13.6 Career Connections Related to the Respiratory System
Career Connections[1]
Pulmonologist
Respiratory medicine is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases related to the respiratory system. Respiratory medicine requires in-depth knowledge of internal medicine. A physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating respiratory system diseases is called a pulmonologist.[2]
For more information, visit the American Lung Association’s page on pulmonologists.
Respiratory Therapist
Respiratory therapists (RTs) are health care professionals who monitor, assess, and treat people who are having problems breathing. RTs are licensed in the state in which they practice. RTs are trained in ventilation and airway management, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and oxygen and aerosol therapy. They provide care for patients undergoing cardiac stress-testing, pulmonary function testing, smoking cessation, high-risk births, rehabilitation, and surgery. They also assist in treating patients with asthma, COPD, heart failure, and pneumonia.[3]
For more information, visit the American Association for Respiratory Care’s What is an RT? web page.
Thoracic Surgeon
A thoracic surgeon refers to a surgeon who has specialized in either thoracic (chest) surgery or cardiothoracic (heart and chest) surgery. They perform surgery for patients with serious conditions of the heart, lungs, and other structures in the chest cavity.[4]
To learn more about thoracic surgeons, visit WebMD’s What is a Thoracic Surgeon? web page.
- Ernstmeyer, K., & Christman, E. (Eds.). (2024). Medical terminology 2e. Open RN | WisTech Open. https://wtcs.pressbooks.pub/medterm/ ↵
- American Lung Association. (2019). Know your providers - What does a pulmonologist do? https://www.lung.org/blog/know-your-providers-pulmonologist ↵
- American Association for Respiratory Care. (n.d.). What is an RT? https://www.aarc.org/careers/what-is-an-rt ↵
- WebMD. (2023). What is a thoracic surgeon? https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-a-thoracic-surgeon ↵
A physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating respiratory system diseases.
Health care professionals who monitor, assess, and treat people who are having problems breathing.
A surgeon who has specialized in either thoracic (chest) surgery or cardiothoracic (heart and chest) surgery.
