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Patient care attendant: $29.40/hLicensed practical nurse: $27.78 to $37.08/hNurse: $29.61 to $47.48/hNurse practitioner: $34.86 to $73.20/hRespiratory therapist: $29.12 to $45.20/hNext increase: April 1, 2027Patient care attendant DEP: 705 hoursLicensed practical nurse DEP: 1,800 hoursPatient care attendant: $29.40/hLicensed practical nurse: $27.78 to $37.08/hNurse: $29.61 to $47.48/hNurse practitioner: $34.86 to $73.20/hRespiratory therapist: $29.12 to $45.20/hNext increase: April 1, 2027Patient care attendant DEP: 705 hoursLicensed practical nurse DEP: 1,800 hours

Respiratory therapist in Quebec

The respiratory therapist in Quebec: the role, reserved activities, training, professional order, salary and work settings, with links to each of our articles on the occupation.

Updated on October 14, 2026. Figures taken from official sources consulted on October 10, 2026.

The respiratory therapist is a professional in cardiorespiratory care and anaesthesia assistance. The title is reserved for members of the Ordre professionnel des inhalothérapeutes du Québec (OPIQ), Quebec's order of respiratory therapists. The required training is a three-year CEGEP diploma (DEC).

The scope of practice and the reserved title

The Professional Code (chapter C-26), up to date as of August 12, 2026, defines the scope of practice in paragraph s of section 37: assessing cardiorespiratory condition, contributing to anaesthesia and sedation-analgesia, and treating problems affecting the cardiorespiratory system in order to restore and maintain cardiorespiratory health in human beings.

Paragraph s of section 36 reserves the title of "inhalothérapeute", that of "technicien en inhalothérapie et anesthésie", the abbreviation "Inh." and the initials "R.R.T." for a person who holds a valid permit and is entered on the roll of the OPIQ. This text is neither legal advice nor union advice.

The eight reserved activities

Paragraph 7 of section 37.1 of the Professional Code reserves eight activities for members of the OPIQ, in these terms:

Table
  • Providing ventilatory assistance, according to a prescription
  • Collecting specimens, according to a prescription
  • Performing cardiorespiratory function tests, according to a prescription
  • Clinically monitoring the condition of persons under anaesthesia, including sedation-analgesia, or under ventilatory assistance
  • Administering and adjusting prescribed medications or other prescribed substances
  • Mixing substances to complete the preparation of a medication, according to a prescription
  • Introducing an instrument, according to a prescription, into a peripheral vein or an artificial opening, or into and beyond the pharynx, or beyond the nasal vestibule
  • Assessing the cardiorespiratory condition of a symptomatic person

The OPIQ specifies that six of these eight activities require a prescription.

The order, the permit and continuing education

The OPIQ controls and supervises the practice of the profession. Its board of directors issues the permit. The permit holder is then entered on the roll of members.

For a person who graduated in Quebec, the OPIQ requires having met the requirements of the Techniques d'inhalothérapie program at a recognized institution. Its admission page, updated on July 28, 2026, mentions no exam by the Order.

The Règlement sur la formation continue obligatoire des membres de l'OPIQ (chapter C-26, r. 172, up to date as of June 1st, 2026) requires 30 hours of continuing education per reference period. This period lasts 2 years and begins on April 1st of an even-numbered year. The current period therefore runs from April 1st, 2026 to March 31, 2028. See also training to keep up to date.

Training: the DEC Techniques d'inhalothérapie

The program has the code 141.A0. Inforoute FPT gives it an approximate length of 36 months. The high school prerequisites:

On October 10, 2026, the Inforoute FPT list names 13 training locations: ten CEGEPs, Vanier College and two campuses of Collège Ellis.

No dated official source announces a move of the training to a bachelor's degree. On July 28, 2026, the OPIQ writes that the profession requires the DEC.

The job title in the network

The job title nomenclature of the network, September 15, 2026 version, gives the number 2244 to the title of respiratory therapist: 37.5 hours a week, the DEC and membership in the OPIQ. The description begins this way: a person who is responsible for a set of cardiorespiratory care and respiratory therapy techniques.

As of April 1st, 2026, the scale runs from $29.12 an hour at the first step to $45.20 at the twelfth. The details are in our article on the respiratory therapist's salary.

Four related titles appear in the nomenclature:

All are in category 1, nursing and cardiorespiratory care staff. See the FIQ collective agreement.

Work settings

The government site Avenir en santé names the hospital centre, the CLSC (local community service centre) and the CHSLD (long-term care centre). In hospital, it cites the emergency department, intensive care, neonatology, respiratory physiology and the operating room. The OPIQ adds resuscitation and home care. On resuscitation, read code blue in hospital.

According to Québec.ca, 96% of jobs are in health care. To apply, the process is the same as for nurse jobs.

Job prospects

Québec.ca rates the prospects of the profession (NOC code 32103) as "Excellent" for Quebec as a whole in 2025-2029 and counts 4,500 people employed in 2024.

Canada's Job Bank rates them as "Moderate" in Quebec for 2025 to 2027, in an assessment updated on December 10, 2025. It counts about 3,850 people, 84% of them in hospitals. Three regions are rated "Good": Bas-Saint-Laurent, Centre-du-Québec and Outaouais.

All our articles on the respiratory therapist

Frequently asked questions

What is a respiratory therapist?

According to Québec.ca, respiratory therapists have expertise in cardiorespiratory care and anaesthesia assistance. Section 36 of the Professional Code reserves the title for members of the Ordre professionnel des inhalothérapeutes du Québec (OPIQ).

What is the role of a respiratory therapist?

The Professional Code gives them three tasks: assessing cardiorespiratory condition, contributing to anaesthesia and sedation-analgesia, and treating problems affecting the cardiorespiratory system. The network nomenclature adds teaching patients and their families.

What training do you need to become a respiratory therapist in Quebec?

The DEC Techniques d'inhalothérapie (141.A0), which lasts three years. The high school prerequisites are Secondary 4 mathematics (Technical and Scientific or Science option) and Secondary 5 chemistry. You must then obtain the OPIQ permit and be entered on the roll.

What is the salary of a respiratory therapist in Quebec?

In the public network, the scale for title 2244 runs from $29.12 to $45.20 an hour since April 1, 2026. For Quebec as a whole, the Government of Canada's Job Bank gives a median wage of $39.40 an hour, for the 2023-2024 reference period.

What is the salary of a respiratory therapist in 2026?

Since April 1, 2026, from $29.12 an hour at the first step to $45.20 at the twelfth. Full time, at 37.5 hours a week, that gives $56,981 a year at the first step and $88,445 at the twelfth.

Where can I find a respiratory therapist?

The government site Avenir en santé names the hospital centre, the CLSC and the CHSLD. In hospital, the respiratory therapist works in the emergency department, intensive care, neonatology, respiratory physiology and the operating room. The OPIQ adds resuscitation and home care.

What activities are reserved for respiratory therapists?

Paragraph 7 of section 37.1 of the Professional Code reserves eight, including ventilatory assistance, specimen collection and cardiorespiratory function tests. Six require a prescription, according to the OPIQ.

Sources