During the years I have spent in and out of respiratory care, the common thread to keeping motivated is to know yourself. While that may seem easy on the surface, department protocols, social mores and other factors prevent us from a clear view within. We don't always have to act out what we'd really like to do, but we can find ways to get the job done without bursting an artery.
Thirty years ago, I began my foray into "respiratory therapy school". In the decades that followed, I have been an ICU Coordinator, floor therapist, respiratory manager for an asbestos abatement company, and a freelance medical writer. I’ve been a pulmonary function tech, blood gas tech, sleep lab tech and bronchoscopy tech. Just when I've thought there's nothing else to do in respiratory, something else shows up. I currently work with a durable medical equipment company on perdiem status, and now I'm blogging for ADVANCE.
The field has a great deal of potential, and the occupations I've held are a handful of what can be accomplished.