As a Respiratory Therapist, you'll work side-by-side with doctors to ensure or restore one of the most essential functions in life: breathing. It's a growing field: the Ohio Respiratory Care Board found 236 openings for full-time staff positions at the beginning of 2005!

You could work in doctor's offices, nursing homes, sleep centers, pediatric care facility -- or in the back of a helicopter! You might help patents manage their lung function, analyze breath or tissue, diagnose illnesses and recommend treatment, maintain mechanical ventilation for patients who can't breathe on their own, or conduct quit-smoking classes.

• Career advice from the American Association for Respiratory Care

Average Starting Salary:

Around $38,000. Employers often pay for Respiratory Therapists to receive advanced training, further increasing their earning potential.

Licensing

Following graduation, Respiratory Therapists must become licensed as Respiratory Care Professionals by the Ohio Respiratory Care Board.

• Ohio Respiratory Care Board

Central Ohio employers include:

• Riverside Methodist Hospitals
• Grant Medical Center
• Doctors Hospital
• Memorial Hospital of Union County
• Mount Carmel Medical Center
• Mount Carmel East
• St. Ann's Hospital
• Children's Hospital
• OSU Hospitals

Professional organizations
 

American Association for Respiratory Care
11030 Ables Lane
Dallas, TX 75229
www.aarc.org
 

Commission on the Accreditation for Respiratory Care
1248 Harwood Road
Bedford, Texas 76021-4244 
817-283-2835 
800-874-5615
www.coarc.com
 

NBRC Executive Office
8310 Nieman Road
Lenexa, KS 66214-1579
913-599-4200  
www. nbrc.org  
 

Ohio Respiratory Care Board
77 S. High St., 18th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-752-9218
http://www.state.oh.us/rsp/