Health Workforce

Minnesota Respiratory Care Specialists -Facts and Data 2004

The Office of Rural Health & Primary Care (ORHPC) asks respiratory care specialists to answer questions about their employment status and the nature of their practices each year when they renew their licenses. Response to the survey is voluntary and does not affect license renewal.

NOTE: In the tables below, “urban” is defined to include seven Twin City metropolitan counties (Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington) and the cities of Duluth, Rochester and St. Cloud.

• Numbers of Respiratory Care Specialists

As of June 30, 2004, 1,377 respiratory care specialists held Minnesota licenses. Some of these may have been retired or not working as respiratory care specialists, while others may have lived or practiced in other states.

The ORHPC received survey responses from 1,312 respiratory care specialists for 2004. Most responses were from respiratory care specialists renewing licenses, but many first-time licensees also responded. The 1,312 respondents represented 95 percent of licensed respiratory care specialists.

The exact number of respiratory care specialists practicing in Minnesota is not known. Not all of the respiratory care specialists holding Minnesota licenses in 2004 would have been working as respiratory care specialists in Minnesota. An unknown number would have been working in other jobs or not working due to unemployment, illness, retirement or other reasons.

At the time of license renewal, 1,192 (or 91 percent) of survey respondents said they were working at least part time at a primary practice site in Minnesota. Applied to the total number of licensees, this percentage produces an estimate of about 1,250 respiratory care specialists actually working at a Minnesota practice site.

This estimate is higher than the number of 1,010 respiratory therapist jobs estimated by the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development for the fourth quarter of 2004.

Using the July 1, 2004, population estimate for Minnesota, 1,250 respiratory care specialists equate to about 25 active respiratory care specialists per 100,000 people.

Because of different data sources and definitions, the estimate of 25 active respiratory care specialists per 100,000 population is not directly comparable to other reported data. The Bureau of Health Professions in the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration reported that Minnesota had 1,260 respiratory therapists in 2000, or 25.5 per 100,000 people, lower than the national rate of 29.2.

All data reported below is for respiratory care specialists who work at least part time at a primary practice site in Minnesota , according to the Office of Rural Health & Primary Care survey of respiratory care specialists renewing licenses for 2004.

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• Gender of Respiratory Care Specialists Active in Minnesota by Location

AGE	N	MALE	FEMALE
All respiratory care specialists	1,192	36.5%	63.4%
Under 35	247	29.6%	70.4%
35-44	369	33.3%	66.7%
45-54	457	37.2%	62.6%
55-64	112	58.0%	42.0%
65 and older	7	57.1%	42.0%
Urban locations	962	36.3%	63.6%
Rural locations	230	37.4%	62.6%

Age of Respiratory Care Specialists Active in Minnesota by Location

Age Group	Statewide n = 1,192 respondents	Urban n = 962 respondents	Rural n = 230 respondents
Less than 35	20.7%	21.2%	18.7%
35-44	31.0%	31.3%	29.6%
45-54	38.3%	37.7%	40.9%
55-64	9.4%	9.5%	9.1%
65 and older	.6%	.3%	1.7%
Total	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%

• Primary Practice Settings by Location-Respiratory Care Specialists Active in Minnesota

Type of Site	All Respiratory care specialists	Urban	Rural
N = respondents	1,147	924	223
Office/clinic	4.4%	5.1%	1.3%
Hospital – inpatient	81.6%	80.8%	84.8%
Home health agency	6.4%	6.5%	5.8%
Other	7.6%	7.6%	8.1%

• Gender by Type of Primary Practice Site Respiratory Care Specialists Active in Minnesota

Type of Site	N	Male	Female
Office/clinic	50	18.0%	82.0%
Hospital – inpatient	936	36.6%	63.2%
Home health agency	60	45.2%	54.8%

Primary Professional Activity Respiratory Care Specialists Active in Minnesota

Primary Activity	All Respiratory Care Specialists	Urban	Rural
N = respondents	1,163	937	226
Patient care	85.0%	86.0%	81.0%
Administration	3.0%	2.0%	7.1%
Teaching and research	4.9%	5.4%	2.7%
Supervisor/Coordinator	5.9%	5.4%	8.0%
Other	1.2%	1.1%	1.2%