Yes we are still here...

All wheezes must be treated as asthma.  All pulmonary problems must be treated as asthma.  Such is the old cliche that is the only viable explanation for all the frivolous breathing treatment orders.

Some of the treatments we do are actually needed. But, still, we do so many needless ones that sometimes we catch ourselves complaining when the beeper goes off, yet again, saying, "Treatment in room 2," even when this one might actually be needed.  Yes, such is the life of a respiratory therapist.  

I think there's a natural urge to curse every time a beeper goes off, because you know it's going to be yet another some thing you are going to have to get up and do.  You'd think we'd grow numb to it after a while and stop complaining.  Yet that's what we do: we're RTs. 

Speaking of beepers: why do we still use them.  It seems beepers are so old fashioned, like giving breathing treatments for every post operative patient, or like giving IPPB.  Speaking of IPPB, I have now not given one in over two years.  Is it finally true that those little green machines are no longer needed?  Is it finally true?  Not that they ever were needed. 

Well, we RTs knew they weren't needed long, long ago.  It just took an extra 30 years to convince medical schools that all they did is over inflate good alveoli. Do new RT grads even know what IPPB is?  Hopefully RT Professors no longer teach about them except in RT History Class. 

Yes we are still here.  WE are still blogging about the job of respiratory therapy.  We are still blogging about what he love about this job and, surely, what we do not so much like.  You should see some changes around here as we clean up some old posts, redecorate some, and write some newer posts: some good, some bad, and some just plain ugly.