Employers in Washington are nearly breathless in their search for respiratory care therapists.

The head of Highline’s Respiratory Care program said graduates are in high demand. 

“The job market is absolutely ravenous,” said Fred Goglia. “Local managers are calling me and asking about students. Recruiters are calling me from hospitals around the country and from those right here in Washington.”

The COVID pandemic only added to the healthy demand for therapists, he said.

 “The pandemic called attention to what respiratory therapists do in the hospital. You can’t have a ventilator in a hospital without a respiratory therapist to operate it,” said Goglia. 

The job is much more than just hospital work, however, he said. 

“Respiratory therapists work in many different types of facilities, not just hospitals,” Goglia said. 

“RT’s work in-home care, long-term care, diagnostics, sleep medicine.The career path can stay on a clinical trajectory, learning new skills and procedures and eventually becoming a clinical specialist or lead-type of person. There are lots of opportunities to move around and grow in the field,” he said. 

Highline has three options for students wanting to pursue a career in respiratory care: An associate of applied science, two-year degree; a bachelor of applied science four-year degree; and a bachelor’s degree for students who have already completed the AAS degree. 

“We currently have 59 students in the program,” Fred Goglia said. “Lots of different folks find a successful career in respiratory therapy. 

“In general students that are strong in math and science, that are good critical thinkers and also have good people skills,” will do best in the program, he said. “After all, our job is really about people and not just about machines. 

“People who are good with technology and have a mechanical mindset tend to really like respiratory therapy,  and also people who enjoy complex problems and working in teams,” Goglia said.   

Program graduates end up working at places such as Harborview, UW Medical Center, Children’s Hospital, Valley Medical Center, and Swedish Hospital, he said. 

Additional information about the qualifications for the program can be found at https://catalog.highline.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=26&poid=7478&returnto=65