Continuing the debate: Are RTs professional or Ancillary

Is it possible that respiratory therapy departments are ancillary by default.  Consider the following comment from one of our fellow RTs. 

I certainly believe, from my own experience, that if you don't have Attendings, Managers and Supervisors working for your "profession" and furthering your professional involvement in patient care then you, by default, are thrown into the category of Ancillary staff. I work at a large teaching hospital, and it seems like half the time I'm questioning doctor's orders and being told what to do rather than being included in the process of creating a plan of care for the patients. It is certainly not what I expected after graduating respiratory school. When you lack progressive leadership, it ends up damaging your credibility and reputation as a department. gunterRrt

That comment was left on "The debate: Are RTs professional or Ancillary?" I think it pretty well sums up the main complaint among respiratory therapy care practitioners.  Too many RT Bosses are in a position whereby they are more concerned with dotting the i's and crossing the t's and making sure the department is profitable, as opposed to lifting the profession to the next level.  Few bosses choose to challenge physicians, and prefer to just keep the ball rolling as it is.  Why, they say, rock a ship when it is rolling along, in their minds anyway, when the sailing is smooth.

Thoughts?