Will respiratory therapists be replaced by AI?
Updated
Respiratory therapists score 24 of 100 for AI exposure. 59% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 5% today and speed up another 36%.
- 5% AI can do it
- 36% AI helps
- 59% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 73% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 22 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 1 of them today, speeds up 8 and leaves 13 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information. Charting from structured data is routine documentation AI handles well. | 78% AI can do it |
| Determine requirements for treatment, such as type, method and duration of therapy, precautions to be taken, or medication and dosages, compatible with physicians' orders. AI drafts protocol options; clinician verifies against physician orders. | 50% AI helps |
| Monitor cardiac patients, using electrocardiography devices, such as a holter monitor. AI reads continuous ECG trends; electrode placement stays manual. | 50% AI helps |
| Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition. AI summarizes orders and history; gas sampling stays manual. | 45% AI helps |
| 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. AI drafts education materials; teaching hands on devices stays human. | 45% AI helps |
| 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. AI flags trends in gas and vitals data; clinician responds. | 40% AI helps |
| Relay blood analysis results to a physician. Alerts and summaries help; direct physician communication stays human. | 35% AI helps |
| Use a variety of testing techniques to assist doctors in cardiac or pulmonary research or to diagnose disorders. AI speeds data analysis; clinicians still design tests and diagnose. | 35% AI helps |
| Inspect, clean, test, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently, ordering repairs when necessary. Repair logging automates; hands on cleaning and testing requires people. | 25% AI helps |
| Enforce safety rules and ensure careful adherence to physicians' orders. Safety rule enforcement is live supervision with some software checks. | 20% Needs a person |
Show the other 12 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Conduct tests, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), stress testing, or lung capacity tests, to evaluate patients' cardiopulmonary functions. Tests need the patient present; AI helps only with interpretation. | 18% Needs a person |
| Explain treatment procedures to patients to gain cooperation and allay fears. Reassuring anxious patients face to face relies on human empathy. | 15% Needs a person |
| Perform pulmonary function and adjust equipment to obtain optimum results in therapy. Pulmonary function testing needs live patient effort and adjustment. | 15% Needs a person |
| Teach, train, supervise, or use the assistance of students, respiratory therapy technicians, or assistants. Supervising trainees is live mentoring; AI helps only with materials. | 15% Needs a person |
| Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment. Bedside device setup needs hands on checks and physical handling. | 12% Needs a person |
| 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. Live teamwork with clinicians at the bedside is in person. | 12% Needs a person |
| Demonstrate respiratory care procedures to trainees or other healthcare personnel. Hands on demonstration to trainees is inherently in person. | 10% Needs a person |
| Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Hands on resuscitation needs physical presence and immediate action. | 5% Needs a person |
| Make emergency visits to resolve equipment problems. On site emergency equipment repair needs physical presence. | 5% Needs a person |
| Perform bronchopulmonary drainage and assist or instruct patients in performance of breathing exercises. Bronchial drainage and breathing drills need hands on care. | 4% Needs a person |
| Transport patients to the hospital or within the hospital. Patient transport requires physical handling and bedside presence. | 3% Needs a person |
| Perform endotracheal intubation to maintain open airways for patients who are unable to breathe on their own. Intubation is a hands on airway procedure requiring skilled clinicians. | 2% Needs a person |
How respiratory therapists compare
All occupations (923)
Healthcare practitioners and technical (89)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $82,280 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 139,790 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +8.5% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Draw and interpret arterial blood gas samples at the bedside
- Perform endotracheal intubation and emergency airway support
- Verify AI-drafted charts in MEDITECH and eClinicalWorks
- Teach inhaler and ventilator use hands on to families
- Hold the NBRC Registered Respiratory Therapist credential
- Track gas and vitals trends in Microsoft Excel
Safer roles nearby
4 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about respiratory therapists and AI
Will AI replace respiratory therapists?
Partly. About 2 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly maintaining patient charts and drafting treatment requirements. Bedside care, airway procedures and resuscitation stay with respiratory therapists because they need a person in the room.
Which tasks is AI taking over for respiratory therapists?
Charting is the most exposed task, scored 78 out of 100, because AI can build patient identification and therapy entries from structured data. Drafting treatment requirements, scored 50, is also shifting, since AI proposes protocol options that the therapist checks against physician orders.
Which respiratory therapist tasks stay human?
Endotracheal intubation scores 2 for exposure and stays with clinicians because it is a hands on airway procedure. Bronchopulmonary drainage, scored 4, and emergency resuscitation, scored 5, need physical presence and immediate action at the patient's side.
How can respiratory therapists stay valuable as AI spreads?
Keep airway and bedside skills current, since intubation and resuscitation stay human. Check AI-drafted entries in MEDITECH and eClinicalWorks before signing them. Use Microsoft Excel to track gas and vitals trends, and lead device teaching sessions with families.
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