Respiratory Therapist vs RN: pay, jobs and what each takes

Registered nurses, by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025): a median of $46.90 an hour ($97,550 a year), against $39.56 ($82,280 a year) for respiratory therapists, $7.34 an hour more. The open jobs on this board today post medians of $42.32 an hour for respiratory therapists and $47.75 for registered nurses.

On this board today: 4,538 open respiratory therapist jobs and 77,248 registered nurse jobs, read from each employer's own job board. BLS expects about 8,600 openings a year for respiratory therapists and 180,800 for registered nurses, with employment changing +8.5% and +5.6% over 2025-2035.

Respiratory therapists run ventilators, give breathing treatments, manage airways and respond to codes, mostly in hospital ICUs, emergency departments and newborn units. Registered nurses assess patients, give medications and treatments, watch for changes and teach patients and families what comes next. Most work in hospitals on 8- or 12-hour shifts, others in clinics, home care, schools and nursing homes.

An associate or bachelor's degree in respiratory care, then the NBRC exams. (BLS: Associate's degree.) An associate degree (ADN) or bachelor's degree (BSN) in nursing, then the NCLEX-RN exam. (BLS: Bachelor's degree.) Each occupation's page lists its credentials and who grants them: Respiratory therapists, Registered nurses.