By Chris Brock
Watertown Daily Times
CLAYTON, N.Y. 鈥� It wasn鈥檛 all that long ago that 20-year-old Claire C. Ward discovered the career world of respiratory therapy.
鈥淕rowing up, I never heard of a respiratory therapist,鈥� the 2022 graduate of Thousand Islands Central School District said. Now, she is studying in the field at SUNY Upstate Medical University鈥檚 College of Health Professions.
Respiratory therapy is a specialized healthcare field where practitioners are trained in pulmonary medicine and work therapeutically with people suffering from pulmonary disease. It鈥檚 a career that is expected see tremendous growth in the coming years.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment of respiratory therapists is projected to grow 13% yearly through 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations. About 8,200 openings for respiratory therapists are projected each year, on average, over the next decade. As of 2023, the median salary for a respiratory therapist was $78,000 annually.
Driving the need is the increasing prevalence of conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, partly due to an aging population, along with a growing emphasis on managing chronic respiratory diseases.
RTs were also at the forefront of care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This week, the American Association for Respiratory Care is celebrating Respiratory Care Week to recognize the dedication and impact of respiratory therapists on patient care and improved outcomes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a career a lot of people don鈥檛 know about,鈥� Ward said. 鈥淏ut if you like emergency situations or being able to be at a patient鈥檚 bedside and work with adults, pediatrics or neonates but you don鈥檛 want to be a nurse, then it鈥檚 the perfect career opportunity.鈥�
The American Association for Respiratory Care describes the profession as an 鈥渁rt and a science.鈥� Respiratory therapists spend years refining their skills, even beyond the respiratory therapy program. Each year, RTs continue their education to maintain their licensure.
Ward is the daughter of Wendi R. (Hewes) Ward and the late Daniel W. Ward, who died last December at the age of 53 following a long battle with colon cancer. She got her start in emergency situations as a participant in the Clayton-based Thousand Islands Emergency Rescue Service at the age of 15 and hasn鈥檛 looked back.
鈥淚鈥檓 the first one in my family to work in (EMS) emergency medical services,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 had a couple of friends who were doing it and I thought it looked pretty cool.鈥�
She joined the TIERS Junior EMT program as a freshman in high school, took her basic EMT course as a junior and her advanced EMT course as a senior. She found the Junior EMT program invaluable to reaching her goals.
鈥淚f I wasn鈥檛 in sports or in school, I loved the people there and what I was doing,鈥� Ward said. 鈥淚 just loved being able to give back to our community and help out as much as possible in times of emergency.鈥�
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ward and others in the TIERS Junior EMT program weren鈥檛 allowed to go on calls for their safety. 鈥淲e went five months without being able to go to TIERS,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 realized it was not something I wanted to sit out of. That鈥檚 another reason that persuaded me to get my basic EMT classification 鈥� so I could help out whenever I could and wasn鈥檛 sidelined, even though I was 17 at the time.鈥�
TIERS鈥� Junior Membership Program has ushered several area teens into emergency medical services as volunteers and active employees. Juniors start out by riding along on calls to get a feel for what鈥檚 further involved.
鈥淚t was something started to not only give youth some experience in health care and specifically EMS, but it鈥檚 also for any youth that wants to get into a health care field after high school or go to school for that,鈥� said Timothy R. Farrell Jr ., executive director of TIERS. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also helped to feed our staffing here at TIERS. We have quite a few volunteers and employees where that鈥檚 where they started. Right now, we have a full-time paramedic ( Madison Calhoun ) who started six years ago as a junior EMT when in high school.鈥�
The junior program has no jurisdictional limits as to where students are from. 鈥淭hey ride along with us on calls,鈥� Farrell said. 鈥淲e do limit certain types of calls and situations. It鈥檚 up to the paramedic and crew chief who are working that day. There are certain things we are dispatched to where they don鈥檛 come with us.鈥�
TIERS鈥� Junior Membership Program is open to youths ages 14 to 18. An application link can be found at under 鈥淛unior membership.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 very gratifying to see Claire go through here, starting with an EMT class she took right here at our station and work her way up where she鈥檚 in respiratory school,鈥� Farrell said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 awesome. And when she鈥檚 home here on weekends or during school breaks, she鈥檚 still employed here and goes on calls with us.鈥�
Advancing in care
On the morning of her senior prom, Ward took her advanced EMT 鈥減racticals鈥� exam from the state Department of Health.
鈥淥bviously, it was nerve-wracking,鈥� Ward said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 where you are tested on the skills that you learned, so instead of a written test, it鈥檚 more of a hands-on test.鈥�
Advanced emergency medical technicians function as part of a comprehensive EMS response, under medical oversight. It鈥檚 considered the third-highest certification above emergency medical responders.
The four categories of those responders: emergency medical responder, emergency medical technician, advanced emergency medical technician and paramedic.
Advanced EMTs are able to do more than EMTs, such as insert and administer IV medications, administer a wider range of medications like nitroglycerine and epinephrine and interpret electrocardiograms.
鈥淚 can also do an IO (intraosseous infusion), which is basically an IV through the bone. So instead of going through a vein, it goes through bone marrow. That鈥檚 in case of an emergency where you can鈥檛 get IV access. I used to be able to intubate but New York state took that away because they didn鈥檛 think the state advanced EMTs had enough training on that. But I was trained on it.鈥�
After learning that she passed the advanced EMT practicals exam, Ward headed to her hair appointment and home to get ready for prom night.
Also as a TICS senior, Ward job-shadowed a respiratory therapist at Samaritan Medical Center. 鈥淚t was just for fun because I already knew what I was going to do,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was going to go to nursing school. But as I was shadowing I fell in love with the profession and realized this is actually what I wanted to do because how closely it related to EMS, but it was in a hospital setting.鈥� Ward was intrigued by how the profession dealt with the cardio-pulmonary systems. 鈥淚t seemed like the perfect fit for me, so I dropped out of nursing school ( Pace University ) and ended up getting my associate鈥檚 degree at Jefferson Community College and the following year, I went to Upstate.鈥�
While a student at JCC, Ward worked at three EMS agencies: TIERS, Cape Vincent Ambulance Service and Guilfoyle Ambulance Service. She continues that work at the three when she comes home to Cape Vincent on weekends and during college breaks at SUNY Upstate Medical University. The school鈥檚 respiratory therapy degree involves two years of study. Ward will earn her bachelor鈥檚 degree in that field in 2025.
She finds it easy to balance her studies and work hours.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 hard, but at the same instance, I鈥檝e basically done my entire high school career being able to balance this, so it鈥檚 really no difference with college. When I was at JCC, I was able to put in almost full-time hours with all three different agencies combined. It鈥檚 always been an easy balance for me because I just kind of grew up doing it and don鈥檛 know any difference.鈥�
Ward said it鈥檚 hard to think of her work as an Advanced EMT as something she gets paid to do, especially when she looks back at her Junior EMT years. 鈥淥bviously, it was my favorite thing to do and one of my favorite extracurriculars and to this day, I don鈥檛 think of it as a job. I think of it as a hobby where I just get to go help and give back to the community that provided to me for so many years.鈥�
A career with variety
Ward has many work pathways as a respiratory therapist. 鈥淚 have the opportunity to work in an adult ICU, a pediatric ICU or neonatal ICU,鈥� she said. " I get to do regular floor care and could work in an emergency department, or even outpatient at like asthma clinics, pulmonary clinics and sleep centers. There are so many different routes you can go.鈥�
Regardless of her path, Ward will enjoy the rewards of being a respiratory therapist.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the most rewarding experiences because you have been working with this patient for two weeks now or however long they鈥檝e been intubated, and you finally get to talk to them and watch them progress back into a healthy state,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 extremely rewarding in those circumstances because you get to be able to finally talk to your patient, interact and hear their voice.鈥�
When a patient is intubated and can鈥檛 talk, Ward conscientiously explains the situation to family members and/or friends of that patient.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 also extremely rewarding 鈥� to watch that progression and to be able to inform family members what is going on and kind of give them a more comforting piece of mind.鈥�
Respiratory therapists, Ward said, generally have more time to attend to such bedside manner issues.
鈥淣urses have multiple patients they need to take care of, whereas as respiratory therapists, we don鈥檛 have certain patients we are assigned to. It鈥檚 just certain spots at the hospital. So we鈥檙e able to take more time to interact with family members. Our nursing friends obviously do so much for our patients. But at times, they have other patient needs they have to get to and if they don鈥檛 have time to talk to family, we鈥檙e right there and able to talk to them.鈥�
Following her graduation from SUNY Upstate next year, Ward anticipates staying in New York as she pursues her career.
鈥淚 love working with pediatrics and neonate babies and unfortunately there鈥檚 not a lot of those opportunities up in Watertown. But there is in Syracuse, Albany and Rochester. So more than likely, I鈥檒l be working in one of those areas.鈥�
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