Pathways ForwardCurricula · Hands-On Healthcare · Tacoma & Pierce County
Heart, Lungs & the Operating Room: the Tacoma 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 clears the two-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: Tacoma Community College (starts each fall).
Seattle–Tacoma median $104,220 · 25th percentile $85,230 · clears the two-child bar
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Surgical technologist
A certificate or associate degree of one to two years.
Where: Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood (6 quarters).
Seattle–Tacoma median $79,900 · 25th percentile $62,730 · short of the one-child bar
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Cardiovascular technologist
A two-year associate degree.
Where: Spokane Community College (confirm current offerings), or search the CAAHEP program finder.
Seattle–Tacoma median $107,710 · 25th percentile $75,170 · clears the two-child bar
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Nurse anesthetist (CRNA)
RN, one or more years of ICU experience, then a three-year doctorate.
Where: Gonzaga University in Spokane (confirm current admission), or search the COA directory of nurse anesthesia programs.
Seattle–Tacoma median $274,390 · 25th percentile $228,330 · 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 Running Start
- 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 Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metro area and the state of Washington. bls.gov/oes
- Income bars: MIT Living Wage Calculator, Pierce County. livingwage.mit.edu/counties/53053
- Respiratory therapy programs: CoARC program finder; surgical and cardiovascular technology: CAAHEP program finder; nurse anesthesia: COA directory of nurse anesthesia programs
- Tacoma Community College: tacomacc.edu; Bates Technical College: batestech.edu; Clover Park Technical College: cptc.edu; Pierce College: pierce.ctc.edu
- University of Puget Sound: pugetsound.edu; University of Washington: washington.edu; Bellevue College: bellevuecollege.edu