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What is your favorite thing about respiratory care as a professional?

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Kristen’s Answer

I have been a respiratory therapist for 20 years and still feel challenged daily. Not only are we helping patient breathe (if you can't breathe nothing else matters); we are the experts in pulmonary anatomy and physiology and often serve as resources for our patients, nurses, and physicians.
I have saved the lives of many patients some minutes old others 100 years old. Everyday I get up excited for the challenges ahead.

To summarize my favorite part is being the expert and that my expertise saves lives!!

There is an abundance of variety as well, you can work outpatient, inpatient, medical sales, teach college etc.
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Charlie’s Answer

Hello Everyone and Rachel,

I am a RRT, Registered Respiratory Therapist and have been in the field for 40 years. My favorite thing about working in my field is the ability to help people with breathing problems. I administer breathing treatments with medications in one aspect to taking care of patients on ventilators. I have worked in many ICU's (Adult, Pediatric and Neonatal) I work side by side with nurses and doctors to help people get better. Today, with the Covid-19 virus, Respiratory Therapists are on the front lines in the care of these patients. Most current Respiratory Therapy programs are a 4 year degree but there are 2 year programs at many community colleges. I got interested in respiratory therapy because I loved science and biology but math is also important in your education. You can earn a very good income and walk away with much job satisfaction.
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Lucine’s Answer

Hello,

I have been a respiratory therapist for 15 years and I love my job. The most rewarding part of my job is the feeling that your action saved or prevented a bad outcome for a patient. Sometimes you have to be the advocate for the patient and conversation and friendship created is priceless. I remember caring a really sick patient who was very young and after being on ECMO and in the ICU for over 1 month, he walks out of the hospital like the healthiest patient in the hospital. Seeing the smile on his face and the parents as he was walking out was priceless. There are some things that money cannot buy, and his outcome was one of the many situations that I was very happy about. I enjoy precepting students and teaching nurses as well, the satisfactory look I get from them makes my job as an educator easier.
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Daniel’s Answer

Hey there,
I’ve been a RCP 2 in California since 2016. What
I’d have to say is the most rewarding experience for me as a pediatric RT is when I’ve had a patient who was really sick start to finally get better (kids are very resilient!) As challenging as my job can be at times, this is what makes it worth it!
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Rachel’s Answer

Hi Stephanie - I'm not a respiratory care professional but wanted to reach out to say how wonderful it is that you're taking the step to ask and look for resources. Your question had me reflect on how I did not reach out when I was considering a career (fortunately it worked out) and how I could have greatly benefited had I done what you're doing. If you don't get a response that answers this question, consider asking additional questions individually. Don't fret if there's no quick response but the more you lob them, the greater chance you have. You might also get great responses from those outside your field if your questions are not specific to respiratory care. Best of luck! (I'm a finance professional with 25 years experience. I worked at big consulting firms as well as Marriott International, Virgin America, and now Airbnb).
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Jan’s Answer

The best thing for me is my patients! Being a RRT, I've worked in ICU's....critical care with very sick patients. I love seeing their progress and knowing I kept them alive during my shifts with the ventilator. It's wonderful when you are able to wean the patient from the vent and they fly (as RT's refer to liberating a patient from the vent); however, we know the patient will be moved once they no longer need mechanical ventilation. So, it's bittersweet, but, I love seeing them fly and have the possibility of going home with their loved ones.
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