Respiratory Therapy
A respiratory therapist is someone who literally has the life of her patients in her hands. I have been fortunate this semester in being able to talk with people who chose this career. I even spent some time shadowing them at their job. I have known for a long time that I wanted a career in the health care field. Becoming a respiratory therapist sounded interesting. Now that I have talked with respiratory therapists and seen them at work, I am more certain than ever that this is the right path for me.

A respiratory therapist works under the supervision of an intensive care physician or pulmonary specialist. The job, basically, involves management of the patient's airway during trauma or intensive care. A respiratory therapist sometimes administers anesthesia, and may administer medication or medical gases. Respiratory therapists work in many settings, including hospitals, outpatient clinics, and even in ambulances. It…...

Respiratory Therapist
Professions of caring career project: Where Am I Going? Part 2 Interview

Why did you decide to work in this field?

My grandmother had asthma, so I have always been acutely aware of the importance of the challenges some people experience with the simple act of breathing.

Did you have another career before you went to school to become a ____? What was it like to change from one career to another?

I did consider becoming a nurse at one point, and I worked in various doctor's offices before going to school to get my B.A. And my licensure in respiratory therapy.

Where did you go to school for this job? What was the hardest part of school for you?

I first got my Associate's degree from a local community college, before moving on to get my Baccalaureate. Then, I had to take my licensure exam to be able to practice. The most difficult part…...

crto.on.ca/pdf.PPG/OrdersMC.pdf
Ely, E.W., et al. (1999). Large-scale implementation of a respiratory therapist-driven protocol for ventilator weaning. Vol 159 American Journal of Respiratory Critical

Care Medicine

-(2001). Mechanical ventilator weaning protocols-driven by non-physician health-care professionals. Vol 120 Chest: Clinical Investigation in Critical

Care

Harbrecht, .G., et al. (2009). Improved outcomes with routine respiratory therapist evaluation of non-intensive care unit surgery patients. Vol 54 # 7, Respiratory Care:

Daedalus Enterprises. Retrieved on November 23, 2012 from http://www.upmc.com/careers/pathways/allied-health/respiratory/Documents/ImprovedOutcomes_NICU_Patients.pdf

Hess, D.R.(1998). Professionalism, respiratory care practice and physician acceptance of a respiratory consult service. Vol 43 # 7, Respiratory Care: American Association

of Respiratory Care. Retrieved on November 23, 2012 from http://aarc.org/daz/rcjournal/rcjournal/x.RCJOURNAL.COM02.21.07/content

Kollef, M.H., et al. (2000). The effect of respiratory therapist-initiative treatment protocols on patient outcomes and resource utilization. Vol 117, Chest: Clinical

Investigations in Critical Care. Retrieved on November 23, 2012 from http://journal.publication.chestnet.org

Marelich, G.P., et al. (2000). Protocol weaning of mechanical ventilation in medical and surgical patients by respiratory care practitioners and nurses.…...

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

CRTO (2011). Orders for medical care. Professional Practice Guidelines. College of Respiratory Therapies of Ontario. Retrieved on November 23, 2012 from  http://www.crto.on.ca/pdf.PPG/OrdersMC.pdf 

Ely, E.W., et al. (1999). Large-scale implementation of a respiratory therapist-driven protocol for ventilator weaning. Vol 159 American Journal of Respiratory Critical

Care Medicine

-(2001). Mechanical ventilator weaning protocols-driven by non-physician health-care professionals. Vol 120 Chest: Clinical Investigation in Critical

2008).. This points to the ethical responsibility of nurse educators -- it is not enough to treat the disease, bit one must treat the patient.
Failure to provide the proper level of education to a patient is certainly one way to fail them both ethically and medically, bit the opposite can also be true. That is, it is possible to provide too much care -- what is deemed "medically futile care" -- and this also raises very serious ethical issues in the realm of respiratory illnesses (Sibbald et al. 2007). This particular stuffy found that insufficient communication among the medical team was one of the primary causes for prolonging futile care, which often means increasing and/or prolonging a patient's discomfort without any reasonable expectation of an improvement in their condition (Sibbald et al. 2007).

The ethical choice here, of course, is to end care (with the consent of the patient and/or…...

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References

Efraimsson, E.; Hillverik, C. & Ehrenberg, A. (2008). "Effects of COPD self-care management education at a nurse-led primary health care clinic." Scandinavian journal of caring sciences, 22(2), 178-85.

Selecky, P.; Eliasson, A.; Hall, R.; Schneider, R.; Varkey, B. & McCaffree, D. (2005). "Palliative and end-of-life care for patients with cardiopulmonary diseases." Chest 128(5), pp. 3599-610.

shiao, J.; Koh, D.; Lo, L.; Lim, M. & Guo, Y. (2007). "Factors predicting nurses' consideration of leaving their job during the SARS outbreak." Nursing Ethics, 14(1), pp. 5-17.

Sibbald, R.; Downar, J. & Hawryluck, L. (2007). "Perceptions of 'futile care' among caregivers in intensive care units." Canadian medial association journal, 177(10), pp. 1201-8.

Respiratory Care
In Puerto Rico I was a licensed respiratory therapist. When I moved to America, the license that I held was not valid to allow me to continue that line of work. I deliberated whether or not I wanted to pursue a respiratory care degree so as to return to this profession. It is a demanding activity and requires care and patience. However, as I thought about it and what I loved about it in Puerto Rico, I decided to take up this program here in the States. I feel it was the right decision because as soon as I did I fell right back in love with the profession. So, after being away from it for nearly a decade, I have returned to what I love to do, and I am very happy to be able to do it right here in Florida.

Being able to work in respiratory…...

For example, Dr. Gutierrez took me around to the different departments and allowed me to meet and talk with Dustin Bowman, one of his patients. He is 23-year-old, was in the U.S. Air Force and just transferred to Haley Hospital about a week ago. He had a Cervical 1 injury, and his left lung was deflated, which completely affected his entire body. He needs a great deal of respiratory care. With this patient and others that Dr. Gutierrez told me about during my observations at the hospital, I clearly came to see how respiratory therapist must know the patient's entire medical condition to fully provide effective treatment.

Respiratory therapists have to be knowledgeable and skillful about cardiopulmonary therapy, but beyond this, they must have the necessary understanding about human physiology, anatomy, and body chemistry to best understand the holistic condition of their patients. For example, to evaluate patients, the respiratory therapists…...

In fact it has been proposed that the positive impact observed of PBL on motivation may come from these academically talented individuals rather than the intervention itself (Hwang & Kim, 2006). GPAs and demographic characteristics were not found to be correlated to PBL (Ceconi et al., 2008).
White et al. (2004) found in a study regarding that PBL was not shown to be superior to other learning styles in assisting students to acquire or retain knowledge regarding asthma management. This finding is consistent with the majority of research that has not found greater knowledge acquisition or retention amongst PBL students vs. traditional teaching methods (Albanese, 2000; Beers, 2005; Rogal & Snider, 2008). However, it is not that PBL produces inferior results, most studies have found that there are no significant differences between PBL students and those from traditional curricula on standardized knowledge tests (Beachey, 2007). Beers (2005) points out that…...

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Many studies have shown that PBL students experience greater motivation toward learning than their traditional counterparts (Hwang & Kim, 2006; Beachey, 2007, Rogal & Snider, 2008). Further PBL has been associated with greater satisfaction in the learning process by physicians than its traditional counterpart (Beachey, 2007; Op't Holt, 2000; Rogal & Snider, 2008). Evaluations of PBL programs have found that not only do students take pleasure in the process, they also believe that they have the capacity to out perform their peers from traditional curricula in clinical settings (Op't Holt, 2005; Kaufman & Mann, 1996). Studies have shown that the teaching method has little bearing on the learning of academically talented students (Hwang & Kim, 2006; Distlehorst, Dawson, Robbs, & Barrows, 2005; Op't Hoyt, 2005). In fact it has been proposed that the positive impact observed of PBL on motivation may come from these academically talented individuals rather than the intervention itself (Hwang & Kim, 2006). GPAs and demographic characteristics were not found to be correlated to PBL (Ceconi et al., 2008).

White et al. (2004) found in a study regarding that PBL was not shown to be superior to other learning styles in assisting students to acquire or retain knowledge regarding asthma management. This finding is consistent with the majority of research that has not found greater knowledge acquisition or retention amongst PBL students vs. traditional teaching methods (Albanese, 2000; Beers, 2005; Rogal & Snider, 2008). However, it is not that PBL produces inferior results, most studies have found that there are no significant differences between PBL students and those from traditional curricula on standardized knowledge tests (Beachey, 2007). Beers (2005) points out that one would expect significant improvement in clinical knowledge and performance in order to advocate for the use of PBL in the classroom due to the extensive resources that are required to utilize PBL curricula.

One would expect that PBL students would be at a significant advantage over their traditional peers due to the clinical application in the classroom (Colliver, 2000). Some

PBL vs. Traditional
Two of the methods of pedagogy that are currently employed in respiratory therapy are Problem-Based Learning and Traditional Teaching. Both instructional methods can provide a strenuous curriculum for the student interested in comprehensive training in the field of respiratory therapy, and each method has its advantages and (of course) its disadvantages. The focus of this study will be to determine which pedagogical methodology provides the most efficient and effective results in a respiratory therapy educational setting.

To accomplish that objective, the study will administer surveys in questionnaire form to students attending two separate schools that offer training in respiratory therapy. The questionnaires will provide a quantifying response to qualitative, and quantitative, information. Each school's pedagogy will represent either problem-based or traditional teaching methods and students from each school will be asked to complete pre and post training questionnaires and surveys. Additionally, students will be tested on their knowledge of…...

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References

Albanese, M.A. & Mitchell, S. (1993) Problem-based learning: A review of literature on its outcomes and implantation issues, Academic Medicine, Vol. 68, Issue 1, pp. 52-81

Ali, M.; Gameel, W.; Sebai, E.; Menom, N.A.; (2010) Effect of problem-based learning on nursing students' approaches to learning and their self-directed learning abilities, International Journal of Academic Research, Vol. 2, Issue 4, pp. 188 -- 195

Allie, S.; Armien, M.N.; Bennie. K.; Burgoyne, N.; Case, J.; Craig, T.; (2007) Learning as acquiring a discursive identity through participation in a community: A theoretical position on improving student learning in tertiary science and engineering programmes, Cape Town, South Africa, accessed at uct.ac.za., on January 15, 2011http://www.cree,

Biggs, J. (2003) Teaching for quality learning at university (2nd ed.), Buckingham: The Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press

education at Valencia College, where I am studying to be a respiratory therapist. I want to continue my education, with the hope of attending the University of Central Florida. The University of Central Florida does not offer a Bachelor of Science degree in respiratory therapy, but does offer a wide range of degrees related to the medical field. I intend to pursue a B.S. In Health-Sciences, Pre-Clinical undergraduate degree. I feel that this will give me the educational background I need to place me in a competitive position for graduate or professional training, while exposing me to a wide variety of occupations in the medical field.
The four-year university that I have selected is the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. It is a competitive university with a student body of just under 50,000 (49,900) students (Petersons, 2013). The average in-state tuition rate seems reasonable at $6,247 per academic…...

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References

Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2013). Respiratory therapists. Retrieved March 7, 2013 from the Occupational Outlook Handbook website:  http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/respiratory-therapists.htm 

Petersons. (2013). University of Central Florida. Retrieved March 7, 2013 from Peterson's website:  http://www.petersons.com/college-search/university-of-central-florida-000_10000671.aspx 

University of Central Florida. (2013). Health-sciences, pre-clinical. Retrieved March 7, 2013

from University of Central Florida website: http://www2.cohpa.ucf.edu/health.pro/prospective_students.shtml

Some of the major objectives of the strategy include lessening regional alveolar distension, atelectasis, oxygen mediated injury, diaphragm injury, and inflammation. The other approaches that can be used to lessen the injury include using high frequency oscillatory ventilation, positioning, neuromascular blocking agents, fluid therapy, and immunomodulation.
Conclusion:

Ventilator Induced Lung Injury is one of the common illnesses that occur among patients with acute lung injury. This disease is mainly attributed to the use of mechanical ventilator to save these patients though there are other risk factors that contribute to the injury.

eferences:

Dreyfuss, D. & Saumon, G. (1998, January 1). Ventilator-induced Lung Injury -- Lessons from Experimental Studies. American Journal of espiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 157(1), 294-323. etrieved from http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/content/157/1/294.long

Feng et. al. (2011, July 19). Pediatric Acute espiratory Distress Syndrome Treatment and Management. etrieved September 26, 2012, from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/803573-treatment

Galvin, S. & Granton, J. (2011, March 3). educing Ventilator Lung Injury. etrieved September

26,…...

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References:

Dreyfuss, D. & Saumon, G. (1998, January 1). Ventilator-induced Lung Injury -- Lessons from Experimental Studies. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 157(1), 294-323. Retrieved from  http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/content/157/1/294.long 

Feng et. al. (2011, July 19). Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Treatment and Management. Retrieved September 26, 2012, from  http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/803573-treatment 

Galvin, S. & Granton, J. (2011, March 3). Reducing Ventilator Lung Injury. Retrieved September

26, 2012, from  http://respiratory-care-sleep-medicine.advanceweb.com/Features/Articles/Reducing-Ventilator-Induced-Lung-Injury.aspx

Arterial Blood Gas Samples
Instructions for the Sampling of Arterial Blood for Blood Gas Analysis

This document provides the procedure for the drawing of arterial blood from human patients for use in the analysis of blood gasses.

Audience

This document is intended to provide proper and safe steps in the procedure used by respiratory therapists, phlebotomists, nurses and doctors for the procurement of human blood from extremity arteries for subsequent analysis of blood gases (Browning 1989).

Topics Covered

This document covers recommended clinical practice for the sampling of arterial blood (Bruck1985). Because the nature of this procedure uses human clinical subjects and a biohazardous substance, human blood, significant explanation of safety and best clinical practice are covered in the information. Topics covered include:

Safety Guidelines

Clinical Practice Guidelines

Personnel Requirements

Recommended Equipment

Site Selection

Procedure

VII. Complications

VIII. Contraindications

I. Safety Guidelines

Blood is considered a toxic and/or pathogenic substance; individuals performing arterial puncture should be trained in proper syringe preparation, site determination, puncture technique,…...

assist you in one or more of the following areas of your current (or past) job?
Technical skills

espiratory care is a highly technical profession, so critical thinking skills are very useful in being able to troubleshoot equipment, locate and correct technical problems (Mishoe, 2003). Critical thinking is very useful to the respiratory therapy profession because the position requires the evaluation of information for problem solving which is crucial to operating complex equipment and diagnosing unknown problems in patients who often require immediate care to breathe and survive.

Communication

Critical thinking in communication is crucial for the respiratory therapist to gather and provide information through verbal and nonverbal communication with nurses, physicians, patients, patients' families, other respiratory therapists, and other clinicians (Mishoe, 2003). Gathering appropriate and sufficient information to analyze, evaluate, and make judgments in clinical practice depends on effective communication (Mishoe, 2003). There is a tremendous amount of skill involved in knowing…...

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References

Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009, Dec 17). Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition: Respiratory Therapists Retrieved from  http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos321.htm 

Mishoe, Shelly (2003). Critical Thinking in Respiratory Care Practice: A Qualitative Research Study. Respiratory Care, 48 (5), 500-516.

Name Class
Professor
Gaps occur in various situations. They can be in lesson plans or healthcare. When it comes to the MICU, practice gaps happen. To implement a quality improvement proposal one needs to see what works and how to use it to meet the needs of the proposal. Early Progressive Mobility in a Medical Intensive Care Unit has shown to be helpful in meeting the medical goals of patients. In this proposal, evidence as well as strategies will show how important it is for patients to gain mobility early on in recovery and the problems these kinds of programs face.
The MICU or ICU is for patients who are very ill. When in the ICU, it's been demonstrated patients acquire weakness from the acute onset of neuromuscular/functional impairment caused by unknown factors other than their critically ill condition. This weakness impairs ventialtor wearing and functional mobility. (AACN PEAL, n.d., p. 20) The weakness…...

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References

A framework for diagnosing and classifying int... [Crit Care Med. 2009] - PubMed - NCBI. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved March 20, 2013, from  

AACN PEARL (n.d.). E - Early Exercise and Progressive Mobility Session Notes from NTI 2012 (ABCDE Bundle). American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Retrieved March 20, 2013, from  http://www.aacn.org/wd/nti/nti2012/docs/pearl/early%20exercise%20and%20progressive%20mobility/early-mobility-nti-session-notes.pdf 

Armoni, A., & IGI Global. (2002). Effective healthcare information systems. Hershey, Pa: IGI Global (701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, USA.

Duarte, P. (2012). Mobilization of ventilated patients in the intensive care unit: Patient disposition. Davis, Calif: University of California, Davis.

European Society of Intensive Care Medicine. (2011). Clinical evidence in intensive care. Berlin, Germany: Med.-Wiss. Verl.-Ges.

Garber, J. S., Gross, M., & Slonim, A. D. (2010). Avoiding common nursing errors. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press.

Lancet. (1975). Screening for disease: A series from the Lancet. London, United Kingdom: The Lancet.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20046114 

Attorneys, however, note that the suits are reflective of an increase in negligent doctors, who are hard pressed to serve a larger and more demanding patient load. Medical care is more costly and it is true that doctors fail to establish bedside relationships with their patients. Others point out that problems lie at the door of the insurance industry and management of hospitals (Committee, p. 1).
Because we discovered the problem in time, Mr. Jones was able to apologize and explain to the patients affected concerning the true nature of his outbursts. They did not have to pay for their treatment and none of them brought lawsuits against Mr. Jones or the hospital. We retained Mr. Jones, but advised him to notify the management if it appeared that there might be future outbursts. It is true that hospitals are much more diligent today because of risk management practices. Because of…...

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References

Abbott, R.L., Weber, P. And Kelley, B. (2005). Medical professional liability insurance and its relation to medical error and healthcare risk management for the practicing physician. American Journal of Ophthalmology. Vol. 140(6).

Committee to Study Medical Professional Liability and the Dellivery of Obstetrical Care, Institute of Medicine. (1989). Medical Professional Liabilityand the Delivery of Obstetrical Care: Vol I. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Grol, R. (2001). Improving the quality of medical care: Building bridges among professional pride, payer profit, and patient satisfaction. Journal of the American Medical Association. Vol. 286(20). 28 Nov 2001.

Harris, G. (2006). Senators to unveil new drug safety proposals. The New York Times. 21 Jun 2006. Retrieved January 14, 2008 at  http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/21/health/policy/21fda.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1200373850-0PNMhVh8RDTFqV4OOSZCpQ .

health profession that I am considering is respiratory therapist. Respiratory therapists care for patients who have trouble breathing; for example, from a chronic respiratory disease, such as asthma or emphysema. They also provide emergency care to patients suffering from heart attacks, stroke, drowning, or shock (OOH)
O-Net online lists basic tasks of a RT as the following:

Assess, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders. Assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care modalities, including the supervision of respiratory therapy technicians. Initiate and conduct therapeutic procedures; maintain patient records; and select, assemble, check, and operate equipment

What we have here then is a combination of patient skills with rigorous attention to order and organization as well as to details. The RT has to be self -- disciplined and enjoy working according to rules. he has to be responsible and able to follow orders. ome administrative and leadership capacity is required since she…...

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Sources

OOH respiratory-therapists  http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/respiratory-therapists.htm 

O-Net.com Summary Report for: 29-1126.00 - Respiratory Therapists

 http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1126.00

Scoliosis can affect lung function in individuals by restricting the expansion of the lungs. The curvature of the spine due to scoliosis can put pressure on the chest cavity, reducing the space available for the lungs to fully inflate. This can lead to decreased lung capacity and difficulty with breathing.

In severe cases of scoliosis, the curvature of the spine can also affect the position of the ribs and the alignment of the chest cavity, further impacting lung function. This can result in decreased oxygen intake and reduced respiratory efficiency.

It is important for individuals with scoliosis to work closely with healthcare....