Respiratory Therapist, Research Paper Example

The respiratory therapist is a part of a team of healthcare providers that are responsible for taking care of patients in a hospital setting. Respiratory therapists perform care that includes oxygen therapy, breathing treatments, and humidity-aerosol therapy, pulmonary drainage procedures, mechanical ventilation, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Respiratory therapists are needed in almost all medical settings. They can be utilized mostly in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, long-term care facilities, and nursing homes. In North Carolina, the average salary for respiratory therapists is about $52, 000 dollars per year. The highest demand for respiratory therapists is specialty clinics like substance abuse rehabilitation centers. According to recent statistics, careers in the field of respiratory theory have a very good outlook now. Specializations in pediatrics and cardiopulmonary are expected to be among the best job opportunities. Hospitals typically hire the most respiratory therapist, but physician’s offices are expected to increase the number of respiratory therapist they hire in the near future.

There is never really an average day for a respiratory therapist because of nature of the work of an RT. One quickly realizes that knowledge is the foundation for being able to determine what is wrong with a patient. One must use expertise as a useful resource for other members of the healthcare team by educating them. Once in the profession, one will quickly realize that not all wheezes are attributable to an asthmatic or COPD patient. The ability to make the right call can be the difference between a code blue situation and a patient getting the right medical attention.

There are many benefits of being a respiratory therapist. A competent and knowledgeable respiratory therapist will always be employed and thus be able to provide for your family and take care of your needs. The pay is also decent and most RT’s are able to augment their pay by taking up second jobs. The RT profession is still evolving and the future looks good especially for any RT that is willing to improve and expand their knowledge base.

I would rather use the word challenges as opposed to negatives of the RT profession. All professions have their challenges and the RT is no exception. The first challenge of being an RT is the fact that one is expected to be on you’re his/her for most part of the shift. The RT profession involves being able to move around a lot during the shift and what that means is that one has to be healthy. Being on your feet and constantly walking can eventually take its toll. Also, emergency situation can turn out to be very stressful. Another challenge of the RT profession is the opportunity for advancement. The RT profession is not as vast as Nursing; consequently, opportunity for advancement can be limited. This challenge can be mitigated by taking additional classes in management.

Finally, another challenge of being an RT is you can never predict how your day would end. Some days are good and there are other days that are not so good. If a Nurse is having a bad day with a patient, it is likely that the respiratory therapist will have a bad day with that patient as well. However, while an RN is responsible for the patient in her direct care, you will find out that as an RT, you are responsible for all the areas of the hospital that you are assigned to cover during your shift. You can also be saddled with the Rapid Response Team and code blue pages.

Knowing what I now know, would I still want to be an RT?  — My interviewee response was yes. While he admits it is a challenging profession, he says it is also very rewarding. Not being able to breathe is a stressful situation for all patients. As an RT, when one does a job well it brings relief to both the patient and the RN, A job well done is always personally satisfying. My interviewee said  the most rewarding part of the job is when he sees a patient feel better, knowing that he was a  part of the Healthcare Team that made it possible.

I chose the profession of respiratory therapy because I wanted to specialize in a field rather than just being a general nurse. I felt this was a better fit for me because I have a passion for this area. I developed this passion after a family member was hospitalize with heart related issues. I remember seeing the relief on his face after the respiratory therapist adjusted machinery and inserted tubes and he could breathe easily.  I sat by several days listening to my loved one suffer with breathing issues.  I also am considering pursuing a career of perfusionist, and I think this is an excellent gateway profession to prepare me for that choice. I really don’t have an age preference, but if I do pursue the field of perfusion I will need to know about all age groups because the field does not have a specialty area.  Another reason I chose respiratory therapy is because the degree programs are offered at both certificate and associate levels. This option allows me to become certified and then decide if I enjoy the profession enough to further my degree. This is also beneficial to me because I am not a traditional student-I have a family and a current job. I have always wanted to go into the medical profession, and in high school science was always my favorite subject. I believe this field will be well suited for me.