Any Respiratory Therapists Doing Excelsior?

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Jan 20, 2008

this is so very true!!!!

so much going on, so many people to learn from... it's awesome. better than anything clinical experience you could get as a traditional nursing student, that's for sure. you have a license so you can actually participate on everyone's level. students don't have the same kind of opportunities.

RRT2RN2CRNA · Jan 21, 2008

I am waiting to take the CPNE... but all the nursing managers that I like have already extended invitations to work in their units and have no qualms about how quickly I'll pick everything up. They would take an RRT as a new grad any day over someone who was coming out of a traditional nursing program. It's a very rare and awesome skill set.

I would suggest you try to get an RT gig in the local hospital you ultimately want to work in as a critical care RN to do your 1 year... if you're working in a little community hospital, get out of there and go bigger now so that you will have established your credibility there as an RT by the time you're ready to make the switch into nursing. I would also try to work on the same shift you want as an RN in the future. I suggest nights from personal experience, but to each their own.

Although I am *quite* sure that doing it on my own will be much harder than watching my nurse buddy do it, I can already come in and be asking the right questions; it's a different learning curve for us. You already have the big picture. You have an idea of when to give calcium, when to increase the rate on the vent, when to go up on the levo, when to order a chest xray bc you're suspicious about the lung sounds and declining O2 sats, when to change a line bc the lactic acid is up for no reason and you're worrying about sepsis, you probably won't freeze at your first code... you just need to know the specifics and more detail as to why you're doing the things you're doing, and "the nursey way" to do stuff.

I worked full time and then some while doing Excelsior. My per diem job was at a sleepy little hospital where I ran solo or there way maybe one other RT on if the census was up (winter). The pulmonologist and I had a good relationship so he would write all floor treatments "q6 w/a". I got my major rounds done by 10pm and then had till 4am to study, barring random infrequent ICU stuff, codes and traumas. You can get a LOT done by doing it this way. Just out of sheer boredom you'll do all your reading for the week. Combined with an afternoon of outlining notes, I spent probably 8 hours a week on my studies. I'm a pretty fast reader, but I don't think it would take that much more for anyone else *as long as you're focused* I did a test a month, broke up each unit into 3 pieces, did a piece a week and then used the 4th week for studying it altogether and doing the practice test. It's totally manageable this way if you don't have a lot of responsibilities outside of work (i.e kids)

Cheers-

A

Twill1025 · Feb 16, 2011

Just a quick question, why are so many RRT's going into Nursing? Be honest, is it the money, job stability, room for growth and advancement...what? Thanks in avance for entertaining my questions.

This is a great question that many ask. I've also read some wonderful answers. I'd like to add another.

Respiratory is a great field. But there are some down sides according to where you work. In some parts of the country, therapists are limited as to what we can do. We go to school for years and are trained to do intensive, quality care but are not allowed or trusted to do it in the hospital setting. I've been in settings where the "pulmonologist" doesn't even acknowledge that the therapist is in the room but directs all his questions toward the RN that wasn't even with the intubated patient when they came through the ER doors. And the therapist was. How crazy is that??? It's a disgrace!!! However, I've also been in settings where doctors relied heavily on respiratory and gave them the utmost respect. So, I'd like to add that being able to help the patient more and be involved in more advanced care is another reason for RTTs going into nursing. I feel that the change is for career advancement!!!