Keepin’ It Real
I love eggs. I consume too many of them according to my doctor, but I eat them anyway. What? Oh, you thought this was a blog about something else, didn't you?
Respiratory therapy is kind of like an egg to me. When I enter the cafeteria and see they have eggs, I get a warm fuzzy inside. However, the question always lingers: Are those real or powdered eggs? I have had my share of powdered eggs while in the Army. I know the difference, just like I know the difference between real therapists and those just going through the motions.
Patients are never quite sure what to expect with a therapist. Generally, we're moody, even grouchy. We've been disrespected by every other service in the hospital at some point. Despite giving "timed" medicine, we constantly fight with OT and PT for patient time to the point where they will stop our treatments midway if we don't stay with our patients to defend ourselves. No one wants to hang out with an RT. We're crude. We don't see the world through rose-colored glasses. We watch people die. We have a strange sense of humor. We love sputum!
In my opinion, real therapists spend time with patients and their families. They know who's in the room with the patient, what the patient likes, what he or she needs, and what other medical and personal problems they have that may impact their treatments.
They have a sense about the nurses and doctors. They know which ones to work with and which ones to avoid. They understand who knows what and who may need help with different procedures. They get which doctors need to be led by the hand and which ones will not be led at all.
That's where the outstanding, real, if you will, RTs come in. They know these things and do them without raising a stink. You hear about it in report. You may think it's idle chat, but it's not. A wise therapist sends up red flags about problems you're going to have during your shift. These people are the heroes of respiratory care. They keep us valid. They make us pertinent. They ensure everyone in the hospital knows that respiratory is a force to be reckoned with.
Be that RT, and never, ever let a patient wonder if the therapist is for real.
Happy Spring!
-Jim Thacker, CRT, AE-C