US dataswitch to UK
Respiratory Therapists
performing endotracheal intubation to maintain open airways for patients who are unable to breathe on their own, relaying blood analysis results to a physician and inspecting, cleaning. If that's your week, this page is about your job.
The honest answer
AI changes the edges of this job, not the middle: providing emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation is work software can't reach.
What shifts is maintaining charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information: the overhead at the edges, not the middle you trained for.
Your week, as this page understands it
Assess, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders. Assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care modalities, including the supervision of respiratory therapy technicians. Initiate and conduct therapeutic procedures; maintain patient records; and select, assemble, check, and operate equipment. The job title says “respiratory therapists”. The real job is the part underneath: providing emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. That is the thing someone has to be right about.
The exposed part of this job is specific, and we won’t pretend it is coming back. But respiratory therapists is not one task. It is 22 scored ones, and they are nowhere near equally exposed. The most durable of them, on this evidence, is providing emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the ledger below shows exactly why.
Where the work sits, by task weight
- shifting to AI
- 0%
- changing shape
- 5%
- staying human
- 95%
These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.
Whole-job exposure score 12 out of 100 (8–18 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, across 22 scored tasks. The number is the support for the sentence above it, not a headline about anyone’s future.
How we know this
What is measured: Every published task statement for respiratory therapists is rated on five dimensions: can a model produce the output, does the work need a body in a room, does it need a legally accountable person, does it depend on a person being trusted in the moment, and how much data exists. A published formula turns those five ratings into the score; the model never writes the number.
How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.
Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-04. Read the full method.
Your job, task by task
These are the official task statements for this occupation, in plain English, sorted by what the evidence says is happening to each one. The official wording sits under every line so you can check the rewrite against it.
- 1 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
- Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
Shifting to AI
0 tasksTasks today’s tools can already do most of. This is the part we will not soften: where these rows are the bulk of your week, the week changes.
Nothing in this job’s scored task list landed in this group. That is the measurement, not an editorial choice, and it is worth knowing either way.
Changing shape
1 taskTasks where the machine takes the producing and a person keeps the checking, the deciding, or the answering-for-it. For most jobs this is the biggest group, and it is where "transformation, not termination" is literally visible.
Maintaining charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information
The software now makes the first pass at charts, but someone has to be answerable for the result, and it cannot be the software. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 52 out of 100 (45–59 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Keeping patient therapy charts up to date is record work, though the licensed therapist signs what goes in.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Staying human
21 tasksTasks that stay with a person, because they happen in the physical world, because the rules need someone accountable, or because the value is that a specific person does them.
Monitoring patient's physiological responses
This work happens in the physical world: patient's physiological responses, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “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.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 20 out of 100 (13–27 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Reading vital signs and blood results to spot problems is data work, but a licensed therapist at the bedside owns the call.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Providing emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation
This work happens in the physical world: emergency care, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Emergency resuscitation is hands-on care given at the patient's side.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Setting up and operating devices
This work happens in the physical world: and operating devices, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Setting up and running ventilators and gas equipment is hands-on work at the bedside.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Working as part of a team of physicians
This work happens in the physical world: part of a team of physicians, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “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.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 4 out of 100 (0–11 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Assisting with procedures alongside doctors and nurses means being in the room and taking part.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Reading prescription, measure arterial blood gases and reviewing patient information to assess patient condition
This work happens in the physical world: prescription, measure arterial blood gases and reviewing patient, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 18 out of 100 (11–25 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Reviewing prescriptions and patient information is document work, but drawing a blood gas is a hands-on procedure.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Explaining treatment procedures to patients to gain cooperation and allay fears
This work happens in the physical world: treatment procedures, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Explain treatment procedures to patients to gain cooperation and allay fears.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 14 out of 100 (7–21 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Explaining treatment and calming a worried patient depends on a trusted person at the bedside.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 3/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Determining requirements for treatment, such as type, method and duration of therapy
The rules require a named, qualified person to answer for requirements, and that person cannot be a piece of software.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Determine requirements for treatment, such as type, method and duration of therapy, precautions to be taken, or medication and dosages, compatible with physicians' orders.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 35 out of 100 (28–42 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Choosing therapy type, dose and duration within a doctor's orders is documented reasoning, but a licensed therapist must make it.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Inspecting, cleaning, testing and maintaining respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently
This work happens in the physical world: respiratory therapy equipment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Inspect, clean, test, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently, ordering repairs when necessary.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Checking, cleaning and maintaining respiratory equipment is physical work with the machines.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Educating patients and their families about their conditions and teaching appropriate disease management techniques
This work happens in the physical world: patients, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “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.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 12 out of 100 (5–19 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Teaching patients and families to manage a condition depends on trust and hands-on demonstration at the bedside.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 3/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Show the other 12 tasks
Relaying blood analysis results to a physician
staying humanThe rules require a named, qualified person to answer for blood analysis results, and that person cannot be a piece of software.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Relay blood analysis results to a physician.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 36 out of 100 (29–43 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Passing blood results to a doctor is a short, routine handover of information.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Monitoring cardiac patients, using electrocardiography devices, such as a holter monitor
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: cardiac patients, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Monitor cardiac patients, using electrocardiography devices, such as a holter monitor.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 23 out of 100 (16–30 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Watching heart monitor data is signal analysis software handles well, though a licensed clinician acts on it.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Teaching, training, supervising or using the assistance of students, respiratory therapy technicians or assistants
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: the assistance of students, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Teach, train, supervise, or use the assistance of students, respiratory therapy technicians, or assistants.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 15 out of 100 (8–22 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Teaching and supervising students and technicians happens alongside them on the ward.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Enforcing safety rules and ensuring careful adherence to physicians' orders
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: safety rules, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Enforce safety rules and ensure careful adherence to physicians' orders.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 9 out of 100 (2–16 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Making sure safety rules and doctors' orders are followed depends on a licensed person present on the ward.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Demonstrating respiratory care procedures to trainees or other healthcare personnel
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: respiratory care procedures, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Demonstrate respiratory care procedures to trainees or other healthcare personnel.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 9 out of 100 (2–16 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Showing colleagues how to carry out respiratory procedures means demonstrating them in person.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Using a variety of testing techniques to assist doctors in cardiac or pulmonary research or to diagnose disorders
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: a variety of testing techniques, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Use a variety of testing techniques to assist doctors in cardiac or pulmonary research or to diagnose disorders.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 9 out of 100 (2–16 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Using test techniques to help diagnose disorders or support research involves running the tests on patients.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Performing pulmonary function and adjusting equipment to obtain optimum results in therapy
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: pulmonary function, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Perform pulmonary function and adjust equipment to obtain optimum results in therapy.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Performing lung function work and tuning equipment for best effect happens at the machine and the patient.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Performing bronchopulmonary drainage and assisting or instructing patients in performance of breathing exercises
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: bronchopulmonary drainage, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Perform bronchopulmonary drainage and assist or instruct patients in performance of breathing exercises.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Chest drainage and coaching breathing exercises are physical, hands-on treatments.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Making emergency visits to resolve equipment problems
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: emergency visits, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · CoreSource: “Make emergency visits to resolve equipment problems.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Emergency call-outs to fix equipment mean traveling to the machine.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Conducting tests, such as electrocardiograms, EKGs), stress testing or lung capacity tests, to evaluate patients' cardiopulmonary functions
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: tests, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Conduct tests, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), stress testing, or lung capacity tests, to evaluate patients' cardiopulmonary functions.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Running EKGs, stress tests and lung function tests means attaching equipment to the patient.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Transporting patients to the hospital or within the hospital
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: patients, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Transport patients to the hospital or within the hospital.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Transporting patients is physical work moving them and their equipment.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Performing endotracheal intubation to maintain open airways for patients who are unable to breathe on their own
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: endotracheal intubation, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 5 · SupplementalSource: “Perform endotracheal intubation to maintain open airways for patients who are unable to breathe on their own.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Placing a breathing tube is a hands-on clinical procedure.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
What this job pays, and how many people do it
- Median pay
- $82,280a year, the middle of the range, so half earn more and half earn less.bls-oews, 2025 · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
How we know this
Source: bls-oews
Reference period: May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
Rounding: Shown as published.
- People doing this job
- 139,790in the US, 2025.bls-oews · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
What is deliberately not here: a forecast of how many of these jobs exist in ten years. Where an official projection exists for a market we publish it with its vintage; where it does not, we leave the space empty rather than borrow the other country’s number.
Why this is shifting
The reason is boringly specific. Most of what is shifting here is reading one thing and writing another: charts in, a record out. The rows above are exactly that shape: maintaining charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information. What it cannot do is be answerable: emergency care needs a named person the rules will accept, and software cannot be that person. Which is why this page talks about your tasks changing, not your job ending.
Your move
Over a pint: what I’d tell you if you were my friend
Start with what does not change: providing emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation is the middle of this job, and the evidence on this page says it stays with a person.
So, given all that: 0% of this job's task weight sits in rows the software is already learning, 5% in rows that change shape rather than disappear, and 95% in rows it is nowhere near. That is the position, measured across 22 scored tasks. It is not a forecast about you.
So the thing worth your attention is not the job going away. It is the layer around it. Maintaining charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information is the part turning into software, and being the person who understands that layer is worth money.
This week: one thing
Ask the one question. Find whoever is bringing new software into your workplace (the manager, the office, whoever runs the system) and ask them what it is meant to do to charts, and what it is not meant to touch. Ten minutes, this week, before anyone decides it for you.
- What you end up holding
- a straight answer about what is actually being rolled out, and when
- How long it takes
- ten minutes
If there’s nobody obvious to ask, or you’d rather not ask your manager: Put the same question to your union rep, your shift lead or the person who has been there longest, in person, over a break. Same ten minutes, same answer, and you will usually get a straighter one. Write down what they say. The note is the artifact, and it tells you whether emergency care is in scope or not. Nothing to log into, no license needed.
Over the next 90 days
Get inside the tool rollout rather than waiting for it. Over the next ninety days, ask to be in the group that tests, checks or signs off whatever new system arrives near maintaining charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information. It is usually an unglamorous seat that nobody fights for, and it is the one that decides how the software is used on your job rather than to it.
Over the next 12 months
On this evidence I would not retrain out of this job, and I will say that plainly rather than hedge it. The task list here is dominated by work that stays with a person. What I would do with a year is get formally recognised for the layer around it (the systems, the compliance, the planning), so you are the one who understands the software instead of the one it is done to. Before you pay for anything, use CareerOneStop - Find local training. It is free, it is the Labor Department's own service, and it is listed below with the rest of the free routes.
The roads out of here, and why I am not sending you down them
I looked at the obvious moves out of this job, and here is what I found.
I checked the 12 nearest US occupations to respiratory therapists (nearest by the work that AI is not taking, not by job title), and none of them survived. The closest was emergency medicine physicians: only about 5% of its durable work is work you already do, the 4.1× pay gap is the market pricing a barrier and there are far fewer of those jobs than of yours. And on the numbers you do not need one. This job scores 12/100 here, with only 0% of the task list in the top band, and “monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy” is not work that hands over cleanly. None of them beats deepening what you already have.
How that was checked: this job was compared against all 830 US occupations in this release on their official task statements, and the 12 nearest were examined one by one. A move that turns on an industry, an employer or a qualification rather than on the work itself will not show up in a check like that. And this release carries no licence register, so anything you are weighing needs that looked up separately.
3 moves I checked and rejected
These are the obvious-looking jumps. They are here with their reasons rather than quietly dropped, because the ones that fail are worth knowing about. It is one less thing to turn over at night.
Emergency Medicine Physicians
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with…, and their equivalent is to perform emergency resuscitations on patients. Across both published task lists that is about 5% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 5% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step. The pay gap is the market pricing a barrier: $335,550 against your $82,280 is 4.08× (OEWS May 2025 (both)), and you would be crossing it holding about 5% of their durable work. A gap that size with an overlap that small is a wish, not a route. And it is a narrow door: about 32,880 of those jobs against 139,790 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 24% as many seats.
Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already explain treatment procedures to patients to gain cooperation and allay fears, and their equivalent is to explain testing procedures to patients to obtain cooperation and reduce anxiety. Across both published task lists that is about 4% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 4% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step.
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals…, and their equivalent is to work as part of a healthcare team to assess patient needs, plan and…. Across both published task lists that is about 4% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 4% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step. It is a pay cut, in those words: $64,400 against your $82,280, 21.7% less (OEWS May 2025 (both)). Retraining to earn less is a decision, not advice.
What I’d stop worrying about
A friend tells you what not to spend fear on. This is that list.
The headline number you read somewhere
The big “X% of jobs” figures are about the whole economy, not about you. The number that describes your job is on this page: 0% of its task weight, across 22 scored tasks. Every row behind it is printed above with the source. Check ours; ignore theirs.
The headlines about your trade disappearing
They are usually about the technology, not the timetable. Changes to work like providing emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation arrive through rules, insurance and money, slowly and visibly. This page tracks the task evidence and will move when it moves.
Retraining out of a job that is holding up
On this evidence I would not spend money leaving. Spend it on the layer around the job instead: the tools, the paperwork, the planning. That is where the change actually is.
The “obvious” next job everyone suggests
I checked the obvious moves and most of them did not survive. The reasons are printed with the routes above, including the pay and the gate. A move that fails on the numbers is worth knowing about so you can stop turning it over at night.
If you run a team doing this job
If you run a team doing this job, the conversation you owe them is the one on this page, and sooner than feels comfortable. Show them the ledger rather than a reassurance: the rows moving toward the software are maintaining charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information, and the rows that are not are where you want your people visible. Ask each of them to do the this-week move and bring the list to your next one-to-one. It turns a rumour into a piece of work, and it tells you which parts of your team's week are actually at stake. And say the thing out loud that a team lead usually leaves unsaid: a shrinking team is your exposure too, so do the move yourself as well.
You are reading the United States figures
The United Kingdom splits this work across more than one official group, of which Health associate professionals n.e.c. is the closest. The pay and employment figures are not directly comparable, and we do not average them together.
Switch to the United Kingdom page →partial match
In UK official statistics this job is counted as Health associate professionals n.e.c.. Pay and employment stay on this page’s own group; the task list and the scores do not cross over.
Your route through this
Where to go next, and what it costs
Free, and complete
The moves above cost nothing. These are the real services that go with them: public, government-funded, and free at the point of use. Nothing on this page is behind an email address or a payment.
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Find local training
Search what's running near you, from the Labor Department's own database, before anyone sells you a course.
Free to search; individual programs vary, and some are funded
Anywhere in the US:
An American Job Center will sit down with you for free. Find yours by ZIP code.
Free
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Licensed occupations finder
Check what your state actually requires before you pay for anything.
Free
Anywhere in the US:
Free
Why there is no community here
Collab365, who build this site, run paid Spaces for a small number of subjects, and none of them is built for this job. We are not going to point you at the nearest one and call it a fit.
So the free services listed on this page are the whole answer, and it is the same answer we would give a friend.
Noted, and thank you. We’ll email you if a Space for respiratory therapists launches. Nothing else.
That did not look like an email address, so nothing was saved. Have another go below.
We could not save that. The fault is ours, not yours, and your address was not stored. Please try again later.
No deadline on any of this. The page will still be here, and the data is refreshed on a published schedule rather than when someone wants a headline.
Questions people ask about this job
- Will AI replace Respiratory Therapists?
- Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 22 official task statements scored for Respiratory Therapists (United States, SOC 29-1126), 0% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 12 out of 100 (range 8–18, band: minimal). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.
- Which tasks in “Respiratory Therapists” can AI already do?
- The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information” (52/100, partial); “Relay blood analysis results to a physician” (36/100, low); “Determine requirements for treatment, such as type, method and duration of therapy, precautions to be taken, or medication and dosages, compatible with physi…” (35/100, low). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.
- Which tasks in “Respiratory Therapists” stay human?
- About 95% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Perform endotracheal intubation to maintain open airways for patients who are unable to breathe on their own” (0/100, minimal); “Transport patients to the hospital or within the hospital” (0/100, minimal); “Conduct tests, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), stress testing, or lung capacity tests, to evaluate patients' cardiopulmonary functions” (0/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.
- What should someone working in “Respiratory Therapists” do about AI?
- Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 0% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 95% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.
- How is the AI exposure score for Respiratory Therapists calculated?
- Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 22 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.
Where these numbers come from
Worth knowing about these figures
- The match between this job and its counterpart in the other country is partial, so the two pages count slightly different groups of people.
- 1 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
- Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
- Task statements
- onet-dbProcessing: catalogue-bridge → onet-im-rt-weighting → task-scoring → score-aggregation
- Task weights
- onet-db (im-rt)
- Scores
- Rubric task_scoring_v1.0, model claude-opus-5, computed 2026-08-04.
- Pay and employment
- bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))
Figures on this page come from release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Every release keeps its own permanent address, so a figure you cite in March is still there, unchanged, in November.
The plain-English wording on this page is assembled directly from the task statements and the published ratings, not written by hand for this occupation. That is why it is specific, and it is also why we say so.
The routes and free resources further up are today’s, not the release’s (last reviewed 2026-08-05). A route is an offer, not a historical fact, so it moves on its own clock.
Using these figures?
Cite this
Everything on this site is published under CC BY 4.0. Quote it, chart it, sell something built on it. Just say where it came from, and cite the dated release rather than the site, so the figure you quote stays checkable.
Plain text
Collab365 (2026). Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1 (methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0). https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Built with O*NET data (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); ONS data (Open Government Licence v3.0); GAISI task framework (arXiv:2507.22748, MIT); BLS data (public domain).
BibTeX
@misc{collab365futureproof2026q41,
title = {Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1},
author = {{Collab365}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1},
note = {Release 2026-q4.1, methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0, CC BY 4.0}
}Data as of release 2026-q4.1, published . Releases never change after publication; when the figures move, a new dated release is published beside this one and this one stays exactly where it is.