Blogs

All the comments are good. Looks like same issues throughout the profession. To many RT's that just want to put in the 12 hours and go home.

I'd like to focus on just one aspect of Chris' blog-professional respect (or the lack of it). Professional respect cannot be bestowed-it must be earned. While there are many contributing factors to success several of the most important in healthcare is percieved competency within your scope of practice and the willingness to do whatever necessary to help patieints get better. If other health care providers (and patients) believe you know what you are doing and see you a team player focused on helping patients get better they will undoubtedly respect you. The disrepected are those who simply focus on getting their tasks done, doing what "the Dr. ordered" (regardless of literature evidence to the contary), and displaying a "that's not my job" attitude. No one turns to these people to help them solve their problems. The opinons of these therapists aren't sought. Unfortunately, if there are enough of these resiratory therapists, the negative perception they create is frequently cast over the entire staff . Trying to dig out of that hole of professional disrespect is a very tough task. It takes a director who is unwiling to tolerate such behavior and as said out West is willing to "hang a few coyotes on the fence" so others can see that RTs who can't or don't develop as competent practitioners and don't have a "can do" attitude won't continue to be part of the respiratory therapist team. It takes directors who are willing to invest in beefing up the knowledge of their staff and vigorously promoting respiratory therapy in their institution. Directors who take every opportunity to find ways to make sure their department is seen by administration as making consistent contributions to the goals of the organization. Your department has earned respect when the other healthcare providers and the administration believes that if respiratory therapists weren't there, patient care would suffer and the cost of delivering that care would be higher.

Hi Chris
I do agree with most of your comments, I also think in my department for example there is to much variability in our practice you will have one RCP who is completely dedicated and is actively involved in his/her patients and another RCP who do what I term drive by therapy i.e. vent check!. All of health care views our practice, second we must see ourselves as intergral members of the patient care team and the physicians and nurses must include and value our input. I had to lecture our physicians that because they have not included or value the RCP input it resulted in the RCP to exclude themself as part of the careteam. RCPs must do rounding with physicians and nurses. They must continue to study and elevate YES I do believe that we must go further than just an Associate Degree every profession is requesting higher credentials and we as a profession should not miss that boat or we will not be seen as valid health care providers. I sorry Chris we must see ourself as health care providers - decision makers that is what we are and we must practice as that this conversation is close to my heart because I do believe that as Respiratory Therapist we have to get off the band wagon of having as many jobs as possible for those working 2-3 jobs and become the airway specialist that our credentialls say we are. Unfortunately that RCP left an poor impression for us. Those states that require continuing education I ask my staff that whatever you are weak in that is what you should be the area or topic for continuing education. Execellent post

Chris,
I think you have some interesting points. I will go through them with my perspective one by one. 1st CREDENTIALS: There are ample credentials for our field and I do not believe any one more credential will garner respect. I would suggest the reason there is a lack of respect for the RCP is because other RCPs do not respect them. To elaborate, I workwith RRTs that receive performance evaluations from a CRT. I do not believe that other fields have practitioners with advanced credentials being critiqued by those with entry level credentials. Also, our field as a whole sees nothing wrong with individuals taking the NIOSH spirometry 2 day course and performing spirometry. We have an entry level (CPFT) and advanced level (RPFT) that specialize in that arena. A final thought on credentials, I cannot tell you how many times I have heard "Why would I pay to get that credential when it is in my scope as a CRT." 2nd LACK OF KNOWLEDGE: I think there are some in our field that do lack knowledge to perform their job. Did the therapist know how to correct the issue with the blood gas that was shown? What I am alluding to is yes they should have known how to classifiy it, but more importantly did they know how to correct it? Bear in mind, I am not saying that the therapist was in the right for not being able to interpret the blood gas. Was the doctor able to interpret the blood gas or was he using his smartphone (there is an android app that will do this)? 3rd LACK OF DEGREES: I concur that many healthcare fields now require college degrees. The entry point for our profession is the associates degree with those previously being grandfathered into the field. Legally, they are authorized to practice without the degree.
In order for our profession to advance, it is necessary for RCPs to respect ourselves. Once we value our credentials and abilities other career fields will follow.
Jerry