strategies to sustain a competent respiratory therapy workforce aligned with organizational growth.
  9. Cross-functional leadership — represent respiratory therapy perspectives on hospital committees, policy bodies, and community health partnerships, influencing care delivery beyond the department.
  10. Research and knowledge translation — evaluate emerging evidence in respiratory medicine, synthesize findings into practice recommendations, and disseminate insights through professional channels or institutional publications.

AI-at-Work Competency Framework

Sources:Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab.Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab.WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab.

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Sources:Pathsmith™ Durable SkillsPathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
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Source anchors that ground each statement

Related titles
Respiratory Therapist · Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Respiratory Therapist · Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) · Hospital Respiratory Therapist · Inhalation Therapist · NICU Respiratory Therapist (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Respiratory Therapist) · Oxygen Therapist · Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) · Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP) · Respiratory Therapist (RT) · Staff Respiratory Therapist · Staff Therapist
RAPIDS apprenticeships
0280 · Respiratory Therapist
O*NET skills
Active ListeningCritical ThinkingMonitoringSpeakingActive LearningSocial PerceptivenessService OrientationReading ComprehensionJudgment and Decision MakingCoordinationComplex Problem SolvingInstructingWritingLearning StrategiesTime ManagementOperations MonitoringQuality Control AnalysisScience
Knowledge domains
Customer and Personal ServiceMedicine and DentistryEnglish LanguageEducation and TrainingPsychologyBiologyComputers and ElectronicsChemistryMathematics
Abilities
Inductive ReasoningProblem SensitivityOral ExpressionDeductive ReasoningInformation OrderingOral ComprehensionWritten ComprehensionNear VisionWritten ExpressionSpeech Clarity
Work styles
Attention to DetailDependabilityStress ToleranceCooperationSelf-ControlEmpathy
Technology
Calendar and scheduling softwareData base user interface and query softwareMedical softwareSpreadsheet softwareOffice suite softwareElectronic mail softwarePresentation softwareWord processing software
Tasks · seed anchors for statements
  1. Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
  2. Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur.
  3. Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.
  4. Work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals to manage patient care by assisting with medical procedures or related duties.
  5. Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information.
  6. Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition.
  7. Relay blood analysis results to a physician.
  8. Inspect, clean, test, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently, ordering repairs when necessary.
CIP education codes
51.0908

Sources: O*NET v30.2 (CC BY 4.0), SkillsCrosswalk.com, LER.me®, Anthropic Economic Index, SAFI (Jadhav & Danve, 2026), WEF Skills Taxonomy 2021, Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework. © 2026 EBSCOed.