Respiratory Therapist
| Median wage (USD) | 80450 |
|---|---|
| Projected employment growth (%) | 12 |
| AI exposure (%) | 19 |
| Maximum exposure (%) | 29 |
| Source | eloundou |
| GPT-4 exposure — beta / zeta (%) | 20 · 31 |
| What AI changes in this occupation | Charting patient records and relaying lab results are already largely digitized and pre-populated by the electronic health record. Ventilators and respiratory therapy devices increasingly embed auto-adjustment and alert algorithms that assist with standard parameter settings. Emergency intervention (resuscitation, intubation), clinical judgment during respiratory distress, and reassuring an anxious patient remain irreplaceable. |
| Key skills | Mechanical ventilation · Emergency respiratory care · Clinical judgment · Patient communication |
| Courses to get ahead | Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation · Coursera · 1 sem. · 88 · Univ. of Colorado — airway management and respiratory/cardiovascular emergencies. Breath of Life: Exploring the Respiratory System · Coursera · 4 h · 75 · Immersify — 3D anatomy, physiology and clinical cases (asthma, COPD, embolism). Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRD) in Primary Care Settings · Coursera · 2 sem. · 82 · Univ. of Edinburgh — spirometry, diagnosis and management of asthma/COPD. Anatomy and Physiology · Coursera · 4 sem. · 76 Critical Care and Emergency Management · Coursera · 3 sem. · 81 Patient Communication in Chronic Illness · Coursera · 2 sem. · 74 |
| Occupations to pivot toward | Nurse · 93600 · 5 · 38 Physician · 239200 · 3 · 38 Cardiovascular Technologist · 67260 · 3 · 17 |
| Skills to acquire for the pivot | The respiratory therapist's median wage ($80,450) already exceeds that of a cardiovascular technologist ($67,260), with only slightly higher AI exposure (19% vs 17%). Becoming a nurse would raise the median wage to $93,600, but nearly double AI exposure (38% vs 19%). Job growth for respiratory therapists (12% projected over 10 years) far outpaces medicine or cardiovascular technology (3% each), reflecting sustained demand for respiratory care. |