As we enter the colder months of the year and flu season begins to set in, respiratory care is more important than ever to America’s healthcare facilities. And what better way to call attention to these highly skilled essential workers than by celebrating National Respiratory Care Week 2022!
As the workers who diagnose and manage lung-related conditions for patients ranging from newborns to the elderly, respiratory therapists are a critical part of the healthcare continuum. This fact was made clearer than ever during the recent pandemic, and especially in its first months. Because of the serious effects that Covid-19 can have on the respiratory system, the need for skilled respiratory therapists skyrocketed.
In addition to handling everything like vents, intubations and breathing treatments for hospital patients, RTs also help manage chronic illness. As the Respiratory Therapy Zone points out, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lower respiratory infections represent the “third and fourth leading causes of death worldwide,” underlining the importance of this role.
Respiratory therapists are also important to outpatient care, helping to set up and manage programs for home oxygen delivery and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy related to sleep apnea and other types of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). And they’re also in the nation’s skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, where they perform essential services like vent management and tracheostomy care.
Happy Respiratory Care Week 2022!
Kicking off October 23, 2022, this year’s Respiratory Care Week marks the 40th anniversary of this annual celebration of respiratory care workers. Held each year during the last full week of October, National Respiratory Care Week was first proclaimed by President Ronald in 1982, who depended on RTs during his recovery from lung surgery after a gunshot wound in 1981.
Yet even with this recognition, and even after Covid-19, respiratory care isn’t as widely known among people as it should be. “Respiratory therapy is not a well-known or well understood occupation and unless you work in a hospital or have ever needed a respiratory therapist, people usually have never heard of it,“ writes Vicki J. Sexstella, Lead Inpatient Respiratory Therapist at VA Northeast Ohio Health Care.
Of course, this makes it all the more important to celebrate these hard-working healthcare professionals during Respiratory Care Week! And the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) has a ton of resources to help you do just that. From RC Week Adventure Totes, tees and water bottles to a guide to help planning your itinerary, the AARC’s Respiratory Care Week resources page has everything you need #RCWEEK22.
And don’t forget to tag your social posts with the #RCWEEK22 to spread the word about Respiratory Care Week! You can also join us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook to join the #RCWEEK22 conversation and celebration.
Celebrate Respiratory Care Week with a New RT Job!
At CareerStaff, we’re proud to not only celebrate respiratory therapists, but to do all we can to help them achieve the career of their dreams.
“Going back to school at the age of 40 and getting my degree in respiratory care is the personal accomplishment I’m most proud of,” said Steve, a registered respiratory therapist in the CareerStaff network, told us last year. “I’m a U.S. combat veteran, but going back to school at middle age was the scariest thing I have ever done in my life.”
Yet Steve followed his dreams of becoming an RRT, and eventually found a warm welcome here in the CareerStaff community. “My absolute favorite part about working with CareerStaff is my recruiter,” he told us. “Maria Travis is absolutely amazing and is always there whenever I need her and lots of time even when I don’t.”
So, if you’re a licensed and certified respiratory therapist/RRT seeking a great new career opportunity, you’ve come to the right place! At CareerStaff, we connect clinicians like you with healthcare employers across the country. From hospitals and health centers to nursing/long-term care facilities and much more, we’ve got assignments waiting for you across the United States.
You can learn more about the benefits of working an RT job with CareerStaff here, or search all of our available respiratory therapist jobs here. Or, if you’re ready to get started now, you can submit a quick application here. Good luck, and from everyone here at CareerStaff Unlimited, have a Happy Respiratory Care Week 2022!