The Future of Respiratory Therapy: I Don’t Care?
If you will, please allow me to vent this month, but in a purposeful manner. I recently had a patient tell me I didn’t care if he got better or not. Okay, stop right there and rewind twelve years. June of 2000, I graduate from respiratory school in the panhandle of Texas and embark on a professional journey that takes me all over the country. Starting with my baby years, where I learned the ropes from the great respiratory therapists in Amarillo. From there I go on to work with some of the greatest people ever in West Virginia and North Carolina. Moving on to the DFW metroplex, where I worked for one of the greatest departments to never reach its full potential. Currently, I am honored to work for a local college as a respiratory care instructor.
The only reason I share this is to illustrate that while things come and go, one thing remains constant. One thing remains at the core of this respiratory therapist. That one thing being the sick, injured, and dying patients I care for. It’s not about the paycheck or the flexible schedule. It’s about the people that need my help, the people that need our help.
So, to all my fellow therapists that think this career is a joke. What we do is bigger than you. If you are in it for the paycheck, then find another source for your paycheck. If you are in it for the three day work week, then find another three day work week job. If you are not ready to put the patients at the top of your priority list and all your personal problems at the bottom for the next twelve hours, then please, get out of healthcare. Realize that your attitude not only reflects poorly on you, but it also reflects poorly upon me and the entire profession of respiratory care.
Consider this a wakeup call to all my fellow respiratory therapists that do care. Stop accepting half ass reports. Stop allowing your coworker’s below average care to bring down your exceptional care. Starting today, demand more from your fellow therapists. Starting today, demand patient focused excellence.
Back to the patient that told me I didn’t care. As chills run down my spine, I politely respond, “Excuse me? Feel free to tell me to go to hell or kiss your ass, but don’t ever tell me that I don’t care. All I do is care!”
Written by Joe Lewis, RRT, BAAS, Fort Worth, TX. Joe specializes in no cost solutions to impacting the future of respiratory care. If you would like to talk with Joe more about how you can make an impact in your facility, simply send him an email to joe@rtsnot.com.
