The eligibility requirements for each one are detailed below.

There are four primary and three specialty certifications offered. National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) Certification Eligibility Testing for this field is rigorous and is considered one of the most challenging exams in the medical field.Ĭontinue reading to learn about the different certifications respiratory therapists can earn, what each exam entails, and how to prepare for these exams. Upon completing a respiratory therapy program, aspiring respiratory therapists must earn either a Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) or Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) certification through the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC), as it is required for licensure in 49 states. Professionals in this field must earn at least an associate’s degree in respiratory therapy, although many who pursue this career have bachelor’s or master’s. Between 20, there is an anticipated 19 percent growth in new jobs nationally to treat these and other breathing disorders-much higher than the average growth expected among all US occupations in the same timeframe (4 percent).Įducation and certification are essential to performing this job. They also treat chronic breathing issues such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). They treat acute breathing difficulties such as those experiencing a stroke, heart attack, or drowning. Respiratory therapists are critical members of any medical team, be it in an emergency room, an intensive care unit, or a doctor’s office. This has, in turn, caused an increased demand for trained and certified respiratory therapists who can help treat these patients. This translates into respiratory disease being responsible for one out of every 15 deaths in the US, costing more the $132 billion in health care expenses in 2013. In 2017 a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association found a 30 percent increase in mortality from chronic respiratory diseases.

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Nbrc clinical simulation exam quizlet