Respiratory Therapists

People in this career often have these skills:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

People in this career often know a lot about:

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

People in this career often have talent in:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

People in this career often do these activities:

• Implement advanced life support techniques.
• Treat medical emergencies.
• Monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities.
• Inform medical professionals regarding patient conditions and care.
• Prepare medical supplies or equipment for use.

• Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
• Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
• Assist healthcare practitioners during examinations or treatments.
• Maintain medical facility records.
• Gather medical information from patient histories.
• Communicate test or assessment results to medical professionals.
• Examine medical instruments or equipment to ensure proper operation.
• Clean medical equipment or facilities.
• Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
• Explain medical procedures or test results to patients or family members.
• Repair medical facility equipment.
• Determine protocols for medical procedures.
• Verify that medical activities or operations meet standards.
• Train patients, family members, or caregivers in techniques for managing disabilities or illnesses.
• Treat chronic diseases or disorders.
• Test patient heart or lung functioning.
• Adjust settings or positions of medical equipment.
• Train medical providers.
• Move patients to or from treatment areas.
• Supervise patient care personnel.

• Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians

• Radiation Therapists

• Diagnostic Medical Sonographers

• Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

• Surgical Technologists

• Neurodiagnostic Technologists

• Radiologic Technologists and Technicians

• Medical Appliance Technicians