A respiratory therapist isn't "just a respiratory therapist."
We go to college. Some for 2 years, some for 4.
We take national registries.
We can further our education and specialize in certain fields.
We know diagnosis's.
We know medications and their purposes.
We read chest X-rays and report the findings to doctors.
We are trained to think on our feet.
We are always on our toes. {always}
We make decisions in the matter of seconds (most of the time without a doctor present)
We identify breath sounds and provide appropriate care according to our findings.
We know normal and critical lab values.
We know heart wave forms.
We know how to read an ekg.
We know what size endotracheal tube to use on your newborn baby who stopped breathing and turned blue.
We know to not to push too much air into your babies lungs, because too much can give them a pneumothorax. {collapsed lung}
We draw blood from arteries.
We know what ventilator settings to set your husband's ventilator to when his doctor is not there during an emergency.
We know how to intubate.
We know CPR and perform it on a daily basis. On adults, kids, and infants.
We are 911 trauma trained.
We get blood, vomit, spit, even pee or poop on us.
We don't have just 2 or 3 patients.
We usually have 3-4 floors at once.
3-4 floors equals 20+ patients sometimes.
We are always in a hurry. {sorry if we can't chit chat}
Sometimes we don't get to eat breakfast.
And sometimes we don't get to eat lunch.
We respond to code blue's. {if you see us running, that's where we are going}
We go on neonatal transports to other cities to rescue premature babies and newborns in distress to bring them back to our NICU.
We comfort the mother who has just given birth and is watching her baby fight for his or her life right before her eyes.
We know how to manage your grandfather's COPD appropriately so his hypoxic drive isn't knocked out and so he won't turn blue & stop breathing.
We give life to our patients.
We are the ones who remove breathing tubes when the patient has been pronounced brain dead.
Sometimes we even remove them as a withdrawal of care protocol, respecting the family's wishes. We watch that patient breathe until their last breath is taken.
We don't just give breathing treatments.
We do chest percussion for hours on end to patient's that can't properly cough up mucus that gets stuck in their lungs.
We provide education, medication, and teach parents how to do chest PT on their children who have been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis.
We give education on any disease related to breathing and help you better understand how to give yourself a better quality of life.
We attend births or csections for babies who we expect will have breathing problems after birth.
We provide oxygen and humidification to your grandmother who is on hospice and taking very shallow breaths. We make sure, along with her nurse, that she is as comfortable as she can be as she passes into her next life.
Have you ever been truly short of breath? I don't mean you went running, you're out of shape, out of breath. I mean 100%, get me to a hospital, short of breath?
Those who have, appreciate us and know our job title.
I have had patients burst into happy tears when they see me walk through their ER door because they know I am about to fix their problem. Or their baby's problem.
We give doctors our professional opinion when it comes to care for our patients. We stay with them for 12-16 hours a day. A doctor might see them for 10 minutes.
Our doctors trust us. They have to.
Thank your Respiratory Therapist this week. Whether you're a doctor, a nurse practitioner, an ICU nurse, a floor nurse, a patient, or a family member. You are important to us. We should be important to you.
I am a proud Registered Respiratory Therapist.
HAPPY RESPIRATORY CARE WEEK!
Regards
Joseph Roy,
Secretary, MARC
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