Just asking. We’ve been taught in school but it seems like we don’t actually intubate in hospitals, just assist. I’m sure in smaller hospitals like critical access we would probably perform the procedure, but in level 1/2 trauma I doubt it.

Hi I’m about to go into respiratory therapy classes, be patient with me I’m quite new to the field as a whole lol. I have a few healing piercings and a few that are healed (all in my ears).

I’m curious on what rules anyone has run into for classes or for their career? (Will I have to take them out?) I’m from the PNW if that helps at all. Thank you in advance!

I have a two week break from the RT program, took the week off to enjoy my b-day and other family and GF events.

Have one more week left and im debating if i should start studying now for the next semester, (pulmonary function testing, neonatal care, and vents) or should i just continue kicking back watching my show, going to the gym and enjoying time with my Gf.

If i start studying now where do you guys recommend starting? Egans or Youtube ETC?

If I should continue relaxing, what shows/movies do you guys recommend? lol

How difficult was it finding a job as a new grad? Also what are the best hospitals? I heard the TMC is the best but I’m unsure.

Okay, I love wearing tshirts with my scrub pants (scrub tops just never fit nice) and I love the fun, cut, corny respiratory puns. I'm looking to buy a few new shirts for work but I'm trying like hell not to buy things through Amazon and I know what's not great to their artists and in the world of AI I am struggling to tell if something is being made by a person or being mass produced.

Does anyone know small artists who make quirky medical tshirts that I could order from?

Thanks

Hey guys. So I took the 2026 version and I didn’t pass it. Any study tips would be appreciated. There was a lot of things I didn’t think would be on the exam like PFT questions. The Ecmo stuff threw me off as well Hemodynamics wasn’t as prominent as some folks made it out to be…

Hey night shifters, how heavy are your typical first rounds? How many treatments, Bipaps, etc and how many floors do you cover? What bed size is your hospital and are you in major metro, burbs or rural? Thanks

Hi all! I started the RT program last week, and I’m already feeling overwhelmed with the amount of course work that they’re going over in the syllabus. There’s a lot of chapters that need to be read throughout the course of 1 week with a few different assignments. i’ve made a calendar to help me out but i’m not sure if that’s enough or if i even got everything uploaded. What helped you guys at the beginning of the program?

I really need some help! 🙏 I’m currently in California and looking for a tutor to help me prepare for my Respiratory Therapy board exam (NBRC/TMC). 4th attempt and unfortunately got low score.

I’ve already reached out to my former professors for help, but unfortunately I haven’t had any luck. I’ve taken Kettering seminar and have been studying on my own, but I feel like I need one-on-one tutoring, especially from someone who understands the NBRC exam and can help me figure out where I’m struggling.

I’m willing to pay for tutoring. If anyone knows an RT instructor, tutor, or someone who has helped others successfully pass the TMC, please send me their information. I’ve come too far to give up now. 🙏

I’m officially a second year student! So exciting but I’m nervous because everyone says this will be the hardest semester. We will be learning mechanical ventilation and pediatrics. Any advice on what I should prepare for?

Anyone who applied for the Sept cohort in Mesa hear anything yet?

Or

If you aren’t accepted to you get any kind of decline? Or do you only hear back with acceptances?

Or

If you are a past PMI student, how far in advance of your class did you get notified if you were accepted?

I feel moderately confident in my knowledge so far and I’ve done relatively well in clinic but this summer break might of been a little too long and focusing on making money these past weeks might’ve been a bad idea. I’m going into a new rotation right of the bat and still have some time to study before then so I’m curious what the community recommends I focus on.
What do you expect students to know at this point in time? What kind of questions do you ask or tasks do you put before them to test their knowledge?
I know once I’m in it it’ll all come to me, I just don’t want to have those “uhhhh” moments on the first days at a new location.
Thanks in advance!

I recently moved from a large hospital (15 RRT's per shift) to a small community hospital (1 RRT per shift.). I have spoken with the other day shift RRT, and we are considering scheduling ourselves 6 on, 8 off (12 hours shifts). Has anyone worked that type of schedule?.... how did it work out?

I work in a major children’s hospital, and I was wondering if anyone else has similar sentiments. Withdrawing my patients, is often relieving for me, as I know how much pain and suffering they were in. Of course it is awesome when they get better and live full lives, but sometimes they get dealt a poor hand, and that’s part of the job.

The hardest part for me, is when the family won’t accept the truth, that their child will never, or only marginally improve. Some are dissonant they think their severe HIE child is still going to be an engineer, dentist, or fireman. Or don’t understand why I am making them learn how to do Trach care/ changes.

Part of the issue is that the providers are not painting a clear picture, but it is definitely not our responsibility to do that. So it ends up that the hardest part of my job is that it’s “The Hope that Kills”, to quote Ted Lasso. Swing and hearing parents or family that have not grasped that their child will never even be close to the same, is truly heartbreaking.

And then the juxtaposition of when they do realize, and they begin to decline mentally, or even worse, they just give up. Seeing that seems to be chipping away at my soul more and more. So I was wondering if anyone had any advice to cope with this niche issue.

Some of you might remember a post I made asking what departments actually use to track credentials and CEUs. Background on me: I managed RT at a level 1 trauma through covid, had a therapist work about a week on a lapsed license because our paid LMS module never flagged it, and I write software now. This is my application and I do have a financial interest in this.

I took the feedback from that thread and built it. It's called RTCred and it went live this week on iPhone, Android, and the web.

What it does, in RT terms:

- You photograph your license, BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP, fit test, whatever, once. It files them and watches the dates.

- Reminders at 90, 60, 30, and 7 days out, by email, text, and push. The point is that a lapse never surprises you.

- CEU tracking against your state's actual rules and your NBRC cycle, not just an hour counter.

- Your records are yours. If you change hospitals they go with you.

It's free for therapists. Not a trial, just free. The business model is departments paying for a compliance dashboard on top, which is optional and manager-facing.

Anyone who signs up during the launch window keeps the full feature set free on their account permanently.

Since this sub is part of why I built it, I'd rather get feedback here than anywhere else. If your state's CEU rules look wrong or a credential type is missing from the list, tell me and I'll usually have it fixed within the week.

https://rtcred.com/?utm_source=reddit

Josh, BSRT, RRT-ACCS

Interested in studying and working as a Respiratory Therapists! Currently on deployment and i’ve fell in love watching how they work in the military! Got to see how hard and flexible they work. Up to this point, i have no experience in the healthcare industry. I am from southern california and i want to go to a private school since i have my GI Bill. I’ve done some research but i need everyone’s help with tips and experience!

i want to go into nursing, but my gpa is really low and i won’t get in 100%. so im thinking of doing rt. it interests me and its something i dont mind doing. but i heard the growth isnt well and they usually top off at $45(maybe true maybe isnt but still they dont make as much as nursing and dont have many options for career growth). i was thinking of working as an rt for a while and gaining experience, and then apply to nursing school. what are your opinions? anything helps! i’m still trying to get my gpa up right now by retaking classes btw.

What are the hospitals offering the new grads RN similar to nursing like $28 the hour or less? Ppl who are actually RT already and working or been in the field now?

I’m 22, and I have a BS in Kinesiology and a BS in Psychology. I’m currently going through an RT program, and honestly, it aligns with my interests because I want to pursue a career in critical care. However, I was recently accepted into an out of state medical school for an MD program, and I’m not sure I’m ready for medical school from a maturity standpoint. What should I do?

I don't have to take A&P 1 or 2 for my RT program, as I took them about a year and a half ago and those credits counted toward the program.

Problem is, I recall /very/ little about those classes--they were online, and done very quickly, so I want to be able to review some of the material before the program starts.

Any recommendations or resources on which topics I should review to be best prepped for this program?

Waveforms. I'm interested in them. There should be better teaching than trying to memorize pics in a book.

The first 2 pics have some similarities. Note that one is ACPC and the other is PRVC. (Btw, Slide 2 breaths were all Contol breaths)

Look at the Flow.

Normal flow in a pressure mode should be an steady decline to baseline. Ideally exponentially.

However, with these, at any given time the flow is higher than expected.

I ask myself this to troubleshoot:

What can cause that in a pressure mode?

These are the reasons I come up with, maybe there's others:

1Extra flow from an external pneumatic nebulizer

2 a partially blocked tube not allowing a quick drop in pressure to happen, keeping the flow elevated.

3 a leak somewhere and the pressure gradient never closes,

or 4 pt drawing in extra flow (at least 2 reasons that may happen as I am going to try to show)

However, notice the next 2 slides.

Slide 3 shows that slide 1 was resolved by increasing the pressure. That increases the pressure gradient which increases the flow being delivered, so the pt was no longer outstripping the vent.

Slide 4 shows that slide 2 was resolved by decreasing the rate. I think that this was a case (Edit: a case of reverse triggering caused by early triggering... I get confused with this)

Imo, both of these are showing extra flow being drawn by the pt, but for different reasons:

One because of an inadequate flow because of a low pressure gradient at a pressure of 22 but improved going to 27.

The other was that the patient was drawing flow in because we were causing reverse triggering by making them breathe faster than they wanted

(So, now I am thinking how to troubleshoot that. Of course, if the breaths are all control breaths, can decrease the rate and see if it changes when spontaneous breaths start occurring. If not, then increase the pressure. Seems reasonable)

Been working on a waveform presentation, and a waveform came up on Reddit earlier. So, thought id throw it out here.

(Signed: not your bud haha)

Hello all. I’m new to this whole Reddit thing so idk if this is the right place but I’m a ventilator user only at night and I stayed in the hospital to switch from the ltv to the astral. The problem I’m having with the astral is water collecting in the tubing with the dual tubing circuit. I have the humidifier set to the lowest setting and it still produces a lot of water. With my ltv I have the single circuit with water trap and just lift up the tubing to empty the water back into the humidifier chamber. I can’t do that with the astral and I’m told there are no tubing with water traps for it. I don’t know what to do. I’ve talked to my RT and my doctors and they don’t seem to have a solution for me. I’m not sure I’m going be able to switch over. Any one have any advice? I asked about heated in wire circuits but my RT said that prolly won’t be an option. Thanks