Respiratory or Sleep Scientist

A respiratory or sleep scientist conducts diagnostic testing and therapeutic monitoring of patients with respiratory and sleep disorders in hospital, clinic, or laboratory settings. They operate specialised equipment including polysomnography systems, spirometers, and arterial blood gas analysers, interpret physiological data, and liaise with respiratory physicians and sleep medicine specialists to inform clinical management. They maintain equipment, ensure quality control of measurements, and adhere to laboratory accreditation standards.

Perform spirometry testing and interpret lung function results to assess airway obstruction, restriction, and gas diffusion capacity. Conduct polysomnography (sleep studies) using multi-channel recording equipment to diagnose obstructive sleep apnoea, central sleep apnoea, and sleep-related hypoventilation. Calibrate and maintain respiratory testing equipment including spirometers, plethysmographs, diffusion analysers, and sleep monitoring devices. Collect and analyse arterial blood gas samples using blood gas analysers and interpret acid-base balance, oxygenation, and ventilation status. Score and analyse polysomnography recordings using dedicated sleep analysis software to identify sleep stages, arousals, apnoea-hypopnoea indices, and oxygen desaturation events. Perform bronchial challenge tests using methacholine or histamine inhalation protocols and calculate provocative concentration thresholds. Conduct 6-minute walk tests and cardiopulmonary exercise testing with real-time measurement of oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, and heart rate response. Apply and monitor non-invasive ventilation equipment including continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP), and non-invasive ventilation masks during titration studies.

The standard entry pathway requires a bachelor degree or higher (ABS Skill Level 1). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

You'll usually need a relevant bachelor degree and often additional specialist qualifications before you can work independently. The pay ceiling is modest for the education required: you're looking at similar or lower earnings than many trades, and career progression into management is limited. Sleep studies mean shift work including nights and weekends.

In practice, jobs concentrate in major metro areas where large public hospitals and private sleep clinics operate. Some regional hospitals have sleep labs, but opportunities are scarce. Work is almost entirely on-site because the job requires operating equipment and patient contact: remote work isn't an option.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 2346, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Case Note Documentationcore
• Confidentiality and Privacy Compliancecore
• Data Entry and Accuracycore
• Empathy and Emotional Intelligencecore
• Health Record Administrationcore
• Health Terminology Literacycore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Report Writingcore
• Research and Analysiscore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Written Communicationcore
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity
• Digital Literacy
• Incident Reporting
• Practice Management Software (e.g., Best Practice, MedicalDirector)
• Quality Assurance and Checking
• Referral Coordination
• Risk Identification
• Team Collaboration
• Time Management and Prioritisation

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026