Comments on: Are you a Respiratory Therapist? Do you blog?

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:11:27 +0000

I’m looking for an RT school in Georgia I live about 30 minutes north of Atlanta, is there something I should look for. I see everst school every place I look. Is this school any good? Is there a certain accreditation I should only look for. Some schools it seems that you have to give them a lung just to get in. Any suggestions on an online class. Please help, I have been out of work for over 2 years from an injury that now I have fully recovered from. The old field I worked in was computers and for me to get back in I would need a degree which I do not have and I’m not getting any younger I’m in my 40’s and was always interested in the medical field.
Thank you for any help.

By: Jennifer Setinek

Jennifer Setinek — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 16:06:23 +0000

Hi, WOW!! I guess no one can say that Respiratory therapists aren’t opinionated!!
I’d just like to pre-empt my discussion with this thought: After more than 5 years in the field- somedays I love being a RT and somedays I get in my car after work and just cry. Here’s the thing— I’ve found, as an agency therapist, that my love or hate is directly tied to the institution I work for. If you hate the hospital, hate their protocols, think your fellow therapists are a bunch of mindless drones, and think worse of the management, nurses and physicians– go work somewhere else. You spend more time at work than you do at home and these people and this job become your first family. If you hate it every day- please, for everyone’s sake, go try a new dynamic!!! Now- if you hate the patients, and their families, and can’t stand people anymore– for everyone’s sake get out of the field!!! Even when I’m most upset about a stupid new policy or being undermined by a nurse, I take joy in taking care of my patients that are sick, who look forward to my coming and helping them breathe and also in knowing that I helped save someone’s life, EVERY SINGLE DAY!! I know that half our patients don’t need albuterol, but it’s the few that truly do that make me happy. I know that all those 95 year olds should not be intubated, but it’s the trauma patient that has a massive head injury that I see six weeks later talking to me that I take delight in, don’t you???

Okay, and with that said- please read my link about why I’m being forced to leave this field…. (ha! bet you didn’t expect that,did you?

http://artlung.com/blog/2006/01/15/are-you-a-respiratory-therapist-do-you-blog/

I’m at the bottom- Sick in Chicago, jennifer

By: Salley Fieldwood

Salley Fieldwood — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:09:14 +0000

I think Respiratory is one of the best professions to get in to. It is very exciting and challenging. I have this attitude because I luckily get to work in a hospital where respiratory is respected and have many protocols. Maybe one day down the road I will go back to school to pursue something else, but for now Respiratory is my field, and I love it!!!

By: joe

joe — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:39:08 +0000

@Sputum_maker — maybe get another Physician’s opinion?

As site owner, maybe I need a disclaimer about any medical case discussion that occurs here. It sounds like you need a second opinion — best gotten by someone who can do a physical examination of you.

Best of luck!

By: Sputum_maker

Sputum_maker — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:39:08 +0000

I have had a persitent productive cough since, well….Thanksgiving! Have had 3 courses of antibiotics; Z-Pack, Amoxil and then Levaquin 750mg. to no avail. My doc thinks it’s viral and is just telling me to continue with my Advair and to increase my rescue inhaler to 2p QID. My asthma is well controlled w/ Advair alone. I have no fever and am asymptomatic except for this pesky productive cough. BTW my white count is WNL. Any thoughts???

By: Louis Jimenez

Louis Jimenez — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:42:40 +0000

Here are some links that may shine a light on some of this:

http://www.aarc.org/resources/professionalism/

http://www.aarc.org/career/professionalism.asp

BTW, the points mentioned in these two links not only apply to Respiratory Care, they apply to all professions.

By: Louis Jimenez

Louis Jimenez — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:01:13 +0000

Robert,

I fail to understand why you feel compelled to criticize and slander others that have a different opinion than yours. You can post your opinions without using foul language, name calling, and making assumptions about fellow professionals that you do not know. You don’t know me, you have never met me, you have never worked with me, you have no clue on what I know and what I don’t know.

If you used the language you used on here at your place of work, you wouldn’t be working there for long because eventually someone who is offended would call you on it, or even worse file a formal complaint. This would not only be unfavorable for you, but also for your profession.

I think this entire blog is quite interesting, sadly not too many RTs know about it, because if they did, I am sure there would be hundreds or replies on here. In an effort to make this a more popular blog, I am going to put this out in the community through our state associations. Like you said, contrasting points of view would be good.

BTW, slander unfounded, and unsubstantiated statements about others is not CENSORSHIP. Joe was correct in asking you to change your tone, which you obviously haven’t. I can read through the lines and your insinuation of the p word referring to a kitten, something I really don’t think you would ever say in to me in person. If I were the moderator or owner of this board, I would have revoked your privilege to post here, not because of your unhappiness with the field, but because of your lack of respect, language, and slanderous remarks. While you have a right to complain all you want, you don’t have the right to slander or degrade others.

The internet does allow you the freedom to use any language you want, however the internet also affords the website owner to control content as he or she wishes, language being one of them. Despite the freedoms the internet has given us, we are still responsible for what is said and/or implied. I am sure the Disney Channel website wouldn’t allow you to call Hannah Montana an f retard on their website. You can call it CENSORSHIP if you wish, but it isn’t. Last time I checked, being polite, courteous, and professional was not politically incorrect.

By: Robert

Robert — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:55:40 +0000

Ok fellow Rt’s ( I still work PRN!), I have been pondering for sometime about continuing to respond to Joe’s RT blog (I do hope you recieve it!). But, as a service to fellow coworkers and future RT’s , I strongly think I should, at least one more time. Joe’s Blog is a place for me to vent and and to share my thoughts about a career that has the potential to be respectable and professionally rewarding, but as yet is far far for it. I believe most can tell I am extremely disappointed, frustrated, and in fact embarrased, concerning the job of RT. To me the only difference between housekeeping and RT is what you make and hour. Not to be disrespectful to housekeeping (I love you guys, respect what you do, and believe your job is very important. !), However, RT does require a college education (At least a mail order degree!)
I do have hope that one day RT will be the carreer it was originally designed for. However, so far I view us as subordinates to hospital administration, nursing, and dermotology physicians (Yes, Albuterol does dilate the airways, improves the circulation and gives a warm healthy glow to the skin, at least thats what I’m told!) Our leadership is more concerned about making money then improving the field. Our educator’s have common knowledge of the field and know little about educating students. Our Director’s are middle management that bend over to every hospital demand. Our departments are often in basements usually not to far from the morgue. Currently, most departments are run by nursing who are clueless to what we do. We have no unified protocols, and basically do what we’re told. We continually have to prove our competence, yet can rarely use the skills we learned unless the curtain is pulled.
It has been this way for years and I see no change (but do hope for it). People like Louis prove it. He calls my last entry vile. In addition, Joe sent me an e-mail and wants me to modify my entry and change my tone before he posts it, as well as asks me to be more polite, or I am not welcome. To update fellow bloggers, I used the “F” word multiple times. I insinuated Louis was a “F” ing retard as well as other comments. I used these words because thats how I felt, frustrated and angry about his ignorance.
Did you know the FCC will no longer slap indecency fines for using the “F” word because the word is so commonly used for FRUSTRATION vs sexual obsenity. In addition, In March 2002 our great president Bush interrupted a meeting Condoleezza Rice was holding and yelled “Fuck Saddam. We’re taking him out! ” Our Vice president, Dick Cheney once told Patrick Leahy to “Go fuck yourself” on the senate floor. The “F” word is a form of expression and will always be used as such. Thank God for the “F” word, otherwise my knockles would be bleeding from hitting the walls. Our profession often uses the “F” word as well, just listen to any surgen. No Louis I don’t go in a patient’s room and say, “Are you ready for your “f” ing treatment?” Louis , you did not write “PRVC”, you wrote, “PCRV” and my gut tells me it was not a typo. I don’t even want to comment on your statements anymore. Your words prove mine, and now I see you as a baby. I will gladly tell that to your lawyer, judge, jury,mother, father, brother, sister, wife(husband), first born, dog, cat, as well as their fleas ( Come here kitty, kitty. Robert picks up Louis’s cat and yells in his ear, “Louis is a Baby!!) Get the picture! If you desire, I will fly to your home and we can discuss this blog over milk and cookies.
However, to be fair, I will say my words were aggressive and somewhat “Jerry Springher”, For that I apologize. I NEVER met to insult or hurt anyone, I’m just responding to words and a long history of RT bull*&% ! Joe, I hope you post this? By trying to censor your blog you do your reader’s a great injustice. Let your readers judge, that’s how I learn and they learn. “Freedom of Speech”, through dialogue and expression we all grow. If my last post was so bad, I’m the one with the red face not you. I’m not here to pretend, I do that enough PRN. If you continue to censor, I’m out of here. Speak real issues and the RT’s will come. Is’nt your blog for mature audiences only? I’m sorry but I can’t always be polite to dingbats! Although I will try. I hope the next blog enteries do not batter ego’s, but discuss specific RT issues. Maybe then this blog won’t be viewed by others as a “Bitch session”.

By: Louis Jimenez

Louis Jimenez — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 04:05:04 +0000

Robert,

I got your vile reply, but I don’t see it here, however I did get it in my email. There is a reason why you complete the code after you post, it’s called an IP address. This may be a forum, and you may think that anything goes here, however you are responsible for what you write, including slander. IP addresses can be requested to pursue legal actions, in other words, these can be subpoened and the website owner is required to release the information, if not they too can be held liable. If you look at some recent supreme court rulings, one of them dealt with slanderous comments on a forum. I suggest you do some research on this and that you govern yourself accordingly.

It’s called pressure regulated volume control, the Maquet Servo has it, and the second thing is called expiratory assist, and it is a NEEP. The Cardiopulmonary Venturi ventilator has the exp assist mode. Exp assist is a NEEP that is applied to the first 20% of the expiration to decrease exp airway resistance, it also helps to decrease inadvertent PEEP.

A note to the board moderator, I appreciate you deleting the post, however you may want to elaborate on the first part of my post. This is something you may want to put on your terms and conditions of forum usage, it it is not already there. There are plenty of internet law attorneys that can help you with the wording if need be.

By: Louis Jimenez

Louis Jimenez — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:16:52 +0000

Robert,

A drown? With all due respect my friend, you have no clue. A field that doesn’t change? See this is where you have missed the boat. Your attitude has blinded you, and on your blind ride you have missed much.

This field has been about change since it started! Respiratory is the MOST dynamic of all the allied health fields you can get into. CPU’s have forever changed the face of respiratory. The innovation of new modes,(PCRV, etc.) and the revival of old modes such as NEEP (Exp. Assist) are keeping this field on an upward trend with change after change. New medications, medication delivery devices, etc. If you can’t see that, then you are blind, or working in the wrong place. I must agree with you on one thing, not all departments are as progressive as others, HOWEVER that is not always because the therapists don’t want to be, a lot of the times it has to do with the hospital and it’s budgetary restrictions, HOWEVER in those hospitals, nursing, radiology, lab, etc. are all in the same boat, so the problem is usually hospital wide, not just respiratory.

Today health care budgets are a reality. In other professions, not just the medical ones, other budget realities are/shall be coming into play, so hang on, this new job/new found happiness of yours may tank.

I have no idea where you are now or what you have accomplished, however just because you couldn’t make respiratory happen for you, doesn’t mean someone like myself, or anyone else who is being successful is a drown. I have accomplished much, and have a lot to show for it, but most importantly I am happy, enjoy life, have seen and continue to see the value of what I do and how it has made a difference in people’s lives.

I could sit here and write down every single new thing in respiratory since 1973, but I don’t have time, I’m too busy doing more important things other than convincing you that there have been changes. Assuming that someone is going to do that is ludicrous.

Your post is entertaining to say the least. Your lack of professionalism is obvious, your choice of descriptive “4 letter words”, and other descriptive language opens up a world of perceptions regarding your character, community involvements, and successes.

By the way, who made you the “God of Reality”? Have you met Dennis? Just because he disagrees with you he is a dingbat? I guess you are the only one who is right about everything and everyone who disagrees with you is always wrong. Most people will agree that being narrow minded is a requisite for failure.

Cstep, there is no negativity in respiratory, only in those who want it to be there. Negativity is a matter of choice, no one can force you to be negative, or be in a negative place. The medical field is not for everyone. I too know doctors that wish they got into something else, I also know stockbrokers who feel the same way, nurses who feel the same way, and business owners who feel the same way. Cstep, you are right, there are many who are not happy with the career choices they have made, however within those careers there are many who feel they made the right choice, that doesn’t make them dingbats, drowns, or whatever other derogatory description there is out there, including the 4 letter words.