SOC 29-1126

Respiratory Therapists AI displacement risk

Exposure24

Share and intensity of work current AI systems can materially affect.

Automation8%

Likely potential for exposed tasks to move to software after workflow integration.

Risk bandLow

Ventilator automation and smart alarms have existed for decades without reducing the role — if anything, device complexity increased the need for specialists. Emergency airway work is among the least delegable tasks in the hospital.

Distribution

Where Respiratory Therapists sits across 620 tracked roles

Displacement pressure 14 — higher than 8% of the 620 occupations tracked on displacement.ai.

Score version

This page uses Seed model v0.4 (seed-v0.4-2026-05), last reviewed 2026-08-08. Directional occupation-level planning model using hand-reviewed public research, task exposure estimates, wage context, and transition-pathway assumptions.

23 O*NET task statements matched to SOC 29-1126. The displayed task profile combines these official task statements with the current public score model.

Median wage context: $82,280 (May 2025, US national). The latest BLS row matched SOC 29-1126.

Scores are planning signals, not forecasts. Local hiring demand, employer-specific workflows, licensing, and credentials must be validated before making career decisions.

2030 economic stress test

How Anthropic's scenarios classify Respiratory Therapists

SOC 29-1126 places this role in the paper's cognitive occupation group. These group-level outcomes do not change the 14/100 role score and are not an occupation forecast.

Modest change

+0.4% group wage

-0.5% cognitive employment since mid-2026; 2.9% cognitive unemployment.

Economy-wide: +1.6% GDP and 3.9% unemployment.

Substantial change

-0.3% group wage

-3.9% cognitive employment since mid-2026; 4.5% cognitive unemployment.

Economy-wide: +8.3% GDP and 4.6% unemployment.

Extreme change

-11.5% group wage

-21.5% cognitive employment since mid-2026; 17.9% cognitive unemployment.

Economy-wide: +32.4% GDP and 11.9% unemployment.

Compare the assumptions and limitations across all three scenarios. Source: The Anthropic Institute Working Paper No. 2026-02.

Official task evidence

O*NET task matches for Respiratory Therapists

The current evidence import matched 23 task statements from Task Statements 31.0 (August 2026). These rows are used as a grounding layer for judging which parts of the occupation are repeatable, language-heavy, analytical, social, physical, or compliance-sensitive.

Dataset31.0 (August 2026)

Matched tasks23

SOC29-1126

Core task / ID 397
Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.
Core task / ID 400
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.
Core task / ID 401
Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition.
Core task / ID 408
Relay blood analysis results to a physician.
Core task / ID 398
Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Core task / ID 403
Enforce safety rules and ensure careful adherence to physicians' orders.

Source: O*NET Resource Center, Task Statements. Raw import target: data/raw/onet/task-statements-31-0.txt.

Task profile

Where AI changes the work

technical

Set up and manage ventilators

Exposure 22, automation 8%, augmentation 42%.

O*NET evidence: Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administrat... (ID 397)

analytical

Monitor patient responses to therapy

Exposure 32, automation 13%, augmentation 54%.

O*NET evidence: Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blo... (ID 400)

physical

Provide emergency airway care

Exposure 12, automation 3%, augmentation 24%.

O*NET evidence: Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or as... (ID 398)

information

Maintain charts and educate patients

Exposure 48, automation 24%, augmentation 62%.

O*NET evidence: Educate patients and their families about their conditions and teach appropriate diseas... (ID 406)

TaskExposureAutomationAugmentation

Set up and manage ventilators228%42%

Monitor patient responses to therapy3213%54%

Provide emergency airway care123%24%

Maintain charts and educate patients4824%62%

Transition pathways

Adjacent moves that preserve existing skills

credentialed transition

Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT)

Training horizon: 6-12 months. Skill overlap 80. Wage preservation signal 110.

Complete RRT credentialing
Build ICU experience
Lead code response training

Low

adjacent role

Pulmonary Function Technologist

Training horizon: 3-6 months. Skill overlap 66. Wage preservation signal 96.

Master pulmonary function testing
Learn sleep study protocols
Document diagnostic quality

Low

Comparison guides

Compare the next move before you commit

6-12 months

Respiratory Therapists to Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT)

Compare AI displacement pressure, wage preservation, skill overlap, training time, and first proof project for moving from Respiratory Therapists into Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT).

3-6 months

Respiratory Therapists to Pulmonary Function Technologist

Compare AI displacement pressure, wage preservation, skill overlap, training time, and first proof project for moving from Respiratory Therapists into Pulmonary Function Technologist.

What the AI risk score means for Respiratory Therapists

The displacement pressure score for Respiratory Therapists is 14. That score blends task exposure, automation pressure, augmentation potential, wage vulnerability, transition feasibility, and source confidence. It is designed to help workers and workforce teams decide where to act first, not to claim a specific date when a job will disappear.

For this role, the clearest risk pattern is visible at the task level. Maintain charts and educate patients carries 24% automation pressure, while Maintain charts and educate patients carries 62% augmentation potential. That means the best response is usually a targeted redesign of work: move away from repeatable production tasks and toward judgment, exception handling, coordination, stakeholder context, and accountable use of AI tools.

Labor-market context and wage risk

Median wage: $82,280 (May 2025, US national). Employment context: Cardiopulmonary care role with hospital demand. Typical education: Associate degree plus state licensure.

Wage vulnerability is 38, while transition feasibility is 66. A high wage-vulnerability score means workers should pay close attention to salary preservation before making a move. A high transition-feasibility score means there are adjacent paths that can reuse existing skills without requiring a complete career reset.

Very low displacement pressure
Critical-care demand persists
Device complexity increases specialization

Upskilling priorities

Skills that make this role more resilient

The safest upskilling plan starts with skills already close to the work. For Respiratory Therapists, the strongest near-term skill priorities are listed below. These are useful whether the goal is to stay in the role, move to a redesigned version of the role, or transition into an adjacent occupation.

Priority 1

Ventilator management

Build proof of this skill through a work sample, checklist, dashboard, case note, workflow map, or portfolio artifact tied to the transition paths on this page.

Priority 2

Airway procedures

Build proof of this skill through a work sample, checklist, dashboard, case note, workflow map, or portfolio artifact tied to the transition paths on this page.

Priority 3

Patient assessment

Build proof of this skill through a work sample, checklist, dashboard, case note, workflow map, or portfolio artifact tied to the transition paths on this page.

Priority 4

Emergency response

Build proof of this skill through a work sample, checklist, dashboard, case note, workflow map, or portfolio artifact tied to the transition paths on this page.

90-day transition plan

The most practical next step is not to wait for a layoff or a full role redesign. Use the next 90 days to create evidence that you can operate in a safer, more AI-augmented version of the work.

In the first 30 days, document the repetitive tasks in your current work and identify where AI can reduce drafting, lookup, classification, or reporting time.
By 60 days, complete one small project connected to Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT), such as complete rrt credentialing.
By 90 days, compare internal openings and external postings for Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) or Pulmonary Function Technologist and update your resume around measurable workflow outcomes.

FAQ

Questions about AI and Respiratory Therapists

Will AI replace Respiratory Therapists?

Managing ventilators, intubating patients, and responding to code situations is bedside critical care. Monitoring alarms and AI-assisted weaning protocols support decisions, but the therapist at the bedside adjusts treatment against live physiology. The better planning signal is not full replacement, but which tasks become automated, which tasks become AI-assisted, and which responsibilities still need human judgment.

Which parts of Respiratory Therapists work are most exposed to AI?

Maintain charts and educate patients and Monitor patient responses to therapy show the strongest automation pressure in this model. Maintain charts and educate patients and Monitor patient responses to therapy are better treated as AI-augmented work.

What should Respiratory Therapists learn next?

Start with Ventilator management, Airway procedures, Patient assessment. The most practical adjacent paths in this model are Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) and Pulmonary Function Technologist.

How should this score be used?

Use it as a planning signal, not a prediction. Confirm local hiring demand, wages, licensing, credentials, and employer adoption before making a career move.

Sources

Evidence trail

International Labour Organization / 20 May 2025Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure OECD / 11 July 2023OECD Employment Outlook 2023: Artificial Intelligence and the Labour Market O*NET Resource Center / Database 31.0 (August 2026)Occupation, Task, Skill, and Work-Activity DataUS Bureau of Labor Statistics / May 2025 estimates (released 15 May 2026)Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics