Respiratory Therapists
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 29-1126.00
Assess, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders. Assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care modalities, including the supervision of respiratory therapy technicians. Initiate and conduct therapeutic procedures; maintain patient records; and select, assemble, check, and operate equipment.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Low· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.30
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Exposed tasks only22 rated tasks · 7 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (31.8%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
| Task (O*NET 20.1) | Claude.aiRaw / share % |
|---|---|
Explain treatment procedures to patients to gain cooperation and allay fears.29-1126.00 | 0.068769.3 |
Educate patients and their families about their conditions and teach appropriate disease management techniques, such as breathing exercises or the use of medications or respiratory equipment.29-1126.00 | 0.024524.7 |
Determine requirements for treatment, such as type, method and duration of therapy, precautions to be taken, or medication and dosages, compatible with physicians' orders.29-1126.00 | 0.00606.0 |
| Not observed on any surface — 19 task(s) — These tasks have no row in the source for this release. The 0 in the share row is a display-stage composition ratio; absence is what the — in the raw row states. | |
Set up and operate devices such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment. | —0 |
Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. | —0 |
Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur. | —0 |
Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition. | —0 |
Enforce safety rules and ensure careful adherence to physicians' orders. | —0 |
Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information. | —0 |
Inspect, clean, test, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently, ordering repairs when necessary. | —0 |
Relay blood analysis results to a physician. | —0 |
Perform pulmonary function and adjust equipment to obtain optimum results in therapy. | —0 |
Perform bronchopulmonary drainage and assist or instruct patients in performance of breathing exercises. | —0 |
Demonstrate respiratory care procedures to trainees or other healthcare personnel. | —0 |
Teach, train, supervise, or use the assistance of students, respiratory therapy technicians, or assistants. | —0 |
Use a variety of testing techniques to assist doctors in cardiac or pulmonary research or to diagnose disorders. | —0 |
Make emergency visits to resolve equipment problems. | —0 |
Conduct tests, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), stress testing, or lung capacity tests, to evaluate patients' cardiopulmonary functions. | —0 |
Work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals to manage patient care by assisting with medical procedures or related duties. | —0 |
Transport patients to the hospital or within the hospital. | —0 |
Perform endotracheal intubation to maintain open airways for patients who are unable to breathe on their own. | —0 |
Monitor cardiac patients, using electrocardiography devices, such as a holter monitor. | —0 |
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information.O*NET Task ID 404 | 1.0 |
Relay blood analysis results to a physician.O*NET Task ID 408 | 1.0 |
Determine requirements for treatment, such as type, method and duration of therapy, precautions to be taken, or medication and dosages, compatible with physicians' orders.O*NET Task ID 399 | 0.5 |
Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition.O*NET Task ID 401 | 0.5 |
Use a variety of testing techniques to assist doctors in cardiac or pulmonary research or to diagnose disorders.O*NET Task ID 413 | 0.5 |
Conduct tests, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), stress testing, or lung capacity tests, to evaluate patients' cardiopulmonary functions.O*NET Task ID 415 | 0.5 |
Monitor cardiac patients, using electrocardiography devices, such as a holter monitor.O*NET Task ID 20411 | 0.5 |
Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.O*NET Task ID 397 | 0.0 |
Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.O*NET Task ID 398 | 0.0 |
Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur.O*NET Task ID 400 | 0.0 |
Enforce safety rules and ensure careful adherence to physicians' orders.O*NET Task ID 403 | 0.0 |
Inspect, clean, test, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently, ordering repairs when necessary.O*NET Task ID 405 | 0.0 |
Educate patients and their families about their conditions and teach appropriate disease management techniques, such as breathing exercises or the use of medications or respiratory equipment.O*NET Task ID 406 | 0.0 |
Explain treatment procedures to patients to gain cooperation and allay fears.O*NET Task ID 407 | 0.0 |
Perform pulmonary function and adjust equipment to obtain optimum results in therapy.O*NET Task ID 409 | 0.0 |
Perform bronchopulmonary drainage and assist or instruct patients in performance of breathing exercises.O*NET Task ID 410 | 0.0 |
Demonstrate respiratory care procedures to trainees or other healthcare personnel.O*NET Task ID 411 | 0.0 |
Teach, train, supervise, or use the assistance of students, respiratory therapy technicians, or assistants.O*NET Task ID 412 | 0.0 |
Make emergency visits to resolve equipment problems.O*NET Task ID 414 | 0.0 |
Work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals to manage patient care by assisting with medical procedures or related duties.O*NET Task ID 18522 | 0.0 |
Transport patients to the hospital or within the hospital.O*NET Task ID 20409 | 0.0 |
Perform endotracheal intubation to maintain open airways for patients who are unable to breathe on their own.O*NET Task ID 20410 | 0.0 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (23)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment. | Core |
| Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. | Core |
| Determine requirements for treatment, such as type, method and duration of therapy, precautions to be taken, or medication and dosages, compatible with physicians' orders. | Core |
| Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur. | Core |
| Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition. | Core |
| Enforce safety rules and ensure careful adherence to physicians' orders. | Core |
| Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information. | Core |
| Inspect, clean, test, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently, ordering repairs when necessary. | Core |
| Educate patients and their families about their conditions and teach appropriate disease management techniques, such as breathing exercises or the use of medications or respiratory equipment. | Core |
| Explain treatment procedures to patients to gain cooperation and allay fears. | Core |
| Relay blood analysis results to a physician. | Core |
| Perform pulmonary function and adjust equipment to obtain optimum results in therapy. | Core |
| Perform bronchopulmonary drainage and assist or instruct patients in performance of breathing exercises. | Core |
| Demonstrate respiratory care procedures to trainees or other healthcare personnel. | Core |
| Teach, train, supervise, or use the assistance of students, respiratory therapy technicians, or assistants. | Core |
| Use a variety of testing techniques to assist doctors in cardiac or pulmonary research or to diagnose disorders. | Core |
| Make emergency visits to resolve equipment problems. | Core |
| Conduct tests, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), stress testing, or lung capacity tests, to evaluate patients' cardiopulmonary functions. | Core |
| Work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals to manage patient care by assisting with medical procedures or related duties. | Core |
| Transport patients to the hospital or within the hospital. | Core |
| Perform endotracheal intubation to maintain open airways for patients who are unable to breathe on their own. | Core |
| Monitor cardiac patients, using electrocardiography devices, such as a holter monitor. | Core |
| Attend high-risk and caesarian section infant deliveries to provide neonatal respiratory care as needed. | Supplemental |
0.11/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment. | E0 none |
| Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. | E0 none |
| Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur. | E0 none |
| Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition. | E0 none |
| Inspect, clean, test, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently, ordering repairs when necessary. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Perform pulmonary function and adjust equipment to obtain optimum results in therapy. | E0 none |
| Perform bronchopulmonary drainage and assist or instruct patients in performance of breathing exercises. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Demonstrate respiratory care procedures to trainees or other healthcare personnel. | E0 none |
| Use a variety of testing techniques to assist doctors in cardiac or pulmonary research or to diagnose disorders. | E0 none |
| Make emergency visits to resolve equipment problems. | E0 none |
| Conduct tests, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), stress testing, or lung capacity tests, to evaluate patients' cardiopulmonary functions. | E0 none |
| Work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals to manage patient care by assisting with medical procedures or related duties. | E0 none |
| Transport patients to the hospital or within the hospital. | E0 none |
| Perform endotracheal intubation to maintain open airways for patients who are unable to breathe on their own. | E0 none |
| Monitor cardiac patients, using electrocardiography devices, such as a holter monitor. | E0 none |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 142K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 154K
- Change (2025–35)
- +8.5%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $82,280
- Typical education needed for entry
- Associate's degree
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24699 | 그 외 치료‧재활사 및 의료기사 | This occupation is narrower | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 3259Health Associate Professionals Not Elsewhere Classified
The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.
This unit group covers health associate professionals not classified elsewhere in Sub-major Group 32: Health Associate Professionals. For instance, the group includes occupations such as HIV counsellor, family planning counsellor and other health associate professionals.
Tasks
- In such cases tasks would include:
- (a) interviewing and examining patients to obtain information on their health status and the nature and extent of injury, illness or other physical or mental health condition;
- (b) providing information and counselling to patients and families about certain health conditions, prevention and treatment options, treatment adherence, and personal behaviours that can affect health outcomes;
- (c) administering therapeutic care and treatment to patients;
- (d ) performing certain basic clinical procedures, such as administration of HIV antibody tests or insertion of intrauterine devices;
- (e) dispensing and advising on dietary supplements, antiretroviral and prophylaxis medications, and other healthcare products
- (f) monitoring patients' progress through treatment plans, and identifying signs and symptoms requiring referral to a medical doctor or other health professional;
- (g) recording information on patients' health status and responses to treatment in medical records-keeping systems;
- (h) sharing information with other health care providers when required to ensure continuing and comprehensive care.
Example occupations
Anaesthesia technician · Family planning counsellor · HIV counsellor · Respiratory therapy technician
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- clinical perfusion scientistESCO 3211.1This occupation is broader
Clinical perfusion scientists operate heart-lung equipment during surgical operations to ensure breathing and blood circulation. They work as part of the surgical team, connect patients to the heart-lung machines in preparation for surgery, monitor their condition during surgery, report to the team on the patients' status and determine the necessary techniques according to their needs.
- respiratory therapy technicianESCO 3259.5This occupation is broader
Respiratory therapy technicians assist doctors and surgeons to treat respiratory problems. They work in hospitals and medical facilities where they operate medical equipment to test patients' respiratory conditions and aid in their treatment. Respiratory therapy technicians also tend to breathing equipment and machines during surgery.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| J1303 | Assistant / Assistante médico-technique | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| J1404 | Kinésithérapeute | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| J1506 | Infirmier / Infirmière en soins généraux (IDE) | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 3329 | Técnicos de la sanidad no clasificados bajo otros epígrafes | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| 2152 | Fisioterapeutas | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 81313 | Berufe in der Fachkrankenpflege - komplexe Spezialistentätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 133 | 看護師（准看護師を含む） | Related, not a match |
| 142 | 臨床工学技士 | Related, not a match |
| 144 | 理学療法士，作業療法士 | Related, not a match |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources