What is a Respiratory Therapist?
Hi! My name is Rocio Rodriguez. I am part of the Inspire Team and work alongside Vincent H. to successfully run all things Inspire CPR LLC.
So, my role in Inspire all started with my journey in the medical field. Currently, I am a Respiratory Therapist student, undergoing clinicals and close to graduation.
But we all ask the big question... What is a Respiratory Therapist? Is it a nurse? Is it a form of a doctor? Who are they?
Respiratory Therapists are specialized healthcare workers trained in critical care and cardiopulmonary medicine. Our main focus is the respiratory system and how cardiac events interfere with it. We can treat, manage, evaluate, and care for patients of ALL AGES.
So, what areas/units would you see a Respiratory Therapist in?
We work in the NICU with premature babies (very important since their lungs are the most underdeveloped), in PICU with babies to 18-year-olds, in adult ICUs (we manage the ventilator and if they are intubated), in sub-acute centers, in the emergency department, in home health, in sleep labs, in transport, and so much more.
What exactly do we do?
Well, we do a variety of things! We ensure babies have good respiratory support during deliveries, assist in intubations (all ages), place patients on ventilators and manage it, we deliver aerosolized medications that help you breathe better, we draw blood gases that determine your overall status, we perform EKGs, and so much more.
Who do we work with?
We work CLOSELY with Registered Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and Physicians to ultimately care for our patients’ overall health.
How come I never hear about Respiratory Therapists?
We are a really underrated profession! You won’t see us all the time because we don’t need to be constantly at bedside unlike nursing. We carry a heavy workload with sometimes 10+ patients in different areas of the hospital. So, it is very unlikely we interact as much as you interact with your nurse.
Want to know more? Let us know so I can deep dive into my profession! Thank you for reading! :)