“I officially retired two years ago.
Prior to that I had worked as a Respiratory Therapist for 35 years – in the ED, the OR, NICU and ICU and as a clinical instructor/educator. I’ve worked through SARS, West Nile, and H1N1 outbreaks. CoVID-19 is more widespread than SARS, which was local and confined mainly to hospitals.
I’ve been called back to help with education for other Health Care Workers
RTs, working with physicians and nurses, provide support to patients in respiratory distress and who require supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation. RTs are also critical in process of intubation – putting the breathing tube in – and extubation – taking the tube out.
I’ve heard more about ventilators in the news in the last little while than during my entire career!
But they don’t talk about the supply of equipment – tubings, humidifiers and filters – needed to use them. Or the people to required to operate them – which include RTs like myself.”
