Respiratory Therapist Clinical Skills

Learn Your Respiratory Therapist Clinical Skills

The respiratory therapist clinical skills required in the daily demands of this incredibly important job range greatly. Respiratory therapy is a hands on job that requires skill and a keen eye and ear. One tiny mistake or oversight can lead to a patient’s death. It is also common for patient’s lungs or heart to quit without warning. Perhaps the most important respiratory therapist clinical skills are their knowledge of CPR techniques. This life saving skill is the first thing they must master in school and it is one of the most important lesson learned. No student can complete a respiratory therapy course without having gained CPR certification.

Other respiratory therapist clinical skills required may seem tedious, but they are equally important. Therapists must make rounds of all of their patients either hourly or every other hour. During these patient rounds, the respiratory therapist clinical skills include listening to heart and lung sounds with a stethoscope, ensuring the ventilators are working properly and that breathing tubes are clear and not filled with fluids, and that medications are being given as directed. The respiratory therapist clinical skills also include paperwork, patient file reviews, communications with doctors and nurses, and providing the patients and their families with the information they need to ensure the necessary respiratory care routine is kept up at all times.

If surgery is required, the therapist overseeing that the doctor is not making unwarranted decisions regarding the need for surgical procedures. Other respiratory therapist clinical skills include drawing vials of blood and testing them for blood gases, oxygen levels, and CO2 levels to make sure the ventilators are working properly. If a patient has asthma, the respiratory therapist clinical skills required will involve discussing an adjustment of medications with the doctor. Other respiratory therapist clinical skills include life support measurements when needed, initial patient interviews, and interacting with other respiratory therapists during shift changes.