Respiratory Therapy Programs 2026: CoARC, NBRC & Pay

Respiratory therapists earn a median annual wage of $82,280 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and employment is projected to grow 12.1% from 2024 to 2034 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34), with about 8,800 openings each year. A respiratory therapy program can prepare you to evaluate, treat, and monitor patients with breathing and cardiopulmonary disorders, from premature infants in the NICU to adults on mechanical ventilation in the ICU. The standard entry point is a CoARC-accredited associate degree, followed by the NBRC credentialing exams and state licensure.

What Is a Respiratory Therapy Program?

A respiratory therapy program is a college degree program that trains students to care for patients who have trouble breathing. Respiratory therapists (RTs) manage ventilators, deliver oxygen and aerosolized medications, perform pulmonary function testing, analyze arterial blood gases, and respond to codes alongside physicians and nurses.

Programs are offered at two levels. The associate degree (usually an Associate of Applied Science in Respiratory Care) is the standard entry credential and the most common path into the field. Bachelor’s programs typically cover the same clinical core but add coursework in leadership, research, and education, and are increasingly preferred by larger hospital systems and for management or clinical-educator roles. Degree-advancement (bridge) programs exist for credentialed RTs who want to complete a bachelor’s.

Whichever level you choose, the program should hold accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC). CoARC accreditation is what makes graduates eligible for the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) exams, which are the basis for state licensure. Confirm a program’s CoARC status with the accreditor before enrolling.

What You’ll Learn

• Cardiopulmonary anatomy and physiology, including gas exchange, acid-base balance, and hemodynamics
• Patient assessment: breath sounds, chest imaging interpretation, and pulmonary function testing
• Oxygen therapy, humidity and aerosol therapy, and airway clearance techniques
• Airway management, including intubation assistance, artificial airway care, and suctioning
• Mechanical ventilation: initiation, mode selection, monitoring, weaning, and troubleshooting
• Arterial blood gas sampling and interpretation
• Neonatal and pediatric respiratory care, including NICU ventilation and surfactant delivery
• Cardiopulmonary pharmacology, including bronchodilators and corticosteroids
• Emergency and critical care: CPR, code response, and rapid response team participation
• Home care and disease management for asthma, COPD, and sleep-disordered breathing
• Infection control, patient safety, and documentation

Clinical rotations tie this together. You’ll typically rotate through adult intensive care, the emergency department, neonatal and pediatric intensive care, and pulmonary function or sleep labs under a preceptor.

How Long Does Training Take?

An associate degree in respiratory therapy typically takes about two years of full-time study once prerequisites are complete. Many programs require courses such as anatomy and physiology, chemistry, and college algebra before you enter the professional sequence, so plan for those if you have not already taken them. Bachelor’s programs typically run about four years, or roughly two years for a degree-advancement track if you already hold an associate degree and NBRC credentials.

The professional portion of any CoARC-accredited program combines classroom instruction, skills labs with ventilators and simulation manikins, and supervised clinical practice at affiliated hospitals. Most programs admit one cohort per year and run a fixed, sequential curriculum, so missing a semester can delay graduation. Part-time options are limited because of clinical scheduling, though some schools offer evening or hybrid tracks.

Admissions & Requirements

• High school diploma or GED; most programs also set a minimum GPA for the professional sequence
• Prerequisite coursework, commonly anatomy and physiology, chemistry, microbiology, math, and English
• Many programs use a competitive or points-based admission process, so meeting minimums does not assure a seat
• Criminal background check and drug screening for clinical placement
• Immunization records, TB screening, and a physical exam for clinical site access
• Current CPR certification (usually BLS for Healthcare Providers) before clinical rotations begin
• Physical ability to lift and reposition patients, stand for long shifts, and respond quickly in emergencies
• Some programs require observation hours in a respiratory care department or an interview

Licensing & Certification

Credentialing runs through the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). Graduates of CoARC-accredited programs are eligible for the Therapist Multiple-Choice (TMC) Examination. Achieving the lower cut score on the TMC earns the Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) credential; achieving the higher cut score makes you eligible for the Clinical Simulation Examination (CSE), and passing the CSE earns the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential. The RRT is the industry-standard credential, and most hospitals hire at the RRT level or require new graduates to earn it within a defined period after hire.

Most states require respiratory therapists to hold a state license, with the NBRC credential as the standard basis for licensure. Requirements, renewal cycles, and continuing education rules vary by state, so check with the licensing board where you plan to work. Because the NBRC exams are national, a credential earned in one state generally supports a license application in another.

After the RRT, NBRC specialty credentials such as the Neonatal/Pediatric Specialist (NPS), Adult Critical Care Specialist (ACCS), pulmonary function technologist (CPFT/RPFT), and Sleep Disorders Specialist (SDS) can support a move into NICU, ICU, PFT lab, or sleep medicine roles.

Career Outlook & Salary

According to BLS OEWS data for May 2025, respiratory therapists (SOC 29-1126) earned a median annual wage of $82,280. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $63,660, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $118,050. Upper-end wages are typically associated with experience, specialty credentials, critical care and neonatal roles, shift differentials, and high-cost metropolitan markets. The BLS reported employment of 139,790 respiratory therapists in May 2025.

BLS Employment Projections for 2024-34 show employment of respiratory therapists growing 12.1 percent over the decade, with about 8,800 openings projected each year. Demand is driven by an aging population with higher rates of COPD and other chronic respiratory conditions, along with growth in pulmonary rehabilitation and home-based care. Openings also come from therapists who retire or move into management, education, or industry roles.

For a broader look at day-to-day duties, advancement paths, and how RT compares with other clinical careers, read the Respiratory Therapist career guide.

Where You’ll Work

The majority of respiratory therapists work in hospitals, staffing intensive care units, emergency departments, neonatal and pediatric ICUs, operating rooms, and general floors. Hospital RTs often work 12-hour rotating shifts, and because ventilated patients need round-the-clock coverage, nights, weekends, and holidays are a normal part of the job.

Outside the hospital, respiratory therapists work in sleep labs conducting overnight polysomnography and CPAP titration, in pulmonary function labs, and in pulmonary rehabilitation clinics. Home care companies employ RTs to set up ventilators, oxygen, and CPAP equipment in patients’ homes and educate families on their use. Long-term acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and inpatient rehab facilities employ RTs to manage patients weaning from ventilation or living with tracheostomies. Smaller numbers work in physician offices, medical device companies, and as faculty in respiratory care programs.

Online vs In-Person Options

Entry-level respiratory therapy programs cannot be completed fully online, because skills labs and clinical rotations require in-person attendance. Some CoARC-accredited programs deliver lectures online or in a hybrid format, with students coming to campus for labs and reporting to affiliated hospitals for clinicals. If you are considering a hybrid program, ask how often you’ll need to be on campus and where the clinical sites are located.

Fully online options are more common at the degree-advancement level. Bachelor’s completion programs for working RTs who already hold the RRT are frequently offered online, since clinical competencies were met in the original program. For any online or hybrid option, verify that the program holds CoARC accreditation and that graduates are eligible for the NBRC exams and licensure in your state.

Related programs that share prerequisites or clinical settings with respiratory care include radiology technician, surgical tech, and EKG technician training. Some students use one of these roles to gain patient-care experience before applying to a competitive RT program.

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Career Guide

Respiratory therapy offers a clear ladder within a single profession. New graduates typically start on general floors or a mixed ICU assignment, then move toward neonatal intensive care, adult critical care, ECMO, or transport as they earn NBRC specialty credentials. Experienced RTs advance into lead therapist, supervisor, and department director roles, or shift into clinical education, sleep medicine, or industry positions. A bachelor’s degree is increasingly the expectation for management and education tracks.

Read the full Respiratory Therapist career guide for a deeper look at duties, work settings, and advancement, or explore related careers in our healthcare career center.

Career Questions

Common questions people ask before enrolling, answered with BLS data:

• How Long Does It Take to Become a Respiratory Therapist?

FAQs

Do I need a bachelor’s degree to become a respiratory therapist?

No. A CoARC-accredited associate degree is the standard entry credential and qualifies you for the NBRC exams and licensure in most states. A bachelor’s can matter for hiring at some larger hospital systems and is commonly expected for supervisory, education, and research roles. Many RTs start with an associate degree, earn the RRT, begin working, and later complete a bachelor’s through a degree-advancement program.

What is the difference between the CRT and RRT credentials?

Both are issued by the National Board for Respiratory Care. The CRT is earned by achieving the lower cut score on the Therapist Multiple-Choice (TMC) Examination. The RRT requires the higher TMC cut score plus a passing score on the Clinical Simulation Examination. The RRT is the industry-standard credential, and most employers hire at the RRT level or require new graduates to earn it within a set period after starting.

Is respiratory therapy a stressful job?

It can be. Respiratory therapists respond to codes, manage patients on life support, and work in emergency and intensive care settings where decisions are time-critical, often on 12-hour shifts that include nights and weekends. Many RTs find the work rewarding because of that acuity, and settings such as pulmonary function labs, sleep labs, and home care offer a lower-intensity pace.

Can I do the clinical rotations near where I live?

That depends on the program. Most schools have affiliation agreements with specific hospitals, and students are assigned to those sites. Some programs, especially hybrid ones, will try to arrange rotations at hospitals in your area, but that is not assured and may require the hospital to sign a new agreement. Ask each program about its clinical sites and travel expectations.

How do respiratory therapists differ from nurses?

Nurses provide whole-patient care across all body systems, while respiratory therapists focus on the cardiopulmonary system: airways, breathing, oxygenation, and ventilation. In an ICU, the nurse manages medications, monitoring, and overall care, and the RT manages the ventilator, airway, and respiratory treatments for the same patient. Respiratory therapy suits people who want a hands-on critical care role with a defined clinical scope and a shorter initial training path than a bachelor’s in nursing.

What can I specialize in after becoming an RRT?

The NBRC offers specialty credentials beyond the RRT: Neonatal/Pediatric Specialist (NPS), Adult Critical Care Specialist (ACCS), pulmonary function technologist (CPFT/RPFT), and Sleep Disorders Specialist (SDS). RTs also develop expertise in ECMO, transport, pulmonary rehabilitation, and clinical instruction. Specialization typically follows a period of general practice and is one of the main ways experienced RTs move into higher-responsibility roles.

Salary data reflects U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for May 2025. Employment projections reflect BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34. Actual salaries vary by location, experience, and employer. Program availability varies by school.

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