|
From administering nebulizers for newborns to coaching CPAP compliance in the most curmudgeonly of patients, respiratory and sleep professionals do it all. But some go beyond the call of duty, striving to raise themselves and their professions to the greatest heights. We're profiling these leaders in respiratory and sleep medicine who inspire us by doing good deeds in their workplace or community.
Reaching Prospective Therapists
Sometimes RTs go willingly to the front lines in an effort to pull impressionable young adults into the profession. Keith Purdy, RRT, serves as one of the mentors for the Cape Regional Medical Center's Medical Explorers program, a career education project sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America.
A Scenic Spot For Educating Peers
The learning process never stops for respiratory therapists, which is why respiratory therapists at Valley Health System organizes the Blue Ridge Symposium to celebrate current trends in respiratory care.
Photo courtesy Jürgen Nagel via Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License
 Asthma Camp, Alaska Style
Alaska's beautiful Kenai Peninsula - home to king salmon, glaciers and the Alaska Railroad - is now also home to the first Peninsula Puffins Asthma Camp in Cooper Landing. Campers, ages 8 to 14, spent four days this summer learning about peak flow zones, rescue and controller meds, and more.
RPSGT Believes 'Education is the Key'
In the early 1980s, Nic Butkov, RPSGT, was working in an exciting, growing Silicon Valley environment, but the corporate posturing left him unsatisfied. Deciding to enter the health care industry, he soon stumbled upon another exciting, growing industry that was much more suitable to his needs - sleep medicine. Since then, the Oregon educator has dedicated his career to fostering education in sleep technology.
Drive to Help Others Leads RT to Honduras
Even those closest to Tim Larson find it tough to pin down the source of his immense drive to help others. Since 1994, the 56-year-old respiratory therapist from Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio, has made roughly 15 trips down to Santa Rosa de Copan public health hospital in Honduras to offer respiratory education and continue fostering the ventilator program he initiated in 1996.
Courage to Care
Despite being diagnosed with a terminal illness, Jim Walter, RPFT continued to perform his job in the most compassionate manner. While at work, his only concern was for his patients and his colleagues. A pulmonary function technologist is remembered.
A World Away
Almost three years ago, Lisa Trujillo, RRT, traveled for the first time from her Utah home to Ghana, where she provided medical care and more than $100,000 worth of supplies, including durable medical equipment, respiratory and nursing textbooks, and four ventilators. What keeps her going back is being able to make a difference in these people's lives.
Lung Recipient Keeps Trucking Toward Home
When Nick Nigro arrived at Meadow View Nursing and Respiratory Care Center, he had a tracheal tube, was totally ventilator dependent, was obese, and could barely respond to yes-and-no questions. He had just one thing going for him: the will to succeed.
Check back for new profiles updated regularly. Have a story to tell? Do you know a colleague we should interview? Submit your nomination, and we'll tell their story!
|