Graduating respiratory therapy bachelor of science students have little trouble finding jobs in their fields. Many second-year RT students, who just started their externships, are being offered staff RT positions at area hospitals beginning at $35 to $40 per hour.
Crystal Dorvil, a graduating senior, is one of the 38 RTs in the Class of 2022 who already has job offers from two metro Atlanta hospitals and two additional pending applications.
Originally a nursing major at Kennesaw State University, Dorvil switched to respiratory therapy after an experience at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. 
“Watching the nursing staff at work, I decided that wasn’t the career for me. Then I discovered RT while at work working a code blue,” said Dorvil.
She didn’t decide to switch majors lightly. Dorvil started working in the hospital as a patient transport when she finished high school and was exposed to many functions and job opportunities throughout the hospital. Now, she is confident that RT is the right field for her.
“Respiratory Therapy is a career path that not many know about, but it is a very rewarding profession,” said Dorvil. “[As an RT], you are working mostly on your own to treat your patients in every part of the hospitals, home care, sleep labs, etc. Every day on the job allows for you to further your skills, as no day is the same and Respiratory Therapists are constantly learning.”
Dorvil said she chose Georgia State University due to the program’s reputation. Its graduates boast a 100 percent pass rate for licensure board exams, and faculty are well-known in respiratory therapy circles. She also liked the downtown Atlanta location and the diversity of the student body.
Dorvil and her classmates graduate on May 6. She will have decided on which RT position to accept by that time.