Top 23 Respiratory Therapy blogs of 2008

Last year I paid tribute to the 13 Respiratory Therapy (RT) blogss I was aware of at that time, and today I will provide an updated list.

What follows are all RT blogs of 2008. To qualify for my list a blogger has to have posted a minimum ten posts and have updated in the past three months.

In no particular order, here is this years list:

1. Respiratory Therapy 101: The anonymous RT has a very interesting, often humorous and non-politically correct perspective of RT life in a larger hospital down South. Long time RTs will relate with him, and new RTs can get a good feel of what it's like to be an RT from the advantages to the annoying.

2. Respiratory Therapy Up North: This is a relatively new blog from an RT who works at a large hospital as a critical care transport RT. The frozen Rt provides an honest perspective of life as an RT, but also poses ideas for interesting discussion, such as: would you pay $400 to know what bad genes you have, and what diseases you are likely to get as you age?

3. G's spot: Glenna has one of the most optimistic views on life of any blogger out there, and she provides a great perspective on the job for all up and coming and current RTs to enjoy. The best part for me is she works in the NICU and is currently training in peds. Working for a small hospital we stabilize and ship all our sick kids to a hospital like hers, so it's neat to read what life is like on that side of the RT spectrum.

4. Surviving RT School: This is the daily perspective of an RT in training. He's the Trauma Junkie because he enjoys the rush that is often a part of the job, particularly in larger trauma centers. He is a must read for any student looking to get a feel for what lies ahead in RT School. He's also gone out of his way to interview RTs -- including me -- so he and his readers can get an idea of what long timer RTs think of the profession.

5. Intubate Em!! : This RT blog provides a pithy and accurate perspective of life as an RT. Another good read for RTs, RT students and anyone (politicians anyone?) who wants to learn what it's really like to work in the medical field.

6. RTT with ADD: This is the fast paced perspective of an RT with ADD who is currently on a course to move on from her RT job to pre med. I always thought the job of RT would make a better stepping stone to a greater job than a career, and the ADD RT sets to prove me right.

7. The RT Graduate: The RT Grad writes a blog for Advance for RTs, and therefore you're bound to get an honest perspective of the job here. Sure, he usually has an optimistic view of the job, but he's still made the same observations that all RTs make somewhere along the line: Why aren't there more protocols? Why would a patient with an spo2 of 72% refuse oxygen? Or, my favorite: "The 50 previous albuterol treatments haven't healed your broken leg yet, but maybe the 51st one will."

8. Snotjockey's Revisited: She has been writing less often lately, but the things she has written are brilliant and must be read. So go ahead, click on her blog, read and scroll down and read some more. She has a very interesting perspective on the philosophical and political perspective of being an RT, RT boss and other medical ideas.

9. RT Student Blog: I always say you can learn more from RT Students than seasoned doctors mainly because students have all the up to date wisdom while seasoned doctors still go by the wisdom of the day they graduated, which is often wisdom that is antediluvian. This blogger puts a student spin on current RT wisdom.

10. The Happenings of Heidi: Here's a real life perspective of an RT. Isn't it funny how all RTs seem to develop the same type of humor. Another great RT read.

11. Sometimes I breathe: He's a student at this point, and he writes an interesting to read journal of his journey. He actually writes in such a way that it's interesting even for a long time RT

12. RT Scribe: It seems a lot of RTs started out in another field, and the same holds true with this blogger. He provides an RT student angle from across the Northern border of the U.S.

13. Consciously Breathing: What's it like to go through an RT checkoff? If you're a wanna be RT this is another great blog for you. It's the California perspective of the RT program.

14. Sleep deprived RT Student: The sleep deprived (aren't we all) RT/Medic will be finishing RT school soon. It will be neat to read how his perspective of the job changes in the days to come. But, then again, he has greater ambitions than myself.

15. The harmonous way of breath: The Tengu is a new RT student from the Detroit area. He's just started the journey to RT School with this relatively new blog.

16. Respiratory Therapy e-blog: Do you ever think why we chose the career we did? Why so many RTs wait until they are older to pursue this profession? This blogger wrote a very interesting post on this topic, so I will link you directly to it.

17. A spoonfull of Sarah: She's an RT too, and deserves to be part of the party.

18. The Respiratory Report: I should have posted this blog higher, but there's an old saying that we save the best for last. This RT has a higher calling, as he has made a gallant effort to help a little girl with a lung disease accomplish a humble goal. To learn more click here.

19. Beautifully Bittersweet: The perspectie of a Pediatric RT.

The following are not necessarilly blogs, but I will include them here anyway:

20. Jeff Whitnack's RT Page: You need to check this page out from time to time to remind yourself of the importance oxygenating COPD patients regardless of that antediluvian Hypoxic Drive Theory.

21. RT Corner: For all the up to date RT wisdom this is the ideal web site.

22. RT Space: This is a community for respiratory therapists.

23. Vent World: This is a community to ask and receive information on ventilator and other respiratory therapy topics.

So that concludes my list for this year. I'm sure there are many more RT bloggers out and about in the blogosphere that I'm unaware of. If you have an RT blog, or know of one you think should be listed here, let me know.