Observation For Respiratory Therapy

Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to help people, from a Doctor to a Pediatrician, even an X-ray Technician. As I got older I realized my true calling was in Respiratory Therapy. The human body is such an incredible thing and I found myself wanting to learn more and more about it.

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Respiratory Therapy is a health profession that specializes in Cardio Pulmonary functions and health. Respiratory therapists help with prevention, assessing patients, treatment, diagnostic evaluation, education, and care. They treat patients from all ages, from babies to the elderly. The requirements in becoming a Respiratory Therapist are taking Human Anatomy, Chemistry, Pharmacology, Microbiology, and Mathematics at a high school or college level. To begin the Respiratory Therapy Program out of high school you have to have a C or better in Chemistry, Anatomy, Algebra 2 minimum, and English. If these courses were not taken in high school, they would need to be taken at the college level to complete the prerequisites to apply for

As a medical assistant student I participated in a month long internship at North Country Family Health Center in Watertown New York. I was interning at the Health Center where I was active with many Medical Assistants and LPN’S.

When patients experience difficulty in breathing and need assistance, who would be there running to save them? Who’s got their back? Well, it’s none other than the mighty health care professionals who has the so-called Indian name: RUNS WITH AMBU BAG  or better known as respiratory therapists. It may sound funny but it’s true. These individuals are always ready when emergency situations arise.

On the early morning of August 17, 2002, James C., a patient in one of the wards under the supervision of Ellen Hughes Finnerty, RN, went into respiratory depression. Between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m., Ann Mugi, the patient’s primary nurse, sought the assistance of a respiratory therapist, Hiran Obeyesekere, to help her care for the patient. As Obeyesekere suctioned the patient airway, Mugi called the service of the patient’s primary care physician, Dr. Jackson, to report the changes in the patient’s respiratory status, e.g., respiratory rate of 40 breaths per minute and low urine output.

One of the most important things to maintain a trauma patients airway is ensuring that you have adequate help around (Stephens, 2011). This is important because there are many different tasks that must be delegated in maintaining this persons airway. Some of these processes include opening the airway, suctioning the airway, inserting the proper adjunct, and maintaining

I didn’t know what to expect with my observation with the respiratory therapist. All what I knew about them was they floated around and gave patients aerosol breathing treatments. I learned that a respiratory therapist does a lot more than that. They have access to the Pixis, and are able to give patients any type of respiratory medication. They teach patients how to correctly use inhalers. They educate their patients on way they have to do breathing treatments, or why they have to take certain respiratory medications. They also do an examination to find out what type of breathing treatment or oxygen device is needed to help a patient get the oxygen they need, or help with expanding their lungs, etc

Respiratory Therapist or Technicians can work many location such as hospitals, nursing facilities, emergency transport centers, neonatal or pediatric intensive care, physician’s offices, home health agencies, surgical intensive care, specialized care hospitals, medical equipment supply companies, and patients at homes. Working as a Respiratory Therapist they perform a variety type of functions to maintain a patient airway. Under the direction of a physician, respiratory therapists have primary responsibility for all respiratory care diagnostic procedures and therapeutic medication & treatments. Respiratory therapists also supervise the work of respiratory technicians. When technicians implement

Respiratory Therapist is a healthcare worker who treats people with breathing problems.Those patients can be premature infants whose lungs are not fully developed and adults and children who have lung diseases such as asthma.This job requires you to have a certification by National board for Respiratory,they also require an associate's degree and some have bachelor's degree.There are approximately 105900 people employed as a Respiratory Therapists.They earn up to 58,670 per year and get paid at least 28.21 per hour.

Dimich-Ward, Helen, PhD; Michelle Lee Wymer, BSc; and Moira Chan-Yeung, MB. “Respiratory Health Survey of Respiratory Therapists” CHEST; Oct2004, Vol. 126 Issue 4, p1048-1053,

In recent years respiratory therapy has gained a vast amount of recognition. According to "The Bureau of Labor Statistics", the employment of respiratory therapists is projected to grow nineteen percent over the next seven years. Along with increasing advancements in technology and medical research, there is also an ever increasing demand for respiratory therapists worldwide. Breathing is something that every individual must do, however, there are sometimes altercations in doing so, and this is where respiratory therapy comes into effect. In order to learn more about this topic, I enrolled into a Writing and Research course at my college. Upon taking this course, I had the pleasure of shadowing a couple of respiratory therapists at

By entering the field of respiratory therapy, one is entering a growing field of opportunity. There are continually emergent job opportunities in this field whereas there is also a rise of growth in the technology and developments in the field such as medicines, techniques, and other aspects.

Respiratory therapists have one of the most exciting and gratifying careers within the medical field. Unfortunately as with any other job or career, it doesn’t come without having challenging times. Respiratory therapists work along-side physicians and are highly trained to treat patients with any sort of lung concern or breathing complications. This job requires hands on care, and deals with life and death daily. One specific scope of this field involves caring for patients (of all ages) attached to mechanical ventilation. It is the respiratory therapists’ responsibility to remove assistive ventilation to patients with written order from the doctor; which ultimately results in death of the patient (Keene, Samples, Masini, Byington).

The American Association for Respiratory Care is a non-profit organization which provides numerous resources for registered respiratory therapists all over the United States. Membership through the AARC renders an abundance of incentives such as professional development, respiratory care education, social networking opportunities, continuing education programs and much more. The American Association for Respiratory Care truly believes in the cause of respiratory therapy and in the rights of their patients to receive competent respiratory care. Their advocacy team works with local, state and federal governments concerning public policies that affect their patients as well as their profession.