23 Tips to make yourself a standout RT

Want to be the respiratory therapist nurses love to work with?  Want to be the RT patients think of long after you clock out?  Want to be the RT the bosses think of when there's a fun conference that needs attending?  Then you'll want to be a standout therapist.  

The following are tips that will help you shine as an RT in the eyes of all the good folks you work with, around and for.  

1. Be prompt:  Show up to work on time
2. Be happy:  And show up happy
3. Be positive:  Be the person people love to hang around due to your positive attitude.  
4. Smile:  Do this often.  Do this every time you pass a person in the hall.  Do this every time you enter a room.  It's hard not to smile yourself when you see a smile, and this can help a depressed person feel happy.  It's hard to think of bad things when you're doing something happy, like smiling.
5. Say "Great!" or "Excellent:  When someone asks how you're doing, always say something positive like "Great!" or "Excellent!"  Say this even when you're feeling gloomy.  Not only will you feel better, so will the other person.  
6. Turn it off at the door:  If you're feeling gloomy, or upset, turn it off before entering the patient's room. It's not the patient's fault for your attitude, plus he or she deserves to have you at your best.  
7. Be a good teacher:  Explain what your're doing, and explain what the patient can do to get better and stay healthy.  Answer their questions in a pithy manner.  
8. Be diligent:  When caring for a patient, don't allow yourself to daydream or get off task. Stay in the room, offer companionship or empathy as appropriate, and have fun with your patient.  Again, your patient deserves your full attention.  
9. Ask if you can help:  Before you leave the room say something like, "Is there anything I can get for you."
10. Do what you say:  If you say you're going to do something, or get something, do it right away.  
11. Offer assistance:  If a patient or nurse asks for help, volunteer enthusiastically and be a good help.  
12. Accept challenges:  If your boss asks for volunteers to perform new tasks, such as stress tests, PFTs or EEGs, volunteer yourself.  You may also volunteer to teach classes such as oxygen therapy, Neonatal resuscitation, basic life support, and asthma education.  
13. Research:  Stay up to date on new respiratory therapy wisdom and offer to share your knowledge to your coworkers and bosses.  
14. Offer new ideas:  Share you ideas for improved charting mechanism, protocols, etc.  
15. Be a critical thinker:  
16. Be a good team player:  Do your part as a team play, and don't take credit for what you didn't do.  It's also fine to let others take credit for what you did.  
17. Be nice:  Niceness makes up for many flaws.  If a nurse requests a procedure be done on a patient, and it's not needed, kindly explain.  
18. Be efficient:  Be organized and manage your time wisely.  
19. Finish your work:  Your coworkers will be thrilled with you simply by getting your work done and not unfinished work for them.  Would you like it if your coworker left work for you?  I didn't think so.  
20. Offer thanks:  Thank members of the team for their help.  Thank often.  
21. Stock:  Make sure stock is replenished before the end of your work day.  This will help keep your coworkers happy, even though they probably won't even know you did it.  
22. Relax:  This helps you to stay focused and makes you easy to work with
23. And have fun:  Enjoy yourself.  Have a sense of humor.  Fun people make work more enjoyable.