Pathways ForwardCurricula · Hands-On Healthcare · Butte & Silver Bow County
Heart, Lungs & the Operating Room: the Butte Path
Respiratory therapists keep people breathing, cardiovascular technologists work in the heart-cath lab, and surgical technologists hand the surgeon the right instrument. Nurse anesthetists, at the top, earn more than almost anyone in healthcare.
Why this field is on the list · as of September 2026
Two-year degrees, mixed results. The respiratory therapist short of the one-child bar, and the surgical technologist short of the one-child bar.
The nurse anesthetist is the top of the ladder. It takes an RN, ICU experience and a three-year doctorate.
AI exposure is low. Ventilators and monitors are already computerized. The person managing a failing patient is not.
Watch for: the operating room runs on call. Ask about call before taking a job.
01 · The ladderThree two-year jobs and one doctorate
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Respiratory therapist
A two-year associate or a bachelor’s, then the NBRC exams.
Where: Great Falls College MSU (respiratory therapy).
Montana median $81,190 · 25th percentile $67,360 · short of the one-child bar
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Surgical technologist
A certificate or associate degree of one to two years.
Where: the CAAHEP program finder.
Montana median $60,970 · 25th percentile $49,170 · short of the one-child bar
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Cardiovascular technologist
A two-year associate degree.
Where: the CAAHEP program finder.
Montana median $82,850 · 25th percentile $49,880 · clears only the one-child bar
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Nurse anesthetist (CRNA)
RN, one or more years of ICU experience, then a three-year doctorate.
Where: out of state: Montana has no nurse anesthesia program. Search the COA directory of nurse anesthesia programs.
Montana median $277,380 · 25th percentile $240,020 · clears the three-child bar
02 · BranchesWhere the work leads
ICU and emergency
Respiratory therapists run ventilators and respond to codes.
Schedule: 12-hour shifts; per-diem common.
The operating room
Surgical technologists and nurse anesthetists work with the surgical team.
Schedule: Daytime schedule plus call.
The cath lab
Cardiovascular technologists assist with heart catheterizations and stents.
Schedule: Call for heart attacks, nights and weekends.
03 · For the familyThe schedule, for a father and for a mother
- For the one who carries the income. A respiratory therapist is close to a family income here; a nurse anesthetist is well above it.
- For a mother at home. Per-diem respiratory shifts fit around a family. The OR and cath lab have more call.
- Keep the license current. Keep national credentials and the state license current through the years at home.
04 · The home-school yearsWhat to add to the core path
Grades 9–10
- Everything in the shared core, with chemistry, biology and physics
- CPR early
Grades 11–12
- Anatomy and microbiology through One-Two-Free dual enrollment
- Hospital volunteer hours
After high school
- A respiratory, surgical or cardiovascular program, or nursing school toward the CRNA
Tie to the Verification Track
A surgical team counts every sponge and instrument before closing. A respiratory therapist checks the ventilator settings against the order and the patient’s blood gas. The Verification Track trains that habit.
05 · SourcesWhere these facts come from
Checked 2026-09-26
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, the state of Montana (BLS publishes no Butte metro area). bls.gov/oes
- Income bars: MIT Living Wage Calculator, Silver Bow County. livingwage.mit.edu/counties/30093
- Respiratory therapy programs: CoARC program finder; surgical and cardiovascular technology: CAAHEP program finder; nurse anesthesia: COA directory of nurse anesthesia programs
- Montana Tech and Highlands College: mtech.edu; Montana State University nursing: montana.edu/nursing; Great Falls College MSU: gfcmsu.edu
- University of Montana (Skaggs School of Pharmacy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology): umt.edu; Rocky Mountain College: rocky.edu; Rocky Vista University: rvu.edu; WICHE: wiche.edu
- Montana licensing boards (nursing, medical examiners, pharmacy, alternative health care): boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov