Respiratory or Sleep Scientist
What the work is
Conducts lung function tests and sleep studies to support the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory and sleep disorders, in consultation with other medical professionals.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Performs routine and complex lung function tests, and overnight sleep studies and daytime tests to assess respiratory or sleep disorders
- Interprets and analyses respiratory function and sleep test data to provide accurate and timely reports
- Collaborates with other medical professionals to develop treatment plans based on test results
- Measures and evaluates the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions
- Calibrates and prepares equipment used in the performance of respiratory function and sleep tests, and maintains equipment to optimum hygiene standards
- May assist in the development and implementation of respiratory and sleep research projects
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a hearing clinic with a soundproof testing booth, in a suburban medical centre. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A man hears his granddaughter's voice clearly for the first time in years
- A baby's screening result is checked, and a family gets answers early
- A client who dreaded the first appointment books their next one with a smile
Hard days
- Someone who has been sent in by their family and does not believe there is a problem
- Trying to explain a result to a person who is upset about it
- A day of testing in a small quiet booth, with the same instructions repeated again and again
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 263936, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.