Becoming a travel respiratory therapist takes about four to six years from scratch: two to four years for your degree, time to pass two national exams, and at least one to two years of acute care experience before most staffing agencies will consider you. If you’re already a licensed respiratory therapist, the transition to travel work is faster, but still requires some deliberate preparation. Here’s the full path.
Complete an Accredited Respiratory Therapy Program
Your first step is earning a degree from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC). These programs exist at the associate, bachelor’s, and master’s levels. An associate degree is the minimum to sit for credentialing exams, and many therapists enter the field this way. That said, a bachelor’s degree is increasingly preferred by hospitals and can open doors to higher-paying travel contracts, especially at large medical centers and academic institutions.
Respiratory therapy programs cover cardiopulmonary anatomy, ventilator management, airway care, blood gas analysis, and patient assessment. You’ll also complete supervised clinical rotations in hospitals, which is where you start building the hands-on skills travel work demands. When choosing a program, confirm CoARC accreditation directly on their website. Graduating from a non-accredited program disqualifies you from national credentialing exams.
Earn the RRT Credential
After graduation, you need to pass the Therapist Multiple-Choice (TMC) Examination administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). This exam has two scoring thresholds. Hitting the lower cut score earns you the Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) credential. Hitting the higher cut score earns you the CRT and makes you eligible for the Clinical Simulation Examination (CSE).
Passing both the TMC at the high cut score and the CSE awards the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential, which the NBRC considers the “standard of excellence” in the profession. For travel work, the RRT is effectively non-negotiable. Staffing agencies and facilities expect it. The CRT alone will severely limit your options.
Get Your State License
Nearly every state requires respiratory therapists to hold a state-issued license or permit before practicing. Each state has its own application, fees, and sometimes additional requirements like background checks or jurisprudence exams. As a travel therapist, you’ll need a valid license in every state where you accept an assignment.
This is one of the biggest logistical hurdles in travel respiratory therapy. A respiratory care interstate compact has been in development, with model legislation finalized in October 2024. Once seven states enact the compact language, it will activate and allow therapists to practice across member states with a single license. As of now, though, the compact is still in the enactment phase and no states are actively participating yet. That means you’ll need to apply for individual licenses, which can take weeks to months depending on the state. Many travel therapists begin the licensing process in two or three target states well before they plan to start traveling.
Build Acute Care Experience First
Staffing agencies typically require a minimum of 1.5 years of acute care hospital experience before placing you in a travel role. Some agencies and higher-acuity facilities want two years or more. This isn’t arbitrary. Travel therapists are expected to hit the ground running with minimal orientation, often just a day or two. You need to be comfortable managing ventilators in an ICU, responding to rapid responses and codes, performing arterial blood gas draws, and working with physicians you’ve never met, all in an unfamiliar hospital with different equipment and protocols.
Use your staff years strategically. Try to work in a facility where you’re exposed to a broad patient population: adult critical care, emergency departments, neonatal units if possible. The more settings you’re comfortable in, the more contracts you’ll qualify for. If your hospital uses a specific ventilator brand, seek cross-training on others. Travel assignments can put you on any major platform, and agencies love candidates who don’t need equipment-specific training.
Add Specialty Certifications
Beyond the RRT, the NBRC offers specialty credentials that can make your profile more competitive and increase your pay rate. The most relevant for travel work include:
- Adult Critical Care Specialty (RRT-ACCS): Covers competencies specific to managing critically ill adults, going beyond general respiratory care. This is the most in-demand specialty for travel contracts since ICU coverage drives much of the need for temporary staff.
- Neonatal/Pediatric Specialty (RRT-NPS): Qualifies you for NICU and pediatric ICU assignments, which are harder to fill and often pay a premium.
- Sleep Disorders Specialty: Less common in travel but useful if you want variety in your assignments.
- Pulmonary Function Technology: Relevant for outpatient or diagnostic lab placements.
You don’t need these to start traveling, but they signal to facilities that your skills are verified in a specific area. The ACCS and NPS credentials, in particular, can be the difference between landing a high-paying ICU contract and getting passed over for another candidate.
Choose a Staffing Agency
Most travel respiratory therapists work through staffing agencies rather than finding contracts independently. The agency acts as your employer, handles placement, negotiates pay with the facility, and manages logistics like compliance paperwork and credentialing verification. You’ll want to research multiple agencies before committing. Pay packages for the same facility can vary significantly between agencies, and so can the quality of recruiter support.
Key things to compare: base hourly rate, overtime policies, housing benefits, travel reimbursement, health insurance options, and how quickly the agency can get you credentialed at a new facility. Some therapists work with two or three agencies simultaneously to have more contract options available. There’s no exclusivity requirement in most cases.
Understand Housing and Pay Structure
Travel pay packages typically include an hourly wage plus a tax-free housing stipend (and sometimes a meals stipend) for therapists who maintain a permanent tax home. The housing piece is where your take-home pay can vary dramatically depending on the choices you make.
You generally have two options. The first is letting your agency arrange housing for you. This is the simpler route, especially on your first few assignments. The agency finds a furnished apartment or extended-stay hotel, handles utilities, and sometimes provides housewares for an extra fee. The downside is that agencies often spend most or all of your housing stipend on these arrangements, leaving you with less overall compensation. You can request preferences, but there’s no guarantee you’ll get what you want.
The second option is taking the stipend and finding your own housing. This gives you more control and the potential to pocket extra money if you find something affordable. But short-term leases are not easy to secure. Landlords frequently charge double or triple the normal rent for three-month stays, and you’re responsible for security deposits, utilities, and furnishing. Many travel therapists use platforms designed for short-term rentals or connect with other travelers to share housing costs. If your stipend doesn’t cover the going rate in a high-cost area, you’ll pay out of pocket.
For your first assignment, agency-provided housing removes a major source of stress. As you get more experienced and learn which cities are affordable, switching to the stipend model can significantly boost your earnings.
Keep Your Credentials Current
The NBRC requires ongoing participation in its Credential Maintenance Program (CMP) to keep your RRT and any specialty credentials active. You have three options: take quarterly assessments and document up to 30 continuing education credits (your CE requirements may be reduced based on assessment performance), earn another NBRC credential, or retake the original credentialing exam. Most travel therapists choose the assessment and CE route since it’s the most straightforward to manage on the road.
State licenses also have their own renewal cycles and CE requirements, which vary by state. Keeping a spreadsheet of every license expiration date, CE deadline, and renewal fee becomes essential once you’re juggling credentials in multiple states. Letting a license lapse mid-contract can end an assignment and damage your reputation with your agency.
Job Outlook for Travel Respiratory Therapists
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 12% employment growth for respiratory therapists between 2024 and 2034, well above the average for all occupations. Roughly 8,800 openings are expected each year over that decade. Hospitals continue to face staffing shortages in respiratory care, particularly in rural areas and during respiratory illness surges, which keeps travel contract volume high.
Facilities in the South, Midwest, and rural West tend to have the most consistent need for travel respiratory therapists. Contracts in high-cost coastal cities may pay more on paper, but the housing expenses can eat into that advantage. Many experienced travelers develop a rotation of preferred regions where they know the cost of living works in their favor and the facilities are well-run.