Sure, this has been in the works for years and reported in the print magazine's pages.  But now that Medicare set the legislative wheels in motion other insurers will surely do the same. Are you worried about this? And should Medicare consider VAP a ''never event?'' ''Starting today, Medicare will slash hospital payments for ...

What are the odds?  If you've come back to the blog with some experiences in mind, put aside the 50/50 rule and ask yourself what your odds are of saying ''yes.'' For every ten times you're asked to cover for someone, how many times do you agree, and why? You may have such a good track record for accepting shifts that you get a lot of ...

Trees are slowly starting to show their fall colors, my yard hasn’t been mowed in weeks, and football has thankfully returned to prime time TV. It must be fall! With fall, comes that preparation period for managers to figure out how they will staff their departments through the winter. Running scenarios of illnesses effecting staffing, the ...

Didn't we just celebrate this a year ago?  All joking aside, respiratory care week is our opportunity to: Educate the public on our great profession. Recognize our dedicated staff for their hard work and commitment! One of the most memorable respiratory care week on-going activities that has left a wonderful influence on me was when I ...

Before I ever got into the health care field, I was languishing in mediocrity, unsure of what I wanted my future to hold. The one thing I took solace in was sitting down at night, and enjoying my medical dramas/comedies (particularly Scrubs). Luckily, it didn't take me too long to put two and two together and have an epiphany: Do what ...

Personal lives and shift obligations may collide more often than not in your department.  As a new therapist, I found myself in situations where my vivid social life would have to be filmed in black and white, due to my work schedule.  I also encountered the reverse, where I was asked to come to the rescue. Very early in my career, a ...

Two weeks is standard notice.  You can offer a month, a week, or none, depending on the circumstances.  Be honest and creative in your exit so you can leave room to return if you choose to.  Many things can happen in your time away.  The facility can be bought out and filled with people you'll want to work with.  Dorothy ...

I'm lucky enough to have a cousin in the profession--he taught me how to really read blood gases and see past the numbers; I've never struggled with a single one since. He worked for eight years at a hospital, and is now a clinical ventilatory specialist for a major respiratory care organization. He told me a story about a doctor who ...

I remember the days when the doc would place his lit cigarette on the bedside table in the patient's room while he examined the patient... I remember the days when the respiratory lounge area was filled with smoke, and ash trays were everywhere, and therapist had their ''packs'' in their front pockets while they gave breathing treatments... I ...

Over the history of my respiratory career I have had the opportunity to work and lead departments of all sizes.  From the critical access hospitals with 10 FTE's (full time employees) in their department, to the level I trauma / level III NICU medical teaching centers with over 120 FTE's.  So my question to you is ''does size really ...