In My Opinion : Promoting the Profession

More Memberships

Jimmy Thacker — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 22:33:00 GMT

Another organization you may want to consider joining is the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). These are the fine folks who award you the credentials you worked so hard for. Since 1960, the goal of the NBRC has been to "evaluate professional...(read more)

Therapists Should Join the AARC

Jimmy Thacker — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 22:29:00 GMT

We have spent the last couple of months discussing jobs, licensure and work-life balance. This month, particularly for all you who are new to the field, I thought we could discuss some organizations you can join to help further your career. Our professional...(read more)

RTs Must Uphold Professionalism

Jimmy Thacker — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 13:45:00 GMT

My BS-o-meter has a pretty narrow scale. One of my many, many faults is that I hate feeling like someone is abusing me, my time, or my talents. Many of you feel the same though you may not admit it. In the hospital, I tired quickly of patients who already...(read more)

Patient Education Makes Respiratory Therapists Relevant

Jimmy Thacker — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:37:00 GMT

As I go around and set up people on CPAP machines, I am always struck by the fact that sleep labs miss the opportunity to educate patients about what CPAP is, what goals of therapy are attainable, and how CPAP may help improve their sleep. In over a year,...(read more)

RTs Should Show Expertise with Allergies

Jimmy Thacker — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:25:00 GMT

Spring has sprung, and so have the allergens that trouble people. Grass, mold, bugs, and other organisms can all lead folks to seek care, or even the emergency department. You have already seen some of them, no doubt, with their stuffy noses and watery...(read more)

Respiratory Therapists Can Be Engines for Change

Jimmy Thacker — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:47:00 GMT

I watched a train the other day. It had cars loaded on top of each other. I cannot imagine the weight. It was long and rumbled through the countryside like a monster. Like most boys, when I was growing up I was sure that one day I would be driving a train...(read more)

Managers Should Push For Respiratory Protocols

Jimmy Thacker — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:56:00 GMT

One of the most interesting things to me is that hospitals have been so slow to adopt protocols. Respiratory protocols not only allow therapists to use their expertise, but have also been shown to decrease a patient's length of stay and reduce readmission...(read more)

It's Time to High-Five an RT

Jimmy Thacker — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:35:00 GMT

I love football, but what a bunch of characters the players can be. Imagine if you, in your job, had to do a little celebration dance every time you did your job. If a guy makes a tackle, they often have to dance or do something dumb on television. Imagine...(read more)

What Respiratory Therapists Think About Profession

Jimmy Thacker — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:21:00 GMT

Well, Respiratory Care Week has come and gone. Another with it came another year of celebrating what respiratory therapists do, and a renrewed commitment to make next year even better. Whether we were discussing the bottom line, the amount of treatments,...(read more)

The Trick: Proactivity among RTs

Jimmy Thacker — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:56:00 GMT

The air has become crisp with the sights, sounds, and chill of fall. Halloween is on the way, so I thought an adventure down memory lane might be fun. Let's compare the costs of one of the biggest and best Halloween traditions, the candy, in the context...(read more)

Guard Against RT Burnout

Jimmy Thacker — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:58:00 GMT

You never know how much time you have left. That is the lesson learned by a New Jersey man who, while hiking his third time on the 2,180 mile Appalachian Trail, passed away suddenly just 20 miles short of his goal. Robert Yerike, 67, known as "Buffalo...(read more)

A Respiratory Department Needs Fine Tuning

Jimmy Thacker — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 17:30:00 GMT

I always wanted to be a musician. Actually, when I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronomer. I spent hours outside at night looking at the stars. First, it was just with my eyes, then a pair of binoculars, then a telescope I won selling seeds. But underneath...(read more)

Is Your Boss a Jerk?

Jimmy Thacker — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:31:00 GMT

We have all worked for them: Bad bosses who couldn't lead a pack of flies through a sweat farm. You've worked for them; so have I. It is rare, especially these days, to find a boss who actually "gets it" when it comes to his or her employees. We want...(read more)

Where Is Strong Leadership for RTs?

Jimmy Thacker — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:59:00 GMT

We have all heard the old saying "you get out of it what you put into it." I read that this morning on a website, and that still holds true, even today. In respiratory care, when young people ask me for career advice, that is usually what I tell them....(read more)

Educate and Develop Talent Inside US Borders First

Jimmy Thacker — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:38:00 GMT

USA Today is again running a story they have been following for a while. The title: "Hunt is on for overseas college students" (Marklein, 2011). Some things just upset me more than most. Usually they have to do with politics or ignorance, but this one...(read more)