Certified Respiratory Therapist

How To Become Certified Respiratory Therapist

Once you have earned your degree, you must pass licensing exams to become a certified respiratory therapist. Licensing exams are required with every state and there are five classifications: CRT (Certified Respiratory Therapist) RRT (Registered Respiratory Therapist), CPFT (Certified Pulmonary Function Therapist), RPFT (Registered Pulmonary Function Therapist), and Neonatal/Pediatric Specialists. The certified respiratory therapist license is the first level of therapy that new college graduates will achieve. The CRT license exam must be passed before you can take exams for any of the special licenses. These specialized licenses can gain you higher pay scales, but they do require more work duties to be undertaken.

The CRT (certified respiratory therapist) exam is held Monday through Friday in certain locations throughout all of the United States. The fees vary depending on if it's your first or second time taking the test, or if you're renewing your license.

To take the certified respiratory therapist exam, you must be at least 18 years of age, have completed a college level program in respiratory therapy, and live in the United States or Canada. You must provide a college transcript within 60 days of passing the exam or you will forfeit your certified respiratory therapist license. The exam itself takes three hours to complete and contains 160 questions regarding the duties and practices of a certified respiratory therapist. The questions cover reading patient’s charts, using the equipment, handling patient therapy, infection control, and emergency procedures. In order to receive your license, you must get at least 75% of the questions correct.