How to become a Respiratory Therapist in Canada (CBRC exam)

To become a Respiratory Therapist (RT) in Canada, you complete an accredited respiratory therapy program, pass the national credentialing examination, and — in regulated provinces — register with the provincial college before you can practise.

What Respiratory Therapists do

RTs assess and treat patients with cardiopulmonary conditions across the full acuity spectrum: managing ventilators in intensive care, responding to codes, administering anesthetic gases, running pulmonary function tests, and supporting home oxygen and chronic disease programs. It is one of the most acute-care-heavy allied health professions.

Education: an accredited RT program

Entry to the profession is a three-year accredited respiratory therapy program, typically a diploma or degree combining classroom study, laboratory work, and a clinical year in hospital placements. Graduation from an accredited program is what makes you eligible for the national exam.

The national exam: CBRC

Graduates write the national credentialing examination administered by the Canadian Board for Respiratory Care (CBRC). Passing it grants the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential, the standard employers and regulators across Canada look for. In the United States, the equivalent pathway runs through the NBRC and its Therapist Multiple-Choice examination.

Provincial regulation

Most provinces regulate the profession — for example, the College of Respiratory Therapists of Ontario or Quebec's professional order — and there you must register with the college in addition to holding the RRT credential. In unregulated provinces, the credential itself is the recognised standard. Confirm requirements with the regulator in the province where you intend to work.

Preparing for high-acuity practice

RT education is placement-intensive, and the highest-stakes skills — ventilation decisions, deteriorating patients, interprofessional handoffs — are exactly the ones students get the fewest live repetitions on. Simulation lets you rehearse those scenarios repeatedly before the clinical year. See the patient-journey simulations on SimMedAi, or review how the RT role is regulated across jurisdictions at respiratory therapist.