Respiratory therapy is a health profession interested in the evaluation and therapeutic monitoring of the cardiovascular system. The discipline encompasses different fields of activity:

• care of the cardiorespiratory system, whether general or specialized in critical care;
• anesthetic assistance;
• pediatrics, neonatology;
• diagnostic tests of cardiorespiratory function.

Note that the profession is recognized in Quebec, but not in France. Nursing anesthetists or physiotherapists take on certain tasks performed by respiratory therapists in Quebec.

The respiratory therapist participates in the care of people suffering from respiratory and cardiopulmonary disorders. Thus, he works with people:

• in anesthesia-resuscitation;
• in general cardiorespiratory care;
• in home respiratory care;
• in critical care;
• or even in an emergency.

The respiratory therapist acts under a medical prescription. He is doing :

• respiratory assistance;
• samples (blood gas measurement, samples of bronchial secretions, etc.);
• cardio-respiratory function tests (complete assessment of respiratory volumes, diffusion test, bronchial provocation test, electrocardiogram at rest or during exercise);
• it provides clinical monitoring of the person under anesthesia or sedation-analgesia;
• he administers or adjusts prescription drugs;
• he can also insert or remove an endotracheal or gastric tube, install a venous line.

The respiratory therapist can work in many structures, such as hospitals (in the operating room, in the emergency room, in intensive care, in respiratory physiology units, or in neonatology), health and social service centers, medical clinics, ambulance companies, residences for the elderly, or organizations providing first aid courses.

He works in collaboration with many medical specialists. These include in particular anesthesiologists, pulmonologists, cardiologists, or even emergency physicians.

To become a respiratory therapist, you must have a high school diploma and a college diploma in respiratory therapy techniques. There are training courses in many Cégeps: Rosemont in Montreal, Valleyfield, Sherbrooke, Outaouais, or Chicoutimi.

To practice, you must be a member of the Ordre des inhalothérapeutes du Québec.

To find a respiratory therapist, you can consult the website of the Ordre des inhalothérapeutes du Québec (2).