Respiratory Therapy??
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Respiratory Therapy isn't present in many places around the world. I looked for places where I could work as an RRT. In Europe, Physiotherapists do RT work. I know an RT who tried to get a job in France and they asked her if she does anything else. Physiotherapists do speech, occupational, physical, and respiratory therapy.
Where you can work as an RT: Canada, USA and possessions (i.e. Siapan), Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. Some of those places are only now seeing RTs as being useful members of the health care team.
In my opinion, having been trained in the US and moved back to Canada to find a respiratory job, it is definitely in your favor to train where you plan on working. Stay in a place where you are a citizen and can work while in school. I have taken the RRT twice, once for the NRBC (USA) and another time for the CBRC (Canada). In the end, there is not reciprocity with the NRBC in Canada. I had to wait eight months before I could sit for the Canadian RRT exam. This has been a stressful year and I'm glad that it's (hopefully) over. I now have a job in Canada that I will be starting soon, but it's been a long, long time with me not using my clinical skills.
Your plans are wishful. Borders are barriers that prevent people from being able to move from country to country. I would not live in the US because of extremely restrictive immigration laws. Moving back to Canada has been time consuming and costly for me to be employable in my field.
When it's all said and done, I will be licensed in 2 provinces and 1 state. I don't like the idea of possibly having to maintain 3 (!) RRT licenses.
For your own good, it's best to stay in the country that you are a citizen of. Your education may not be recognized, as with the licensing exams that you will have taken. In addition, I was trained in the US to basically be a floor and ICU therapist. In Canada, RTs commonly are intubation, arterial line, and chest tube insertion certified, things I am not. It made it hard to find a job.
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