Angry at the Lazy Respiratory Therapists

[sockov]

BEFORE I VENT.... There are some wonderful, caring, hard-working Respitory Therapist out there that take their jobs to the max and I am proud to work side by side with them. Then, there are the ones who don't. I am complaining about the one's who don't!!

On my unit, the Respiratory Therapists are lazy and not proactive with their jobs.

They won't do PD&C, suction on vent checks or listen to the lungs, change tape, draw ABG's, or contribute to doing oral care to help minimize VAP. This is all the nurses jobs according to their attitudes.

The other night, I had a Resp. Therapist waving me down the hallway as I am on my way to pee for the first time in 9 or 12 hours, telling me to draw my gas now since it was convienent since they (RT's) were ALL going to dinner.

I am lucky if I even get to eat!

So, the two RT's just stood there and waited as I drew BOTH my patients ABGS!!!!

They never even asked, offered, took initiative, became proactive, to draw the other patients gas while I did one.

I was so MAD. AND STILL MAD! :angryfire

I'm sorry, but I rather ditch the resp. therapy dept. we have where I work, pay the nurses more and we can handle the vent. just like they do! We do the rest of the job anyways!

I have been to my nurse manager and CNS about this with more situations and nothing has changed,,,, yet. Nurses are so over worked and caring for higher acuity patients these days, that the other diciplines need to do their part! Isn't that why it is considered a multi-disciplinary approach in care????

[lady_jezebel]

The respiratory therapists on my unit are awesome!! There's great rapport b/twn nursing & RT where I work.

[rnontherun]

Ok, I've been on both sides of the bed so to speak (13 yrs RRT, currently ICU RN) and I agree that every department has its lazy therapists and we all know lazy nurses. Human nature I guess. I find asking the RT for help when needed works well. Other than that, I try to remember the days when as an RT I was responsible for 7 or 8 vents on the unit, had a few treatments to do, setting up patients for transport, responding to ER, attending high risk deliveries, responding to stat calls, running ABG's, etc, but I also remember times when I would get to sit down with my fellow therapists and eat lunch together on those quiet days. But ultimately patient care comes first and if you need the RT's help, they should be there for you.

HawaiiRRTRN

rnontherun

[airis]

focus on your job not their job. If RT dont do their jobs its their loss not yours. The important thing is to know what makes you a good nurse. If you are allowed to do it then do it. Dont wait for someone to do it for you. If you need help ask for help, dont expect someone to just assist you right away, some people dont think like you.