AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 29-1126.00
Will AI replace Respiratory Therapists?
Respiratory Therapists: AI can already handle 2 of 22 tasks; the work mostly needs an efficient-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 22 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Respiratory Therapists, from most to least exposed. 2 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Conduct tests, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), stress testing, or lung capacity tests, to evaluate patients' cardiopulmonary functions. | Estimated | Standard | |
| 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. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Demonstrate respiratory care procedures to trainees or other healthcare personnel. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Teach, train, supervise, or use the assistance of students, respiratory therapy technicians, or assistants. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| 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. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Relay blood analysis results to a physician. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Explain treatment procedures to patients to gain cooperation and allay fears. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Make emergency visits to resolve equipment problems. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Determine requirements for treatment, such as type, method and duration of therapy, precautions to be taken, or medication and dosages, compatible with physicians' orders. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Enforce safety rules and ensure careful adherence to physicians' orders. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Perform pulmonary function and adjust equipment to obtain optimum results in therapy. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Transport patients to the hospital or within the hospital. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Monitor cardiac patients, using electrocardiography devices, such as a holter monitor. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Perform endotracheal intubation to maintain open airways for patients who are unable to breathe on their own. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Inspect, clean, test, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently, ordering repairs when necessary. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Perform bronchopulmonary drainage and assist or instruct patients in performance of breathing exercises. | Estimated | No tier | |
| 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. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Use a variety of testing techniques to assist doctors in cardiac or pulmonary research or to diagnose disorders. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 22 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 22 of 22. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 78% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 87% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 14% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 139,790
- Median annual wage
- $82,280
- Middle half of earners
- $74,520 to $98,730
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +12.1%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Radiation Therapists 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure40
- Recreational Therapists 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure47
- Physical Therapists 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure63
- Occupational Therapists 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure50
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians 63% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure36
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Respiratory Therapists and AI
Will AI replace Respiratory Therapists?
AI already handles 2 of the 22 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 30 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +12.1% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Respiratory Therapists?
30 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 22 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 22 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Respiratory Therapists tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition; Conduct tests, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), stress testing, or lung capacity tests, to evaluate patients' cardiopulmonary functions. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 78% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Respiratory Therapists, and what do they earn?
139,790 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $82,280 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +12.1% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Respiratory Therapists. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/respiratory-therapists
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