Respiratory care is the allied health profession that cares for patients with deficiencies and abnormalities of the cardiopulmonary system. The respiratory therapist sees a diverse group of patients ranging from newborn and pediatric patients to adults and the elderly. Disease states or conditions often requiring respiratory care include asthma, emphysema, chronic obstructive lung disease, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, infant respiratory distress syndrome, and conditions brought on by shock, trauma or postoperative surgical complications.

Respiratory therapists are also involved in many specialty areas in the hospital such as newborn labor and delivery, neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, pulmonary function laboratory, sleep laboratory, adult intensive care units, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and EKG testing. In addition to hospitals, the respiratory therapist delivers respiratory care in the home, rehabilitation agencies, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, and physician offices.