Respiratory Therapist - Temple College

Respiratory Therapist from Temple College is a Campus Associate Respiratory Care degree that prepares you for a Healthcare career. What is a Respiratory Therapist? While most people take breathing for granted there are many among us who cannot. Abnormalities of all kinds may affect our ability to breathe. Breathing is primarily a reflex activity that brings in air with oxygen as its most important component and we exhale air with higher amounts of carbon dioxide, which is a waste product of normal metabolism. For many people, however, getting the oxygen in and the carbon dioxide out is difficult. People who have chronic lung problems, such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema often find breathing is a major difficulty. Others may also be the victims of accidents, or may suffer from various cardiac problems or have cancer or cystic fibrosis. Newborn premature infants often have greatly labored breathing and need respiratory support in order to survive. For individuals with breathing difficulties many may seek assistance from healthcare organizations, and in most cases will be seen by a respiratory therapist . Respiratory Therapists work under the direction of a physician and will seek to evaluate, treat and care for anyone with heart and lung problems. Employment The Texas Respiratory Care Practitioners' Act allows students enrolled in accredited respiratory care programs to be employed in respiratory care if they are in the clinical phase of their training. Many of our students have become employed prior to graduation and in many cases this has helped them with expenses while in school. Working while in school is made easier with the Monday through Thursday class schedule. Salaries for respiratory care professionals vary widely, even in Central Texas, but wages throughout the state are competitive with other health related vocations. According to a 2009 Human Resources study conducted by the AARC the average salary nationally for RTs was $62,223 with starting salaries for recent graduates ranging from 42,078 to 47,297. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics respiratory care is projected to grow 26%, faster than the average for all occupations through 2020. View more details on Temple College . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Respiratory Care courses.