There are two breeds of pediatric lung specialists: the pediatric pulmonologist and the pediatric respiratory therapist. Pediatric pulmonologists diagnose and treat kids with respiratory disorders, such as asthma, sleep apnea and chronic lung disease, among others. Pediatric respiratory therapists performs diagnostic tests and administer pulmonary treatments under the direction of pulmonologists and other physicians. Pay varies greatly between the two roles.
In 2012, physicians earned an average of $184,820 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). But this figure doesn’t account for specialty -- a factor with great bearing on earnings. A survey by the American Medical Group Association found that those specializing in pediatric pulmonary diseases took home $202,277 a year as of 2012.
Respiratory therapists earned much less than physicians, at an average of $57,200 a year, according to the BLS. This figure, too, is regardless of specialty. A survey published in ADVANCE, a national health care publication, found neonatal and pediatric RTs averaging closer to $61,064 in 2010. Those holding an RRT, or Registered Respiratory Therapist, certification, the second of two levels of certification, averaged almost $4 an hour more than therapists with their CRT, or Certified Respiratory Therapist, designation.
The disparity in pay is largely due to education. Physicians can spend upward of 12 years training, with four years in undergraduate, four years in medical school and three to eight years in residencies and fellowships. Respiratory therapists, on the other hand, need only an associate degree to enter the field. However, employers prefer to hire candidates with a bachelor’s degree and advanced certifications, such as CRT or RRT.
The BLS expects employment for physicians as a whole to grow by as much as 24 percent through 2020. The future is even brighter for respiratory therapists, with an average growth rate of 28 percent during this same timeframe. Regardless, both are much faster than the growth rate for all U.S. occupations, an average of 14 percent.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook – Physicians and Surgeons
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Physicians and Surgeons
- Council of Pediatric Subspecialties: Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine
- American Medical Group Association: Physician Compensation Report
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook – Respiratory Therapists
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Respiratory Therapists
- ADVANCE for Respiratory Care & Sleep Medicine: Salary Stats
- Creatas Images/Creatas/Getty Images