Also called: PFT Tech, Respiratory Diagnostics Technologist
Runs breathing tests that measure how well a patient's lungs work.
Coaches patients to blow out as hard as they can into a sensor, seals them inside a glass "body box" to measure lung volume, and hands clean results to the pulmonologist.
Estimate based on BLS respiratory therapists.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Associate degree in respiratory therapy plus RRT license; CPFT/RPFT credential.
Ways in: 2-year college, Certification. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Respiratory Therapy.
Growing faster than average. Grows with lung disease and an aging population.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Spirometers auto-score and AI reads results; coaching patients through breathing tests and quality checks stay human.
Classes: Biology, Physics, Anatomy & physiology, Health science CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 29-1126.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.