Respiratory Therapy Fun and Games

While nurses are stuck in one unit taking care of only a few patients (how boring), we RTs have free roam of the hospital, which means we can have a little fun on the side. That's right: we RTs like to have fun.

Here are some games we RTs are known to play from time to time:

EKG clock: Take some EKG stickers and toss them at a clock on the wall. Whomever can get the most stickers to stick on the clock wins. You can also play by adding up the points for the hour or minute the sticker is closest to, or by seeing who can get closest to the bulls eye. By this you can have a little fun on the clock (pun intended).

Vent race: Ready set.... you and your co-worker each grab a vent, line-up at the beginning of a long hallway, and the first one to the unit wins. This is a game better off played during night shift when the halls are silent.

Stair spit: Climb to the top of the stairs, and then you lean over so you can see the bottom floor between the steps, and you spit. The challenge here is to get your spit all the way to the bottom. Winner is whomever accomplishes this goal, or comes the closest.

EKG race: Your humble RT is proud to claim pride in the name, "fastest EKG draw in Michigan." That's right. To earn this prize, time starts when you unplug the machine and ends when you plug it back in. The trick here is you have to have good patient technique, and the EKG has to be of good quality.

Ventilator fart: This is my favorite game. You walk into the room of a patient who is on a ventilator and you let out a silent fart. The goal is you can't get caught, and the nurse has to be convinced the patient needs his diaper changed. Then you stand by the nurses station and giggle when the nurse says something like, "It was a false alarm." This is also a fun game to play by yourself, with a good laugh as the reward for victory.

Sleep time: Perhaps this isn't so much a game but a necessity. Whatever RT can get the most amount of sleep without missing out on required work wins the prize. One former co-worker put his head on his pillow at 2 a.m. and forgot to wake up until 30 minutes before shift's end. We all helped him get his work done, because otherwise we'd all be busted. Goal was accomplished as we all sat down in the RT Cave mere seconds before the morning workers shuffled in. As you can see, this also makes for a good team game. Plus if you push the limits as we did, it makes for a good story.

Sharps shootout: Fill your pocket with empty amps of ventolin, and find an empty room. Line two chairs opposite the sharps container, and whip the amps across the room at the opening on the sharps container. The RT with the most amps inside the sharps container is the winner.

Persistent Pessimism: This game involves being aware of the pessimist. You know who they are. Ask them how they are doing and wait to see how long it takes them to start complaining. They might say things like, "Oh, my back aches," or, "I'm soooo tired," or, "Jack is soooo annoying," or, "I'm soooo burned out," or, "I'm so tired of this job." Then you just sit back and smile. I'm telling you, melancholy folks are very consistent.

RT lecture: I've noticed from time to time RT Bosses like to show off their power by lecturing an RT or two about some piddling little task that wasn't done completely right. Now you know no patinet was harmed, and the only reason you are getting lectured is because of process, "We won't get reimbursed if you don't do this." I've noticed that it's easy to try to defend yourself or te get mad at your boss. You know how your blood can boil when your boss starts to rip you apart. The goal of this game is to stand there like a man the next time you are being humiliated by your boss, smile and say, "Thank you!" The objective of this very difficult game is to get the better of your boss.

Rules:

1. If your RT Boss catches you having a little fun, don't act scared. Ask him to participate. That's right. You know darn well he had a little fun when he was in your shoes.
2. Use common sense.
3. Pick an appropriate time to have your fun (Pick a down time)
4. Games are best played during night shift or on weekends when RT bosses are out.

Regardless, RT games are a good way of taking the monotony out of long 12-hour shifts. If you've participated in an RT Game not mentioned here, let me know.