So I'm going to be a Respiratory Therapist....

[airblaster503]

Originally Posted by nomoplayinga

wow this thread is very informative. I just got my masters in microbiology and going the med school route, but i might have to reconsider and look at some of these other options. Why go to school for another 6+ years when i can just do a 2-3 year RT or PA program.

That was my thoughts when I inititially was going into PA.  Why go to school an extra 3 years and get even more into debt when I can graduate with a PA degree after a 2 year masters and still make 85k right out of school.  Sure the pay is lower, but you don't have as much responsibility and can still make 100k a year.

 

[hrelos]

Originally Posted by UTVOL23

Originally Posted by Paul Is On Tilt

Originally Posted by w0odTactics

If you Cali forget about it, I'm RT and bout to be RRT and it's hard to find a full time job or part time. The field is so saturated that most hospitals starting to drop the pay rate. All new rts find it hard but the old school rts are set. Good field to be in just not at the moment, due to all the trade schools pumping out rts. Rts only make 100k if you work two jobs and that's like 5-6 days a week so your looking at 60+ hours a week to get 100k a year. Advice to you is get your RRT, acls pals nrp and every other certification just to seperate you from the rest.

That's why you take a per diem position. Some of my classmates took a per diem postion at different hospitals in the San Francisco area. I'd say about half took per diems and the other half took benefited positions. Per diems get paid a higher rate than full time or part timebecause you don't pay for benefits. Per diems aren't that bad. When a benefited RT position opens up, you will get first dibs on that vacant position compared to a new hire. If you're working with other per diems though, it'll depend on seniority, but hey, at least you move up the ladder and get closer. Some per diems don't even want to get a full time position because they get benefits elsewhere (another employer or spouse's employer), so they'll pass on the benefited position.

That's good, I forgot to mention that, too. Get your ACLS, PALS, and NRP. I have my NRP and that helped.

Like I said, it's like that everywhere with the way our economy is. But I've been told that health care is one of the 1st industries to pick up quickly. So even if it's tough now, health care is going to pick up before most other industries do.

Originally Posted by I AM NAS

my girl was just talking about becoming a RT, since she doesnt want to pursue nursing anymore, what does the job entail? i had never even heard of the career until she brought it up

This is just a quick run down...

The job entails working with the ventilator or as what other people see it as, a "life support" machine. Basically, it's a machine that breathes for you. A person would have a tube down their trachea and the machine would be ventilating for the person. This is our "money maker." It's what we do better than RN's and MD's. We are the experts when it come to these ventilators.

RT's administer respiratory medication to patients, too. Those commercials for Advair is an example of a medication we administer. Other meds are those inhalers that you see asthmatics use.

No offense but you do not know more than MD's especially not Critical Care docs or Pulmonologists.

ACLS, PALS, and NRP. how do I get those exactly and what is the process of getting into a RRT?

 

[darth dnzy]

--I heard the RT program is hard as hell.
--Best of luck to you though OP. Get it!

 

[sha77er s7ar i]

Originally Posted by w0odTactics

I'm still waiting on my paper work to be sent to NBRC for me to register for RRT. I am working per diem as of now but I hardly pick up shifts. Anyone know of a cheap NRP class to take in socal?

Also was thinking of going back to school and follow up on PA program.

assuming you work for a hospital, try flexed.com if your hospital host it.

 

[paul is on tilt]

Originally Posted by UTVOL23

Originally Posted by Paul Is On Tilt

The job entails working with the ventilator or as what other people see it as, a "life support" machine. Basically, it's a machine that breathes for you. A person would have a tube down their trachea and the machine would be ventilating for the person. This is our "money maker." It's what we do better than RN's and MD's. We are the experts when it come to these ventilators.

No offense but you do not know more than MD's especially not Critical Care docs or Pulmonologists.

I would hope that MD's know more than me when it comes to the respiratory system. Pulmonologists know more for a fact. I mean, they're Pulmonologists

.

I think you misunderstood me. I'm just talking about the ventilator. You think MD's know more about how to work a ventilator than the RT that manages it 24/7? Put an MD in front of a ventilator and ask him to work the ventilator. Ask him to make changes. Change modes. Go from AC/VC to PSV or to SIMV or PRVC. Sure MD's know these modes, but ask him to work the ventilator. That's what I meant.

Originally Posted by HlfBlkHlfNike

Omelette, Paul, Just out of curiosity, how long does it take to get a license to practice in Cali?  Thinking about applying to grad schools in Cali next year...

The respiratory therapy program is a two year program.

Originally Posted by airblaster503

Originally Posted by nomoplayinga

wow this thread is very informative. I just got my masters in microbiology and going the med school route, but i might have to reconsider and look at some of these other options. Why go to school for another 6+ years when i can just do a 2-3 year RT or PA program.

That was my thoughts when I inititially was going into PA.  Why go to school an extra 3 years and get even more into debt when I can graduate with a PA degree after a 2 year masters and still make 85k right out of school.  Sure the pay is lower, but you don't have as much responsibility and can still make 100k a year.

I mean, if you got the drive to become a physician, do it. Really weigh your options before you commit to RT or PA.

Originally Posted by HRelos

ACLS, PALS, and NRP. how do I get those exactly and what is the process of getting into a RRT?

Not sure if you can take the ACLS, PALS, and NRP if you're not in the program. I don't know if you can just be anybody off the street and pay for the class. You might be able to, but I never did that and never heard of anybody else doing that so I'm not totally sure about it.

But here's what I know...

First, you have to get into an RT program. Some RT programs will offer a place to take these 3 certifications. To become an RRT, you have to complete the RT program and then get your CRT. The CRT is a board exam that you pass to become a "Certified Respiratory Therapist." An RT cannot work until he/she passes this board exam. There is another board exam after this which is the RRT. The RRT stands for "Registered Respiratory Therapist." Pass this board exam, and you become an RRT.

 

[onetrust]

Man, Paul, congrats man!  I know i'm hella late on saying that because I think i remember you posting something about becoming a RT in the Official Warrior thread but i'm happy for a fellow Warrior fan.  You doing your thing.

Like the OP, i was a business major and am trying to get into Rad Tech now.  Sadly, i'm probably 20 years older than the OP

 

[paul is on tilt]

Originally Posted by OneTrust

Man, Paul, congrats man!  I know i'm hella late on saying that because I think i remember you posting something about becoming a RT in the Official Warrior thread but i'm happy for a fellow Warrior fan.  You doing your thing.

Like the OP, i was a business major and am trying to get into Rad Tech now.  Sadly, i'm probably 20 years older than the OP

You're right, I did mention it in the Warriors thread. Thanks OneTrust.

 

[ksteezy]

oh nice to see other fellow RT's on NT, I dunno if ya remember but i made a thread a couple of weeks back about this.

Ive been a therapist since 2005 practicing in NYC, its definately a hidden gem in the health field and you can either get down and dirty and do things only doctors can do or you can go an easier route and still make very good money, it all depends on the faciility you apply to, there are different level hospitals in every state i believe, the bigger the hospital (trauma centers 400-500 beds) the more therapist there will be each shift (10-25), on the other hand there are smaller community hospitals (geriatrics) like the one i work in which only houses maybe 200 beds in which case there will be no need for more than 4 therapist during the day and 2 at night (i work nights) and this also applies for which certification you are required to have, since in a bigger hospital you have more responsabilities, usually these hospitals are very hesitant to hire a CRT as opposed to an RRT.....gotta be honest nowadays the field has become very competitive and soon only RRT's will be concidered.

This is an amazing field that is gaining popularity, up until last year we were still very high in demand in NYC, however my old classmate and co-worker who left for about a year to India and came back recently had a really tough time finding a job...she ended up working at the biggest trauma center in Westchester, not by choice however...she really did not want to, that place is like being stuck in that weird **% movie Grindhouse. In other words be realistic, dont think is gonna be extremely easy to find a job, alot of people are going into this field now, back in 2002 i was recruited, now there is a waiting list 2 years long just to put it in perspective. Btw i graduated from Westchester Community College.

Anywho, you graduate get a full time and a periem job and you are maki9ng close to or well into the 100k mark or even more if you are an RRT, RPFT, etc.

hit me up if ya have any questions.

 

[ksteezy]

UTVOL23 no offense but unless you work in a hospital as part of the first response team then don't drop ignorant statement with absolutely nothing to back them up, just because you have the letters MD after your name DONOT make you the most qualifies person for a specific job in a hospital, other than pulmonologists, MDs in a hospital donot manage ventilators and how they get weaned off a ventilator...they have other responsabilities as far as patient care goes and that's why it's mandatory for hospitals to have reapiratory therapists on staff all around the clock...that is our job and yes for te most part we are far more qualifies to manage a ventilator than an MD and even some stupid @@* pulmonologists....you clearly have no clue what you are talking about and your statements are solely base off what you see on the show House and Scrubs.

 

[utvol23]

Originally Posted by Paul Is On Tilt

Originally Posted by UTVOL23

Originally Posted by Paul Is On Tilt

The job entails working with the ventilator or as what other people see it as, a "life support" machine. Basically, it's a machine that breathes for you. A person would have a tube down their trachea and the machine would be ventilating for the person. This is our "money maker." It's what we do better than RN's and MD's. We are the experts when it come to these ventilators.

No offense but you do not know more than MD's especially not Critical Care docs or Pulmonologists.

I would hope that MD's know more than me when it comes to the respiratory system. Pulmonologists know more for a fact. I mean, they're Pulmonologists

.

I think you misunderstood me. I'm just talking about the ventilator. You think MD's know more about how to work a ventilator than the RT that manages it 24/7? Put an MD in front of a ventilator and ask him to work the ventilator. Ask him to make changes. Change modes. Go from AC/VC to PSV or to SIMV or PRVC. Sure MD's know these modes, but ask him to work the ventilator. That's what I meant.

That is what I meant. Critical care docs and pulmonologists know how to work a vent backwards and forewards they make adjustments all the times  they just let RT's manage the vent to take some of the load off of them. Are you telling me the ICU you work in the docs dont put in the orders on the vents? Most docs are very receptive to the inputs of RT's because they know  alot but critical care docs are well versed on all the aspects of managing ventilators.  Now on the other had an MD in other specialties such as myself you would probably run circles around in the ins and outs of managing a vent cause hell i know the basics but would refer RT for most everything else.

 

[utvol23]

Originally Posted by ksteezy

UTVOL23 no offense but unless you work in a hospital as part of the first response team then don't drop ignorant statement with absolutely nothing to back them up, just because you have the letters MD after your name DONOT make you the most qualifies person for a specific job in a hospital, other than pulmonologists, MDs in a hospital donot manage ventilators and how they get weaned off a ventilator...they have other responsabilities as far as patient care goes and that's why it's mandatory for hospitals to have reapiratory therapists on staff all around the clock...that is our job and yes for te most part we are far more qualifies to manage a ventilator than an MD and even some stupid @@* pulmonologists....you clearly have no clue what you are talking about and your statements are solely base off what you see on the show House and Scrubs.

Sorry KSTEEZY but I do have the letters MD after my name so I dont think they are based off of what I saw on house lol. So i will wait for you to retract your previous statement. And i specifically stated Critical care and pulmonologists. Read my other response thanks

 

[eleet1]

I am def gonna come back an read this whole thread. Im lookin to get into RT but if its gonna be that hard to get a job i dont know anymore.

 

[ksteezy]

Ok so you are a doctor?...being a doctor should make you aware instead of ignorant...I don't agree with what you said about all doctors knowing the vent forth and backwards...that is not true, yes they put in the order...alot of times and I've seen this done a doctor would pull numbers out of their !##*% without even assesing the patient, after that is up to the therapist to obtain and correct blood gases by making the nessesary changes...of course the liberty of weaning protocols is different in every hospital, but please don't make such a general statement, not all MDs know what they are doing...I'll give a quick example, at one of my jobs we have a pulmonologist on staff that I think my dog has more common sense than him...a patients blood gas comes back acidotic and he decides to decrease the minute ventilation by dropping tw patients set tidal volume, how does this make any sense!?...the patient is gonna go into a deeper acidosis! Sure enough we get a post gas and the Pts PH went from 7.20 to if I rememer correctly 7.06, at this specific facility we are just button pushers, arrogant MDs could careless what we recomend...so the changes were made as he asked and the patient passed away that same day...it's a messed up world we live in where a doctors mistakes are covered with dirt, if you know what I mean.

No disrespect to alot of MDs who have earned their stripes and practice good medicine, bit please don't dumb down someone elses career just because your credentials are higher...we all practice medicine and are here for a common goal, the health of our patients and not a *%%!-measuring contest.

 

[ksteezy]

Ok so you are a doctor?...being a doctor should make you aware instead of ignorant...I don't agree with what you said about all doctors knowing the vent forth and backwards...that is not true, yes they put in the order...alot of times and I've seen this done a doctor would pull numbers out of their %+$@# without even assesing the patient, after that is up to the therapist to obtain and correct blood gases by making the nessesary changes...of course the liberty of weaning protocols is different in every hospital, but please don't make such a general statement, not all MDs know what they are doing...I'll give a quick example, at one of my jobs we have a pulmonologist on staff that I think my dog has more common sense than him...a patients blood gas comes back acidotic and he decides to decrease the minute ventilation by dropping tw patients set tidal volume, how does this make any sense!?...the patient is gonna go into a deeper acidosis! Sure enough we get a post gas and the Pts PH went from 7.20 to if I rememer correctly 7.06, at this specific facility we are just button pushers, arrogant MDs could careless what we recomend...so the changes were made as he asked and the patient passed away that same day...it's a messed up world we live in where a doctors mistakes are covered with dirt, if you know what I mean.

No disrespect to alot of MDs who have earned their stripes and practice good medicine, bit please don't dumb down someone elses career just because your credentials are higher...we all practice medicine and are here for a common goal, the health of our patients and not a ***@-measuring contest.

 

[utvol23]

Originally Posted by ksteezy

Ok so you are a doctor?...being a doctor should make you aware instead of ignorant...I don't agree with what you said about all doctors knowing the vent forth and backwards...that is not true, yes they put in the order...alot of times and I've seen this done a doctor would pull numbers out of their !##*% without even assesing the patient, after that is up to the therapist to obtain and correct blood gases by making the nessesary changes...of course the liberty of weaning protocols is different in every hospital, but please don't make such a general statement, not all MDs know what they are doing...I'll give a quick example, at one of my jobs we have a pulmonologist on staff that I think my dog has more common sense than him...a patients blood gas comes back acidotic and he decides to decrease the minute ventilation by dropping tw patients set tidal volume, how does this make any sense!?...the patient is gonna go into a deeper acidosis! Sure enough we get a post gas and the Pts PH went from 7.20 to if I rememer correctly 7.06, at this specific facility we are just button pushers, arrogant MDs could careless what we recomend...so the changes were made as he asked and the patient passed away that same day...it's a messed up world we live in where a doctors mistakes are covered with dirt, if you know what I mean.

No disrespect to alot of MDs who have earned their stripes and practice good medicine, bit please don't dumb down someone elses career just because your credentials are higher...we all practice medicine and are here for a common goal, the health of our patients and not a *%%!-measuring contest.

Did you really read my post? I definitely didnt say all doctors cause like I said you would run circles around me and of course there my be a few bad pulmonologists but i would say most have an excellent grasp on what they are doing,and like you said you are just button pushers where you work. I definitely didnt dumb down your profession at all if you would reread my post. Its a shame that you work where you have no input maybe you should change locations.

 

[ksteezy]

It's cool...button pusher or not I'm still collecting a good paycheck and like I said I work at more than one hospital, I don't just push buttons at all of my jobs, but I've come to realize that MDs for the most part are full of egos and even if they have no clue of what they are doing, they will sacrifice the healthcare of a patient before letting a nurse or even a therapist make a smarter suggestion than them...I guess in our road thru healthcare we've been shaped by different experiences, I hope you are one of the humble, good MDs who listens to his other peers who don't carry those beautiful letters at the end of their name...on another note, I'm happy you are another positive member of this forum with a great career.

 

[utvol23]

i know the paycheck may be good but i wouldnt continue to work where you dont have any input. Sure there are a lot of egotistical Docs but it sounds like the environment you work in isnt the best im more use to everyone working as a team. Where i am at the great majority of the docs will work with and take the advice of the RT's for settings or alternative modes like bilevel etc. RT is a great career definitely not anything to scoff at. I am def not one to throw the doc title around in fact I dont ever introduce myself as doctor unless it is pertinent. I prefer the staff call me by my first name.

 

[ksteezy]

Glad we got on the same page, the environment I work is good, it's just not a very big place, so it houses big egos...but I have hope that our management might be making changes where we would be more involved...I can't just leave, I've invested 6 years in this place, plus I get to be super therapist at my other jobs

 

[ksteezy]

Glad we got on the same page, the environment I work is good, it's just not a very big place, so it houses big egos...but I have hope that our management might be making changes where we would be more involved...I can't just leave, I've invested 6 years in this place, plus I get to be super therapist at my other jobs

 

[hlfblkhlfnike]

UTVOL23- What area do you specialize in, if you don't mind me asking?

Paul- My bad. I already know how long the program is.  I'm an RT as well.  I just heard if you are from out of state, getting a license to practice in California can be troublesome.  I may need to apply for one soon, as I may consider applying to grad/med schools out there next year? 

 

[antonlavey]

Originally Posted by HRelos

Originally Posted by quik1987

Both my brother and sister are RTs. You can make 100k.

Thats what I wanna hear haha.

Where my dude? I'll drop out of med school tonite.

 

[paul is on tilt]

Originally Posted by HlfBlkHlfNike

Paul- My bad. I already know how long the program is.  I'm an RT as well.  I just heard if you are from out of state, getting a license to practice in California can be troublesome.  I may need to apply for one soon, as I may consider applying to grad/med schools out there next year? 

Damn, you should have asked me this 2 weeks ago

. I had a co-worker from Memphis, but she quit 2 weeks ago and moved back to Memphis to be closer to her family. I could have just asked her.

Originally Posted by AntonLaVey

Originally Posted by HRelos

Originally Posted by quik1987

Both my brother and sister are RTs. You can make 100k.

Thats what I wanna hear haha.

Where my dude? I'll drop out of med school tonite.

Like I said before, you can make 100k, but you have to work at two institutions to earn 100k. Work at a 12-hr place for 3 days, then you have 4 days to work at another institution as per diem and pick up a 2 shifts. You'll still have 2 days in the week to lounge and relax so it's not bad at all.

 

[antonlavey]

^^^^That's not bad at all....where do I sign up?

 

[paul is on tilt]

UTVOL23, so you're an MD? I got much respect for those who have the title "MD" after their name. Look at AntonLaVey's weekly threads complaining about school

. I just hope your writing is legible because some of these docs man, you can't read their chicken scratch.

As far as those egotistical physicians goes, I've worked with them (as a student rotating through various hospitals). It's hard to give your input because they think they're all high and mighty and they know everything. They're not very receptive of a suggestion. One time as a student, I was just watching a bronchoscopy procedure and this physician was straight up yelling at everybody.

 

[paul is on tilt]

Double post.