How to Become a Respiratory Therapist in Texas

There is a continuing and growing need for health care services in Texas, including those of the respiratory therapist. Helping people breather properly when injury or illness are present can be a rewarding and well paid career. Becoming a respiratory therapist requires completing the necessary education and testing, completing the licensing process and finding a job.

Education

In addition to showing proof of completing high school, the state of Texas requires respiratory therapists have a minimum of a two year associate degree or preferably a four year baccalaureate degree. This education must come from a school or training program by the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC), or its predecessor the Joint Review Committee for Respiratory Therapy Education (JRCRTE), or accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

Certification

Respiratory therapists in Texas are required to be certified. After completing your education, you are eligible to take the certification exam. This test is administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). A satisfactory score on this test will permit you to claim certified status.

Licensing

Once your educational requirements are satisfied and you have successfully passed your certification exam, you can apply for your respiratory therapist license in the state of Texas. This step requires that you fill out an application and pay the associated fees. The application fee is about $120 and the license fee varies with the length of term, either $45 for one year or $90 for two years. Additionally you will have to show proof of the completion of the required education. Your signature on the examination score release form allows the NBRC to release your test scores to the licensing board. These are the basic regulations governing becoming a respiratory therapist in Texas. Other factors may come into play for you such as what type of therapist do you want to be? What type of work setting would you like to work in? Do you want to focus on specialized respiratory care or a certain group of patients like the elderly or infants?

Specializing

You are not required by the state to specialize in any subcategory of respiratory care; however you may want to do so. This would require either different or additional educational requirements. Specializing would allow you to either work in the exact field of respiratory care that you are interested in or to work with the type of patient you are drawn to.

Work Settings

Your work setting is not crucial to the certification or licensing process but your ultimate goal regarding a work setting may also influence your educational choices. If you want to work in a hospital setting, you will need a more well-rounded education. Working in a long term nursing facility might require you know more about elder care and such.

The field of respiratory care like most medical careers will be a growing industry in the coming years. The bulk of the population called baby boomers is reaching retirement age and their twilight years. This large group of people will be needing health care for the next couple of decades and beyond. Planning for a career as a respiratory therapist can lead to a satisfying and essentially guaranteed job for the rest of your working years. This field of work also pays above average salaries making it an excellent career choice.