INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Respiratory Therapist positions are at a 23% growth rate, which is much faster than average. With that said, there are currently 135,100 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 31,100 to 166,200 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Respiratory Therapist jobs was $62,810 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $45,940, and the highest 10% more than $89,170.
Our conclusion? The Respiratory Therapist job market is wide open for candidates.
Top Respiratory Therapist sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to write a Respiratory Therapist resume experience section
Respiratory Therapist Resume’s Job Experience Checklist:
- Use 4-6 bullet points per job title;
- Don’t go further than a decade behind when describing your job history, unless you’re applying for an executive position;
- Combine job responsibilities as well as achievements with numbers in results when you describe your past work;
- Start each sentence with a power verb and avoid overused buzzwords;
- Use either C-A-R or S-T-A-R methodology, when describing your experience.
The work experience samples below come from real Respiratory Therapist resumes that got people hired at top companies. You can use them as an inspiration to build your own resume:
Work Experience
Respiratory Therapist
DuBuque, Conroy and Durgan
2015-2019
- Provide patient care to those clients whom have a medical need at home or admitted with a referral. Scope of role includes developing strong relationships with hospital and referral sources, hospital coordination, discharging high tech referrals to the home, coordination of home care resources, set up durable medical equipment in home that is unique to a child’s need to thrive, client advocacy, and an overall awareness of the needs of the client.
- Partnership development with the respective medical, nursing staff, and respiratory therapy staff in planning, implementing, delivering, and evaluating respiratory care.
- Align communication strategies that best serve the patient population, the patients’ families, and any additional caregivers or medical personnel supporting the patient.
- Education of nurses and caregivers on home use of ventilators, tracheostomy care, enteral feeding, and suction. CPAP, BIPAP and Hi/Low flow set ups and other duties as required. Experience with home ventilators in multiple modes including NPPV, Mouthpiece ventilation and tracheostomy.
- Case management of complex respiratory patients including but not limited too ALS, MD, MS, SMA.
- Skillfully executes patient care including the utilization of clinical expertise on ventilator management, ventilation guidelines (non-invasive and invasive), waveform identification and classification, and oxygen delivery devices.
- Instruct on use and support via in person and phone call troubleshooting with all diagnostic studies that PHS offers. To include: 4CH, 3CH, overnight saturation study, PCO2 study, ETCO2 overnight study, and PH studies.
- Serves as a role model for Respiratory Care, teaches and coaches as necessary. Sets the standard with relation to behavior, attendance, and sound decision making.
Work Experience
Registered Respiratory Therapist
Quads
2018-2020
- Assessment of respiratory status of pediatric, adult, and geriatric patients.
- Administers aerosolized medication therapies.
- Maintain invasive and non-invasive ventilation.
- Assist physicians with intubations.
- Performs arterial blood gas draws.
- Oxygen setup and management.
- Performs CPT.
- Apart of a rapid response team.
Work Experience
Respiratory Therapist
Eco Focus
2015-2017
- Shift in charge
- Established Department policy
- Mechanical Ventilation Settings Management
- Arterial Blood gas sampling and reading result
- Chest physiotherapy
- Holding responsibility as a respiratory therapist of 12 Beds General ICU + 5 Beds CCU + 4 beds Isolation + ER with all kind of RT management
- All Transport responsibility
Work Experience
Registered Respiratory Therapist
Strat Security
2016-2017
- Shift in charge
- Established Department policy
- Mechanical Ventilation Settings Management
- Arterial Blood gas sampling and reading result
- Chest physiotherapy
- Holding responsibility as a respiratory therapist of 12 Beds General ICU + 5 Beds CCU + 4 beds Respiratory Isolation + ER + IMCU
- patients in-Houspital and out-Hospital Transport
Work Experience
Part-Time Registered Respiratory Therapist
Nixue Root
2016-2020
- Experience within an adult critical care setting working in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team to develop patient care plans
- Perform patient care in the form of diagnostic procedures and therapies related to mechanical ventilation, arterial blood gases, bronchoscopy and pulmonary function testing
- Demonstrated knowledge regarding respiratory diseases, medications, operations of high quality equipment and best practice evidence based treatments
- Prioritize critical care incidents and unexpected emergencies, such as CODE BLUES, to ensure resource allocation is appropriate and timely for various patient services
- As a certified worker member of the Joint Heath and Safety Committee act to address clinical issues/barriers relating to infection control, staffing, resource allocation and process improvement strategies brought forward by frontline workers
- Follow the standards and guidelines set out by the College of Respiratory Therapists of Ontario to conduct safe patient care
- Proficiency in adult endotracheal intubation, arterial blood gas sampling, tracheostomy management, and mechanical ventilation
- Troubleshoot respiratory therapy equipment including ventilators, anesthetic gas machines, and pulmonary function body box
- Seek out professional opportunities for continuous improvement in education, communication, patient safety and clinical operations
- Act as a Labor Management Representative to negotiate and resolve department issues with the organizations senior management team
Work Experience
Casual NICU Registered Respiratory Therapist
Quads
2019-2021
- Experience in a Level 3b NICU setting providing respiratory therapy to over 30 premature, surgical and medical neonatal patients
- Communicate effectively with parents and families on respiratory diseases, medications, equipment and care management plans used in the neonatal setting such as NIV, HFO, HFJV and iNO
- Respond to emergencies within the unit including CODE PINK to ensure excellent airway and ventilation support to patients at all times
- Resignation due to COVID-19 pandemic site restrictions
Work Experience
Respiratory Therapist
Altenwerth Group
2016-2020
- Integral part of the healthcare team
- Core therapist in Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit
- Utilized in all Intensive Care Units (MICU, SNICU, CVICU, BICU, RSCCU, PICU, NICU)
Work Experience
Registered Respiratory Therapist
Hessel - Ruecker
2016-2017
- Managed 65 patients over a 250 mile territory
- 24/7 Call, 5-7 days a week
- Patient and caregiver education
Work Experience
Registered Respiratory Therapist
Movie Intense
2009-2014
- Patient care to include the ICU, Ventilator Management, emergency intervention (NICU, PICU, ICU, ER)
- Primarily assigned to NICU
- Neonatal Transport, Ground and Air
Work Experience
Respiratory Therapist/Transport Therapist/ECMO Specialist
Cogent Data
2012-2018
- Providing cardiopulmonary services to adults and children in critical care and med/surg settings.
- Critical Care Transport Therapist capable of initiating advanced procedures in the transport of the critically ill or injured neonatal or pediatric patient.
- ECMO Specialist capable of ensuring appropriate patient care through the continuous monitoring of the ECMO circuit, related technology, and patient status.
Work Experience
Sales Specialist/Respiratory Therapist
Innovation Arch
2021-2022
- Sales specialist responsible for dispensing medical equipment such as CPAP, oxygen, apnea monitors and braces.
- Respiratory student assistant responsible patient assessment and care, nebulized medications and CPT therapy.
- Respiratory Therapist responsible for vent management, trach care, and patient care.
- Assure quality outcomes for all involved with education and complete documentation.
Work Experience
Respiratory Therapist IV
Littel Group
2009-2014
- Patient care to include PICU, Med/Surge, and ED on two campuses one being a Level One Trauma Center.
- Equipment/parts listing for everything in our Trauma Bay Airway Carts
- Vent management w/ therapist driven protocols to include: AVEA, Hamilton, Trilogy, and V60.
- Applied my knowledge of Asthma to helping educate family in the Emergency room.
Work Experience
Respiratory Therapist
Kozey - Bogisich
2012-2018
- Shift in-charge.
- Adjusting the Setting of Ventilator in Critical care area.
- Management and planning of weaning patient from mechanical ventilator.
- Oxygen devices selection of related respiratory disorders.
- Assistant in many critical care procedures like bedside tracheostomy, bronchoscopy, elective & emergency intubation and patient transport inside and outside the hospital.
- Analyzing and interpretation of blood gases: Arterial blood gas (ABG), Capillary blood gas (CBG).
- Holding Responsibility for 12 Beds Medical ICU, 6 Beds Surgical ICU, and 6 Beds CCU as Respiratory Therapist.
Work Experience
Respiratory Therapist
Candor Corp
2018-2020
- Involve in patient management and daily care plan.
- Assistant in many critical care procedures like bedside elective & emergency intubation and patient transport inside and outside the hospital.
- Management of ventilator setting in critical care units.
- Management and planning of weaning patient from mechanical ventilator.
- Assessment of patient conditions and diagnosis.
- Oxygen devices selection of related respiratory disorders.
- Analyzing and interpretation of blood gases: Arterial blood gas (ABG), Capillary blood gas (CBG).
- Holding responsibility as a respiratory therapist of 12 beds general ICU, Surgical and Medical Wards, and ER with all kind of RT management.
Work Experience
Student Respiratory Therapist
Schmeler LLC
2016-2020
- Assess and manage patients on Oxygen Therapy and Mechanical ventilation
- Evaluate and monitor patients' response to therapy for documentation
- Perform respiratory care such as tracheostomy management, suction therapy, bronchoscopy assist, and pulmonary function testing
Work Experience
Respiratory Therapist
Hintz, Emmerich and Swaniawski
2015-2019
- Delivered Respiratory therapies to patients.
- Educated patients, family members, and fellow coworkers of respiratory care.
- Trained and educated new employees.
- Contributed to team meetings and collaborated with management in the decision-making process.
- Set and maintained staff workloads for shift.
Work Experience
Respiratory Therapist
Quads
2012-2014
- Neonatal, Pediatric & Adult Intensive Care; CV Surgery recovery
- Neonatal ALS, OR Delivery Room and High-risk delivery attendance
- Complex Intra-hospital transport
- Arterial Line Placement
- High frequency Ventilation strategies: HFJV, HFPV
- NAVA strategy
- Speciality gas: Heliox and Nitric oxide
- Inhaled Prostacyclin administration
- Respiratory Care Protocols: Ventilator initiation, management and discontinuance, Medication and Airway Clearance, Nitric oxide
- Annual Staff Blood Gas Competencies (Stick, Line, Capillary, Analyzer)
Work Experience
Respiratory Therapist
Bravura Inc
2011-2018
- Neonatal, Pediatric & Adult Intensive Care; CV Surgery recovery
- Neonatal ALS, OR Delivery Room and High-risk delivery attendance
- Complex Intra-hospital transport
- Arterial Line Placement
- High frequency Ventilation strategies: HFJV, HFPV, HFOV
- NAVA strategy
- Speciality gas: Heliox and Nitric oxide
- Inhaled Prostacyclin administration
- Respiratory Care Protocols: Ventilator initiation, management and discontinuance, Medication and Airway Clearance, Nitric oxide
- Annual Staff Blood Gas Competencies (Stick, Line, Capillary, Analyzer)
Work Experience
Respiratory Therapist
Waters and Sons
2015-2017
- Neonatal, Pediatric & Adult Intensive Care; CV Surgery recovery
- Neonatal ALS, OR Delivery Room and High-risk delivery attendance
- Complex Intra-hospital transport
- Arterial Line Placement
- High frequency Ventilation strategies: HFJV, HFPV, HFOV
- NAVA strategy
- Speciality gas: Heliox and Nitric oxide
- Inhaled Prostacyclin administration
- Respiratory Care Protocols: Ventilator initiation, management and discontinuance, Medication and Airway Clearance, Nitric oxide
- Annual Staff Blood Gas Competencies (Stick, Line, Capillary, Analyzer)
Work Experience
Respiratory Therapist
Lambent
2016-2020
- Neonatal, Pediatric & Adult Intensive Care; CV Surgery recovery
- Neonatal ALS, OR Delivery Room and High-risk delivery attendance
- Complex Intra-hospital transport
- Arterial Line Placement
- High frequency Ventilation strategies: HFJV, HFPV, HFOV
- NAVA strategy
- Speciality gas: Heliox and Nitric oxide
- Inhaled Prostacyclin administration
- Respiratory Care Protocols: Ventilator initiation, management and discontinuance, Medication and Airway Clearance, Nitric oxide
- Annual Staff Blood Gas Competencies (Stick, Line, Capillary, Analyzer)
PRO TIP
Make sure to relate your experience to your job description, but never lie. That’s not tolerated and will show up in the face-to-face interview later on.
Action Verbs for your Respiratory Therapist Resume
At Enhancv, we went through countless Respiratory Therapist resumes and uncovered which are the unique words people use to spice up their resumes. Forget about buzzwords - use these power words instead to make your experience section shine.
Recommended reads:
Respiratory Therapist Resume Skills’ Tips & Tricks to Impress Recruiters
Resume Skills Section Checklist:
- Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
- Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
- Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
- Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.
Top Skills for your Respiratory Therapist resume
HARD SKILLS
- MEDITECH EMR
- McKesson EMR
- Evita 4
- HAMILTON
- SLE 5000
- SV300 / Mindray
- Datex-Ohmeda / GE
- BiPAP Vision and V60
- Oxylog
SOFT SKILLS
- Communication
- Compassion
- Patience
- Flexibility, adaptability, and emotional stability
- Proactive, ethical, and responsible nature
- Honesty
- Team-player
- Strong work ethic
- Time management
PRO TIP
Don’t feel obliged to spend a separate section for your soft skills - you can weave them throughout your job experience or career summary. But, don’t just write empty words - back them with examples.
Recommended reads:
Respiratory Therapist Resume Header: Tips, Red Flags, and Best Practices
CHECKLIST For Your Respiratory Therapist Resume Header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have policies about identifying information like photos on your Respiratory Therapist resume. Be sure to check all the relevant rules before submitting yours. If you’re in doubt, you can always try contacting the company’s HR department to ask for their policy.
Respiratory Therapist Resume Summary Best Practices
Checklist: What to include in your Respiratory Therapist resume summary:
- Years of experience;
- Highlight top 3 skills and proficiencies;
- One big professional accomplishment you’re most proud of, that you can tie with the aforementioned skills;
- Use short, direct sentences - but no more than three - to keep the HRs interested.
Resume Summary Formula:
Resume Summary Formula:
[Adjective] [job title] with [number] years of experience in [industry], a proven ability to [relevant, measurable skills], and a strong background in [relevant context of your work experience] seeks a position as [the job title you’re applying for].
PRO TIP
Your summary should act as an elevator speech, briefly promoting how you will benefit the employer if hired. Pitch your strengths in the summary and expand on them in your Respiratory Therapist experience section. Give examples like how your work benefited each employer.
Recommended reads:
Listing Your Education, Certifications and Courses
Resume Education Section Checklist:
- Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
- Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
- Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
- Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.
Top Certifications for your Respiratory Therapist resume
NCLEX Simplified: Respiratory and Endocrine
Finally understand ventilators, trachs, ABGs, SIADH, pheochromocytomas and MORE!
CBT: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Therapists & Coaches
Comprehensive CBT Therapy Training | Cognitive Behavior Therapy Practitioner Level | Treat Anxiety, Depression & More
Certified Alternative Healing Therapist/Practitioner
Become A Soul Care Provider, Get a Healing Certificate. Be a Spiritual Counselor, Comfort Others, Positive Psychology!
Bowen Therapy NO MASSAGE Healing Certificate Course (8CEU)
An incredible NO MASSAGE remedial therapy for massage therapists or anyone else that wants to learn how to heal people.
Pulmonology : Chest Medicine and Respiratory Medicine
Chest Medicine and Respiratory Medicine
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
There are dozens of certifications that you can claim as a Respiratory Therapist. But, some are more effective than others. That’s why you mustn’t include every certificate other applicants might have. Try instead to earn and list a few of the difficult ones.
Respiratory Therapist Resume: Additional Writing & Formatting Tips
There are three basic resume formats you can choose from:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional resume format;
- Hybrid (or Combination) resume format;
The most optimal format for your particular case will depend on your years of experience, as well as whether you’re switching industries or not.
Reverse chronological resumes are best suited for experienced individuals who are sticking to their industry. The experience section takes a central place, and its bullets contain your responsibilities and achievements, coupled with numbers and results.
Functional resumes are used by less experienced jobseekers or career changers. Note that it’s not a format that recruiters prefer, as most are used to the classic chronological alignment. Instead of a list of job titles, functional resumes focus on your skills, and through what experiences you gained them.
Hybrid resumes are great for both experienced and entry-level candidates, as well as career changers. They combine the best of both worlds - most often in a double column format, where one side of the content is focused on your experience, whereas the other - on your skills, strengths, and proudest moments.
Respiratory Therapist Resume Summary best practices
Here are more resume tips regarding your layout and style:
- Clear and legible 12p resume font size;
- Use 10’’ resume margins - that’s default for a great resume design;
- Use a one-page template resume length if you’ve got less than 10 years of experience; otherwise, opt for a two-page resume;
- Save your resume as PDF before sending it to the recruiter.
To take it a step further, check out how your resume can stand out without leaning too much on the creative side.
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
If you feel that you don’t have high chances in a particular company, due to lack of relevant experience, then you can still consider using a creative layout. That might help you get noticed and invited for an interview, as most of the other applicants will have boring resume designs.
Other sections to include in your resume
Depending on the type of company (corporation or start-up; innovative or traditional), job seniority level and your location, you may want to include more sections to your Respiratory Therapist resume:
Respiratory Therapist Resume: How to Make Yours More Creative & Stand Out
When you send your resume to a potential employer, chances are it's the fiftieth one they've seen that day. That's why you need to make your Respiratory Therapist resume stand out for the right reasons. That means showing your personality, not just your professional experience. Employers are far more likely to remember a candidate who seems like a genuine person and not a robot. Do this by including your passions (which is also a great place to demonstrate skills on a resume), share your favorite books, or even what your usual day looks like.
What Makes a Great Respiratory Therapist Resume: Key Takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
Volen Vulkov
8 minute read
Updated on 2022-03-14
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