When you hear the term “Respiratory Care”, what does it mean to you? Does it mean clocking in and clocking out to collect a pay check? Or does it mean something special?
You see, I grew up in a family of RTs and entrepreneurs, and to me the term Respiratory Therapist or Respiratory Care meant something powerful – it meant excellence, it meant changing the world. As a child, my role models were (and still are) my father and my uncle, RTs who made a difference in patients’ lives and in our profession as a whole every single day. Like most kids, I had friends who wanted to be doctors, astronauts, and even the President of the United States. I knew at an early age that I wanted to be a Respiratory Therapist, I wanted to be an entrepreneur, and I wanted to make a difference . In my mind RTs were the top of the food chain. I assumed doctors and lawyers, politicians and astronauts were all equals to Respiratory Therapists. When I went on to respiratory school I learned this is not the case, and, to tell you the truth, I was devastated with disappointment when I found out that RTs were not respected the way I felt they should be – the way I respected them. But most of all, I was devastated that RTs didn’t seem to mind this situation we were in.