Respiratory therapists administer oxygen to patients who require it; they administer medicated treatments to patients with asthma, 肺气肿, or other lung diseases; they manage mechanical ventilators, that take over breathing for patients who cannot efficiently breathe on their own; they draw arterial blood to measure pH, 氧含量, and carbon dioxide levels; they act as a physician extender to care for patients with pulmonary diseases.
是的. The Associate Degree in 呼吸道护理 takes two years; the Bachelor’s Degree takes four years and advanced degrees include a Master’s Degree in 呼吸道护理 and a doctorate level (PhD). 助理治疗师和学士治疗师之间的工资差别很小, 但是BSRT学位提供了更多的晋升机会, 比如管理. 没有BSRT, 病患的, 或南卡罗来纳州呼吸保健项目博士学位, 但邻近的州(北卡罗来纳州和乔治亚州)都提供服务. 网上也有很多获得高等学位的机会.