Hello Respiratory community, I am addressing a topic that I believe to be on the minds of many respiratory therapist, who are curious to wonder what happened to the respect of Respiratory Therapists in the healthcare world. I work with many RNs and physicians, and from my education knowledge, we were taught to be proud of our profession and to know what we know and to practice our profession with the highest quality of knowledge and confidence. But in my experience of performing my job, I have come to realize that as a therapist, RTs are looked over in the medical field. Now dont miconstrue the situation, this may not go on in all medical places, but I think that when there is a ventilator patient involved, and there is a RN, a physician, and a RT standing in the room discussing this pt, I feel that respiratory should be included in that conversation, rather than the RN and physician standing there and talking about what they want done for the patient on a respiratory standpoint, and not including the RT, who is standing there being an onlooker. SO what do we as respiratory therapist do? How did such an an important profession lose respect? Is this normal. Or how about when u offer your evidence based opinion about the well being of a patient, your medical opinion falls on deaf ears. It has been a concern of mines, and I just wonder why this is so. I look to hear any comments to help me understand why this is so.