Respiratory Therapist Resume Examples (+ Expert Tips on Resume & Cover Letter)

As a respiratory therapist (RT), you will need to provide treatment for people with breathing or cardiopulmonary problems. They can be premature infants whose lungs are underdeveloped and children and/or adults with lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis, asthma, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Respiratory therapy treatments can be administered by performing bronchopulmonary drainage, assisting with breathing exercises, and monitoring physiological responses to therapy. 

In 2019, the employment of respiratory therapists was predicted to grow 19% in the next 10 years, much faster than the average for all occupations. If you are looking to be an RT, prepare yourself with a powerful respiratory therapist resume that fully showcases the necessary clinical experience, educational requirements, and skills. 

In this article, we’re more than happy to show you how to build a respiratory therapist resume.

To begin with, learn how to distinguish a CV from a resume in terms of length, content, purpose, and design.

A respiratory therapist CV is commonly longer than a resume and offers comprehensive professional coverage and broader life experience (e.g., academic activities, personal projects). Meanwhile, a respiratory therapist resume concisely lists out the educational background, professional experience, and accomplishments relevant to the job.

4 common types of resume formats include chronological, functional, combination (hybrid), and target. When determining which respiratory therapist resume format to go for, consider your professional level and the position you’re targeting. 

A chronological or a combination resume format would be suitable for those with plenty of work experience and career progression in the field. On the other hand, the functional format is suitable for a new grad respiratory therapist resume or an entry-level respiratory therapist resume as you can focus on demonstrating your skills instead of employment history.

By going over professional respiratory therapist resume examples, and following useful writing tips, you will be able to create a great one on your own. Also, online resume builders, like Cake, provide you with thousands of built-in resume templates that allow you to make your own resume in minutes.

To show recruiters that you're the right fit, customize your resume to meet the requirements of the opening position instead of writing a generic document.

The key tip is to insert keywords from the respiratory therapist job description into your resume and remove irrelevant information. For a respiratory therapist resume with no experience, you may lack professional experience in the field, but try to match what you possess with the requirements shown in the job ad.

Resume experts suggest that the applicants submitting both a cover letter and a resume will have a higher chance of landing an interview. 

A sincere respiratory therapist cover letter allows you to express your enthusiasm and determination to get the job, so employers can be impressed and convinced to dive into your resume. Moreover, you get a chance to state what impact you can bring to the organization in detail, which can’t be covered in a resume.

1. Personal Information

To make sure the potential employer can contact you, you need to provide them with sufficient and accurate information, including:

• Full name
• Address (can be either your current address or desired job location) 
• Phone number 
• Email address

2. Resume Headline

A resume headline is a concise statement at the top of the page, briefly introducing who you are as a candidate for the opening position. 

To craft a well-branded resume headline, also known as a resume title, you can highlight your professional level, key skills, or outstanding achievements.

3. Resume Summary

Employers spend an average of 6 seconds on a job application. Hence, it’s important to pique their interest right from the start with a strong resume summary.

A summary statement for a respiratory therapist resume should present your core competencies in 2-4 sentences, including key skills, work experience, and outstanding achievements in former jobs.

4. Resume Objective

Keep in mind that a resume objective and a resume summary are different. 

An objective statement for a respiratory therapist resume helps clarify your goal and state your potential contribution to the potential employer. It is highly recommended for an entry-level respiratory therapist resume or a new graduate respiratory therapist resume.

5. Skills

Highlighting skills needed for an RT is a great way to prove that you’re qualified for the vacancy.

Here’s how to get it right?

• Include both soft and hard (technical skills) with about 3-6 items for each category
• Tailor the respiratory therapist skills on your resume to the specific job
• Make it concise and easy to read with bulleted lists

Check the table below for respiratory therapist skills for resumes:

6. Work Experience

The work experience section is a critical part of the resume where hiring managers can take a deeper look at your abilities and qualifications. Hence, see it as an elevator pitch to make or break your job application.

7. Education

Respiratory therapists are generally required an Associate’s degree with a major in Respiratory Therapy or Respiratory Care. Besides, you may need 6 months of experience within the last two years or completion of a clinical rotation within the last year in a critical care/intensive care environment. 

Educational background is a key assessment criterion for hiring managers, so make sure you write it properly and professionally.

8. Additional Information

Want to stand out from other candidates? 

An extra section can help, such as: 

• Achievements/Awards
• Personal projects
• Certifications/Licenses
  e.g., Valid state Respiratory Therapist license, Registered Respiratory Therapist - RRT, Certified Neonatal Resuscitation Program, CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer certification

#Tip 1: Craft an ATS-compliant resume to beat the bot.  

Due to an increasing tendency to apply ATS (Applicant Tracking System) on the hiring process, it’s important to create an ATS-friendly resume to successfully reach employers. 

You should integrate keywords from the job ad in your resume, stick to a text-based format and avoid graphs. 

#Tip 2: Adopt action words/verbs.

The best respiratory therapist resume is polished with compelling powerful verbs such as provide, administer, handle, perform, manage, monitor, respond, evaluate, etc. 

You can also find relevant action words from the job description. 

#Tip 3: Beef up your resume with numbers. 

Bring numbers to the table so employers will be convinced and impressed by your job performance. You not only can quantify your accomplishments but also use numbers to specify your job duties.

#Tip 4: Adopt respiratory therapist resume templates from online resume builders.

Online resume builders, like Cake, allow you to build your own resume from a built-in template in just 5 minutes. You no longer have to worry about format, design, or layout. 

#Tip 5: Proofread your resume. 

Many of you often skip this step before submitting your application documents. 

A poorly-written resume with bad grammar and typos can be a deal-breaker. Thus, make sure your respiratory therapist resume is error-free and flawless.

By referring to cover letter examples for respiratory therapists, you can learn what to include, such as:   

• Personal info: Name, phone number, email, and address.
• Self-introduction: Professional level and the desired position. 
• Motivation: What motivates you to apply for the respiratory therapist job. 
• Qualifications: What you possess to be qualified for this job (e.g., expertise, abilities, skills, etc.)
• Closing: Express your appreciation to the potential employer.