I always enjoy speaking with respiratory students. It's actually one of my favorite things about being in the profession. Below is an email I received from ''John, SRT'' on some of his fears, thoughts, and questions. I would like to encourage any students who read this blog to contact me. As I said, I enjoy helping people, and not just patients. ...

A friend of mine just got her first nursing job, and she starts tomorrow. She was in nursing school while I was in respiratory school, both of us working our way through school at a small grocery store. She said how nervous she felt (something she's quite prone to). ''You'll be fine,'' I said, as usual. I've repeated those same three words since ...

Being unemployed seemed like a blessing in disguise at first. I mean, who wouldn't want to receive an unemployment check to stay home and catch up on the little odds and ends that accumulate when you are on a strict, busy schedule of day and night shifts? Sure, there are people who like to be busy all the time--I'm one of them. But I defy anyone ...

Talking to an old classmate the other day brought up the memory of a very distinct clinical experience, which most students go through and never forget: my first terminal wean. ''It's depressing, you know. Some of these people you actually want to see taken off the vent, because they are already dead. It's just hard for the family to accept ...

''You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.'' I got a call from my mother while in the middle of vacation informing me that I was coming home unemployed. Now, for many, this would be a shock. Not so much for me. For those who follow this blog, I've stated on a few different occasions some specifics about my chosen hospital. Please allow ...

Nothing quite like a 16-hour shift when the hospital is dead. Thank God for my laptop, which allows me to get some other work done. The cool thing about our profession is that things can turn around instantly. There's really no way of predicting how the day will go. In the midst of the almost-midnight calmness of our department, I get a call for ...

As I sit here typing, my hands are shaking. Furthermore, every chart I've signed or every thing I've written looks like an eager three-year-old just got their hands on their very first ink pen. I just got back from an unsuccessful code. Doesn't matter how many you do, they all have that mix of adrenaline and nervousness, mixed up in your ...

My cell phone rings while I'm standing in Wal-Mart. The voice on the other end says, ''Could you come in early? Stephanie is going crazy.'' ''I'm on my way'' I replied. Stephanie is prone to going crazy and feeling overwhelmed, so I didn't think much of it. Fifteen minutes later, I would find myself holding a guy's neck together. Upon ...

This is moreso for young people coming into the field, as I'm sure those already in it have experienced this injustice. Attention all youth. I'm calling out to those who are young, just entering the field and nervous. This is yet another thing that isn't exactly taught until you experience it first hand. In this field, youth goes against you ...

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 ...