You help patients recover heart and lung function through targeted physical therapy. As a Cardiopulmonary PT, you're designing exercise programs for people after cardiac surgery, managing pulmonary rehab, and teaching patients how to safely rebuild their endurance when their body's been through a major event.
Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapist (Cardiopulmonary PT) pay typically runs $83K–$117K at this level, and jobs in this field are projected to grow 11% through 2034.
The work typically centers on helping patients rebuild functional capacity after cardiac surgery, heart failure exacerbations, or respiratory events. You're designing and supervising exercise programs, monitoring heart rate and oxygen saturation during sessions, and teaching patients how to recognize warning signs. A lot of the day involves close patient contact—walking the floor with someone who's nervous about pushing themselves after a scary health event.
The interdisciplinary environment tends to be intensive. You'll collaborate with cardiologists, pulmonologists, nurses, and respiratory therapists—especially in inpatient or pulmonary rehab settings. Care coordination matters here: a patient's PT goals need to align with what their physician wants and what their functional baseline actually allows.
People who thrive tend to be clinically patient and genuinely motivated by gradual progress. Recovery from cardiac or pulmonary events is slow, and gains can feel small week to week. But if you find satisfaction in seeing someone go from barely walking 50 feet to completing a full exercise circuit, this specialty tends to be deeply rewarding. It requires comfort with monitoring equipment and the confidence to push patients appropriately while keeping safety central.
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Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Still figuring out what you want to become
when you grow up?
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Healthcare roles →You help patients recover heart and lung function through targeted physical therapy. As a Cardiopulmonary PT, you're designing exercise programs for people after cardiac surgery, managing pulmonary rehab, and teaching patients how to safely rebuild their endurance when their body's been through a major event.
Median pay for a Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapist (Cardiopulmonary PT) is about $101K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $74K to $133K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Speaking, and Critical Thinking.
Most people in this role hold a professional degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 10.9% through 2034, with roughly 248,630 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Outpatient Physical Therapist (Outpatient PT), Physiotherapist, and Orthopedic Physical Therapist (Orthopedic PT).
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