Respiratory Therapy Degrees

NMC partners with Munson Medical Center and Muskegon Community College to offer an associate degree respiratory therapy program that can be completed in Traverse City. All liberal arts classes are offered at NMC. Most other classes, including clinical courses, can be taken onsite at Munson.

About respiratory therapy careers

Respiratory therapists evaluate, treat and care for patients with breathing or other cardiopulmonary disorders. Patients range from premature infants whose lungs are not fully developed to elderly people whose lungs are diseased. Respiratory therapists provide temporary relief to patients with chronic asthma or emphysema, and they give emergency care to patients who are victims of a heart attack, stroke, drowning or shock.

Practicing under the direction of a physician, respiratory therapists assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care therapeutic treatments and diagnostic procedures, including the supervision of respiratory therapy technicians.

To evaluate patients, respiratory therapists interview them, perform limited physical examinations and conduct diagnostic tests.

Job outlook

Respiratory therapists are in demand. Job and career opportunities exist in Traverse CIty and the surrounding areas. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists median annual salary for respiratory therapists at $70,540 and projects employment for respiratory therapists will grow 13 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations.

The vast majority of job openings will continue to be in hospitals. However, a growing number of openings are expected to be outside of hospitals, especially in home health care services, offices of physicians or other health practitioners, consumer-goods rental firms, or in the employment services industry as a temporary worker in various settings.