Becoming a licensed respiratory therapist in New York takes two to four years of accredited schooling plus one national exam and one state application. The state requires an associate degree or higher from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care, a passing score on the national credentialing examination, and licensure through the State Education Department's Office of the Professions. Respiratory therapists earned a national median of $80,450 a year in May 2023, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Health Work NY publishes information, not career advice. The requirements described here come from the state licensing board and federal wage statistics, named where they appear; requirements and fees change, and the board's own pages are the controlling document for anyone applying.
Why does New York require a license at all?
New York has licensed respiratory therapists since 1994, one of a large majority of states that regulate the profession, per NYSED's practice description. The license defines a scope of practice — administering respiratory care and life-support treatments under medical direction — and makes it illegal to use the title without one. For students, the practical consequence is that there is no unlicensed entry route: hospital respiratory departments in New York hire licensed candidates, which makes the accredited-degree requirement the first gate rather than a formality.
What does the education requirement look like?
The state accepts graduation from a respiratory care program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care, or an equivalent education evaluation, per NYSED's licensure requirements. Associate-degree programs typically run about two years; bachelor's programs run four and are increasingly preferred by hospital systems for leadership and critical-care tracks. New York campuses from SUNY and CUNY colleges to private institutions host accredited programs, and seat counts are limited by clinical placement capacity — the same constraint that shapes nursing programs. Applicants should confirm a program's current accreditation status directly with CoARC's program directory before enrolling, since accreditation lapses do occur.
What exam does the state require?
The licensing exam is the Therapist Multiple-Choice examination administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care, the national credentialing body for the profession, per NYSED's application materials. Many graduates also take the NBRC's clinical simulation examination to earn the Registered Respiratory Therapist credential, which New York licensure does not strictly require but which employers commonly list in hiring postings for intensive-care units. The NBRC charges separate examination fees, published on its own site, and candidates who fail the multiple-choice exam may retest under the board's retake rules after a waiting period.
| Step | Typical duration |
|---|---|
| CoARC-accredited associate program | About 2 years |
| Bachelor's route, optional | 4 years |
| NBRC Therapist Multiple-Choice exam | Scheduled within weeks of graduation |
| NYSED license issuance | Weeks after complete application and pass |
Related stories: Radiologic technologist licensure in New York: a guide to the DOH process · Physician assistant licensure in New York: the timeline from student to license.
What does the job pay in New York?
Respiratory therapists earned a national median of $80,450 a year in May 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, with metropolitan New York tables showing wages above the national median. The bureau projects faster-than-average employment growth for the occupation nationally through the early 2030s — a sourced projection by the issuing agency, not a forecast by this publication, and one that reflects aging populations and chronic respiratory disease rather than any single employer's hiring plan.
The license is the whole game in New York: no accredited degree, no exam seat; no exam pass, no license; no license, no hospital respiratory department job.
How long does the whole path take, realistically?
For an associate-degree student who passes the exam on the first attempt, about two years of school plus two to three months for exam scheduling, testing, and NYSED processing — call it two and a half years from first class to first licensed shift. Add time for prerequisite coursework if a program requires anatomy, physiology, or chemistry before matriculation, and add a semester or more if clinical placements stretch a cohort. Candidates who already hold a bachelor's in another field sometimes complete accelerated or degree-completion routes; the saving is real but bounded by the accredited clinical coursework, which cannot be waived.
Where do new respiratory therapists work?
Hospital intensive-care and neonatal units employ the largest share, per the bureau's industry tables, but the license also covers home respiratory equipment vendors, sleep labs, long-term-care facilities, and air-medical transport. The setting matters for scheduling as much as pay: hospital respiratory departments run around the clock, and new graduates typically absorb night and weekend rotations that senior staff shed. Candidates comparing offers should weigh the shift pattern alongside the wage, since the bureau's median describes annual pay across all settings and schedules, not any one job's conditions.
One final note on process: NYSED publishes its current application forms, fees, and estimated processing times on the profession's official page, and those figures supersede anything quoted secondhand, including here. Applicants who verify requirements at the source before enrolling in a program avoid the most common and most expensive licensure delays.