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How exposed to AI is a Respiratory Therapist?

Of the 22 tasks O*NET lists for respiratory therapists, 2 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 16 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Respiratory TherapistCertified Respiratory Therapist (CRT)Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT)Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP)Respiratory Therapist (RT)Staff Respiratory TherapistStaff Therapist
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
22
tasks rated for this occupation
12%
hold a degree, from a survey of 43
133k
people do this job in the US
72 of 89
least protected in healthcare practitioners

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Reachable with a chat window today

2
  • Explain treatment procedures to patients to gain cooperation and allay fears
  • Determine requirements for treatment, such as type, method and duration of therapy, precautions to be taken, or medication and dosages, compatible with physicians' orders

Only with software built on top

4
  • Work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals to manage patient care by assisting with medical procedures or related duties
  • Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information
  • Relay blood analysis results to a physician
  • Enforce safety rules and ensure careful adherence to physicians' orders

Cannot be sped up

16
  • Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation
  • Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur
  • Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment
  • Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition
  • Inspect, clean, test, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently, ordering repairs when necessary
  • Make emergency visits to resolve equipment problems
  • Educate patients and their families about their conditions and teach appropriate disease management techniques, such as breathing exercises or the use of medications or respiratory equipment
  • Perform bronchopulmonary drainage and assist or instruct patients in performance of breathing exercises
  • Conduct tests, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), stress testing, or lung capacity tests, to evaluate patients' cardiopulmonary functions
  • Perform pulmonary function and adjust equipment to obtain optimum results in therapy
  • Demonstrate respiratory care procedures to trainees or other healthcare personnel
  • Use a variety of testing techniques to assist doctors in cardiac or pulmonary research or to diagnose disorders
  • Transport patients to the hospital or within the hospital
  • Teach, train, supervise, or use the assistance of students, respiratory therapy technicians, or assistants
  • Perform endotracheal intubation to maintain open airways for patients who are unable to breathe on their own
  • Monitor cardiac patients, using electrocardiography devices, such as a holter monitor
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.