Respiratory care is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, treatment, management and rehabilitation of lung problems like asthma, chronic bronchitis, COPD, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, lung cancer, pneumonia, mesothelioma, sleep apnea, tuberculosis and underdeveloped lungs in premature infants.
Respiratory therapists (RTs) in Connecticut practice under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Public Health, which issues Respiratory Care Practitioner licenses and monitors the profession.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (2013) there were 1,190 licensed respiratory therapists actively employed in Connecticut. The statewide annual mean salary of $66,680 is higher than the $57,880 national average.
Salaries vary by education and geographic location. RTs with only an associate degree earn less than those with a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Similarly those with “RRT” after their name command higher salaries than CRTs.
Differences between the median annual salary of CRTs and RRTs in various Connecticut cities are shown here:
The two cities with the highest and the two with the lowest percentage of RT jobs in relation to the city population are New Haven/Norwich and Bridgeport/Hartford respectively. The two cities with the absolute highest number of RT jobs are Bridgeport and Hartford, the state’s first and third largest metro areas.
The table below provides 2013 Bureau of Labor Statistics salary information for respiratory therapists in Connecticut’s major cities: