Respiratory therapists specialize in breathing and cardiopulmonary care, while registered nurses provide broader patient care across many conditions and settings. Nurses have a higher national median wage and more annual job openings, while respiratory therapists have faster projected percentage growth and a more focused clinical scope.
For people comparing these two healthcare professions, pay and job outlook are often important considerations. This guide compares respiratory therapist vs nurse salary data, education requirements, job duties, work settings, and career opportunities to help you understand the key differences and decide which path may better fit your goals.
For qualified respiratory therapists comparing career options, Flagstar Rehab supports the job search as a therapy staffing and recruiting partner that connects professionals with healthcare facilities.
Registered nurses currently have a higher national median wage than respiratory therapists. According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the median annual wage for registered nurses was $97,550 in May 2025, compared with $82,280 for respiratory therapists.
| Role | Median Annual Wage, May 2025 | Lowest 10% | Highest 10% | Typical Entry-Level Education |
| Registered Nurse (RN) | $97,550 | Less than $68,940 | More than $137,470 | Bachelor’s degree, associate degree, or approved nursing diploma |
| Respiratory Therapist (RT) | $82,280 | Less than $63,660 | More than $118,050 | Associate degree in respiratory therapy; some employers may prefer a bachelor’s degree |
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Registered Nurses and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Respiratory Therapists.
These figures are national median wages, not guaranteed salaries or Flagstar Rehab pay rates. A median represents the midpoint of the wage distribution, meaning half of workers earned more and half earned less.
How much registered nurses and respiratory therapists earn can vary based on location, experience, employer, schedule, specialty, and healthcare setting. Candidates should compare the complete employment offer rather than choosing a career or position based only on salary.
The respiratory therapist vs nurse salary difference is only one part of the career decision. Education requirements, scope of practice, day-to-day responsibilities, work environment, and long-term career opportunities also differ between nursing and respiratory therapy.
Nurses and respiratory therapists may work side by side in many healthcare settings, but their roles have different clinical focuses. Registered nurses provide and coordinate broader patient care, while respiratory therapists specialize in respiratory care for people with breathing and cardiopulmonary conditions.
Respiratory therapists specialize in respiratory care for people with breathing and cardiopulmonary disorders, including conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Their job duties may include performing diagnostic tests, assessing lung function, analyzing blood gases, providing oxygen therapy, and monitoring ventilator support.
Key respiratory therapist job responsibilities may include:
Most respiratory therapists work in hospitals, including emergency rooms, critical care units, and neonatal intensive care units. Others work in nursing care facilities, physicians’ offices, outpatient settings, and home care. Respiratory therapists may treat patients across the lifespan, from premature infants to older adults, while working with registered nurses, physicians, and other healthcare professionals.
Registered nurses provide a broader scope of patient care. Their responsibilities commonly include assessing a patient’s health, administering medications and treatments, coordinating with physicians and other medical team members, maintaining medical records, and providing patient education and emotional support.
Common registered nurse job responsibilities include:
Registered nurses work across hospitals, ambulatory care, nursing care facilities, outpatient clinics, home healthcare services, and other medical settings. Some nurses continue their education with a bachelor’s degree or graduate study and later pursue advanced practice roles such as nurse practitioner or family nurse practitioner, subject to applicable education and licensure requirements.
The better career path depends on whether you want focused respiratory care or broader patient-care responsibilities. Respiratory therapy is usually a stronger fit for people interested in breathing support, ventilators, oxygen therapy, lung function, and cardiopulmonary care. Nursing is usually a stronger fit for people who want broader patient-care coordination, medication administration, discharge planning, and more specialty or advanced-practice pathways.
| If you want… | Better fit | Why |
| A focused cardiopulmonary role | Respiratory therapy | Respiratory therapists specialize in breathing, oxygen therapy, ventilator support, blood gases, pulmonary function, and cardiopulmonary care. |
| A broader patient-care scope | Nursing | Registered nurses provide and coordinate care across many conditions, body systems, departments, and patient needs. |
| More advanced-practice pathways | Nursing | Nurses can pursue graduate education and additional licensure for roles such as nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, or other advanced practice roles. |
| A respiratory-focused entry path | Respiratory therapy | Respiratory therapists typically enter through an accredited respiratory therapy program and develop specialized clinical skills in respiratory care. |
| More total annual openings nationally | Nursing | Registered nursing is a much larger occupation and has substantially more projected annual openings than respiratory therapy. |
| Faster projected percentage growth | Respiratory therapy | BLS projects respiratory therapist employment to grow faster by percentage, although nursing still has more total openings. |
| Deeper specialization in ventilator and oxygen support | Respiratory therapy | Respiratory therapists often work closely with patients who need oxygen therapy, ventilator management, pulmonary testing, or respiratory treatment plans. |
| A wider range of long-term specialty options | Nursing | Nursing offers many specialty paths across hospitals, outpatient care, home healthcare, leadership, education, and advanced practice. |
Pay can vary by employer and healthcare setting, but national labor data do not support a single salary range for every ICU, emergency room, outpatient clinic, or home healthcare position. A more reliable comparison is to use industry-specific wage data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics when available.
For respiratory therapists, BLS reports these May 2025 median annual wages:
| Respiratory Therapist Setting | Median Annual Wage |
| Hospitals | $82,730 |
| Nursing care facilities | $79,270 |
| Offices of physicians | $77,890 |
Candidates should compare actual job terms rather than assume that critical care, emergency medicine, neonatal nursing, or another specialty will always pay more.
Both respiratory therapists and registered nurses need formal education and state licensure, but their education pathways, examinations, and professional credentials differ.
Additional education and professional credentials can expand career options, but they do not guarantee higher pay. Respiratory therapists may earn the Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) or Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential through the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC), and some employers prefer or require the RRT credential.
The NBRC credentialing pathway is also changing. Through December 31, 2026, candidates use the Therapist Multiple-Choice Examination and, when eligible, the Clinical Simulation Examination to progress from CRT toward RRT. Beginning in January 2027, the NBRC will use a single Respiratory Therapy Examination with two cut scores: the lower cut score leads to the CRT credential, while the higher cut score leads to the RRT credential.
Source: National Board for Respiratory Care — 2027 Examination Changes
Registered nurses may also pursue additional education, specialty certification, management positions, or advanced practice roles. Becoming a nurse practitioner, for example, requires graduate-level education and additional licensure requirements.
Several factors can affect respiratory therapist and registered nurse pay, but the impact varies by employer and role. Experience, specialized clinical skills, work environment, education, and credentials may influence eligibility for certain positions, while actual compensation depends on the specific job offer.
Experience can influence compensation, but the effect varies by employer, location, role, and healthcare setting. Employers may also consider specialty experience and clinical skills when establishing qualifications or pay for a position.
For respiratory therapists, relevant experience may include ventilator support, neonatal or pediatric respiratory care, or work in critical care units. Registered nurses may build specialized experience in areas such as critical care, emergency medicine, neonatal nursing, or ambulatory care. Candidates should compare actual job requirements and compensation rather than assume a particular specialty will always pay more.
Compensation can vary across healthcare settings, but pay should be compared using actual employer data or current labor statistics rather than assumptions about a particular department. Hospitals, nursing care facilities, outpatient clinics, home healthcare services, and other medical facilities may use different schedules and compensation structures.
Work environment also affects factors beyond salary. Candidates may want to compare shift requirements, weekend or holiday work, patient population, location, and scheduling expectations when evaluating a position.
Education level can affect which jobs a candidate qualifies for, but a higher degree does not automatically guarantee higher pay. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that respiratory therapists typically need an associate degree, although some employers prefer applicants with a bachelor’s degree. Registered nurses may enter the profession through bachelor’s, associate, or approved nursing diploma programs.
Additional education or credentials may support access to different positions, specialties, management opportunities, or advanced practice pathways. Actual compensation still depends on factors such as employer, location, experience, responsibilities, and healthcare setting.
The job outlook is positive for both careers, although respiratory therapy is projected to grow faster. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of respiratory therapists to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 6% for registered nurses.
| Role | Projected Employment Growth, 2025–2035 | Average Openings Per Year | BLS-Identified Factors |
| Respiratory Therapist | 9% | About 8,600 | Older population, respiratory conditions such as COPD and pneumonia, and outpatient respiratory care |
| Registered Nurse | 6% | About 180,800 | Older population, chronic health conditions, hospitals, outpatient care, and home healthcare |
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Respiratory Therapists and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Registered Nurses.
Respiratory therapy has the faster projected percentage growth, but registered nursing is a much larger occupation and is expected to have substantially more openings each year. The two figures should not be interpreted as measuring the same thing.
BLS attributes projected growth in respiratory therapy partly to an aging population and an increased prevalence of respiratory conditions such as pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It also notes that greater use of respiratory care in outpatient facilities may support employment growth outside hospitals.
Registered nursing employment is also projected to grow as healthcare needs increase among older adults and people with chronic health conditions. BLS expects opportunities across hospitals, outpatient care centers, home healthcare, and other healthcare settings.
Both nursing and respiratory therapy offer several career development paths. Professionals may build specialty experience, earn additional credentials, pursue advanced education, or move into leadership, education, or other non-entry-level roles.
Registered nurses can develop their careers through specialty practice, additional education, management, education, or advanced practice. Some nurses pursue graduate education and additional licensure to become a nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, or another advanced practice registered nurse.
Others move into leadership, education, quality, or administrative roles. The requirements vary by position and state.
Respiratory therapists can build their careers through the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential and additional specialty credentials offered by the National Board for Respiratory Care. Specialty areas can include adult critical care, neonatal and pediatric respiratory care, pulmonary function technology, and sleep disorders. For a broader look at advancement options, see our guide to the career path for respiratory therapists.
Depending on their education, experience, employer, and qualifications, respiratory therapists may also pursue roles in supervision, education, management, research, or other areas of the healthcare industry.
The two career paths differ more in focus than in whether advancement is possible. Nursing offers a wide range of specialty and advanced-practice pathways, while respiratory therapy provides deeper specialization in respiratory and cardiopulmonary care.
Respiratory therapy and nursing are both direct patient care careers, but they differ in clinical focus, education, credentials, salary, and long-term career options. Registered nurses currently have a higher national median wage and a broader nursing scope, while respiratory therapists specialize in respiratory and cardiopulmonary care. The better career path depends on the type of patient care, work setting, education path, and professional responsibilities that fit your goals.
Flagstar Rehab is a therapy staffing and recruiting agency that connects qualified therapy professionals, including respiratory therapists, with healthcare facilities. If you are already qualified as a respiratory therapist and exploring your next role, you can review respiratory therapist staffing to learn more about Flagstar Rehab’s staffing and placement services.
Respiratory therapist pay can vary by employer, geographic location, experience, work schedule, healthcare setting, and job responsibilities. Specialty credentials or critical care experience may affect eligibility for certain roles, but they do not guarantee a higher salary.
Some advanced practice nursing occupations, such as nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetist roles, have higher median wages than registered nurse positions. These careers require additional graduate education, certification, and licensure, so they should be treated as separate career paths rather than ordinary RN promotions.
The better fit depends on your interests and career goals. Respiratory therapy may appeal more to someone interested in respiratory and cardiopulmonary care, while nursing may suit someone who wants a broader patient-care scope and a wider range of specialty or advanced-practice pathways.
Respiratory therapy may be a good career for someone interested in cardiopulmonary care, direct patient care, and work in hospitals or other healthcare settings. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects respiratory therapist employment to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, but career fit also depends on your interests, education goals, preferred work environment, and professional responsibilities.