Is it safe going into RT?

[navywife16]

I have given up trying to get into nursing school. I love my husband, but his career in the military has crushed every opportunity I have been given to start a nursing program. By the time I am accepted into a program, we have orders to move. When we are staying put for a few years, he deploys (I cant balance school full time, with four kids, and a son in renal failure while he is away). That being said, there is a local RT program I am very interested in pursuing. Its a hybrid (theory online, clinicals on campus) which works perfect for my lifestyle and I will finish before we have orders to a new location.

I have two questions...

1. I volunteer at a hospital and a few nurses have mentioned RT's are being phased out with nurses. Is this true? I would hate to invest my time and money into a career which will be eventually taken over by nurses.

2. My husband is due to retire in 5 years... Around my 40th birthday. I still very much desire to be an RN, but is it ridiculous to think I would be taken seriously if I apply to nursing school in my 40s?

[navywife16]

Wow. Thank you sooo sooo sooo much for your reply! I am so thankful you took the time to share some insight on the situation. I cannot think of a better person to seek advice from! Can I ask you a question? Are you happy with the change to LPN? Have you been able to apply some of your skills as an RT to being an LPN? Or are they totally different fields. Oh wait. That was more than one question. Sorry! With the training being so intense, I would hate to throw it all out the window when I go for my RN. Thank you again for your response.

[navywife16]

I appreciate your advice. Its a community college, so I think the entire program is under $6 grand. I just wanted to get my feet wet in something while I wait for my husband.

[Angry LPN]

Yes, my specialty is taking care on patient's with trachs or that are on vents in the homecare setting. It is almost stress free. I don't know how I survived in nursing homes as long as I did but I am fortunate enough to have the specialty of also being an RT so I got away from those horrible places and it was the best thing I ever did. If I had to do it all over again, I would have went for physical therapy but too late at my age to start going back to school

[heinz57]

There is no way nurses will ever phase out respiratory therapists and there are 2 main reasons why. .

It isn't nurses who are phasing out RTs. It is their own profession when they failed to raise the bar and get on board with Medicare. It was really short sighted of them to think they could continue with reimbursement without professional status.

First and foremost, the nurses already have too much work to do, they are too overwhelmed to start doing oxygen rounds, breathing treatments, drawing ABGs, and most importantly, ventilator checks and maintenance. .

Nurses were doing this long before RTs became popular and are still do it in many places. Some RNs actually taught RTs how to be RTs. It is just recently that RTs started with the Associates degree. Probably the majority were grandfathered from the days of learning on the job or certificates of a few weeks.

Which brings me to my second point. The subject matter I had to learn in respiratory school was way more complicated than anything in nursing school. It was way more scientific. Gas laws, pressures, tidal volume. PEEP rates, etc. A person that has a shallow tube that puts oxygen in their lungs through a narrow opening in their throat from a mechanical ventilator had been have somebody well trained and experienced taking care of them and monitoring them closely. .

I think the words you are looking for are endotracheal tube and glottis. Some RNs even put that endotracheal tube through the glottis. The gas laws were taught in basic high school chemistry and are definitely in the prerequisites for nurses (RN). However, as an LPN you may not have had the same science classes.

Because of this insane, broken, greedy healthcare system, the government and insurance companies of course don't want to pay and so create a mountain of frivolous. redundant, and in my opinion, totally unnecessary paperwork because the boneheads think they can measure the quality of care through more paperwork. Just when you think they can't possibly come up with more paperwork, they manage to. .

Most hospitals now have computer charting. The EMRs make it much easier to assist with that pesky insurance paperwork. Don't blame everyone for RTs missed opportunities of no advancing their profession when they had a chance. Talk to any well informed RT who did jump through the hoops in hopes of a better future and you will learn of the problems.

That's why you see well intended nurses who would rather be on the floor doing what really helps the patients, hands on care. Instead, their hands are tied clippety clipping all this never ending charting on the computer. .

I know many RNs who like working the units and accepting the responsibility which goes along with it. I also don't think floor nurses have it very easy either with many more patients. But, what many will admit, it takes a heck of a lot longer to page and page RTs to do something which they could have easily done. Why should a patient wait an hour for a nebulizer or MDI when the RN or LPN is right there? Ever been short of breath and told to wait?

Because they are overwhelmed with red tape, they will never have time to do the job of the respiratory department and they lack the training to do their work. So no, they will never phase out RT. Some hospitals may try and dump off some of their work on already tortured and over burdened nurses so they can save money by not hiring as many RTs, but over time the turn over rate and having to train new nurses as the other ones get burned out and quit after months or years of constant stress, never getting to go on a break, having to stay over hours off the clock to get the work done. The sadists that run these for profit places will realize it's cost effective to keep their RTs and not dump their work off on overwhelmed nurses. That is my take, I am an RRT and an LPN.

You are confusing the failure of RTs to advance their profession for securing reimbursement. Don't go all nutty on trying to blame greed. The money is there for the taking but since RTs just expected it to be handed out to them without any effort, they lose. Without the reimbursement, a hospital can just float RTs for just so long.

You don't see any of the other professions whining since they already stepped up to do what they had to for their profession and others are stepping up to take the missed opportunities of RTS.

Now go talk to some RTs who are involved in their profession to get a better understanding. Hell, just go to their AARC website and you can find all of this out in 5 minutes or less. It you didn't know what is at stake as an RT you probably aren't alone or this would even be an issue for them.

In the meantime, stop insulting nurses for doing their job to do whatever it takes to care for their patients.

[heinz57]

Yes, my specialty is taking care on patient's with trachs or that are on vents in the homecare setting. It is almost stress free. I don't know how I survived in nursing homes as long as I did but I am fortunate enough to have the specialty of also being an RT so I got away from those horrible places and it was the best thing I ever did. If I had to do it all over again, I would have went for physical therapy but too late at my age to start going back to school

Do you realize that the homecare company receives ZERO reimbursement for RTs under Medicare Part B?

[desertace]

RT is a great field, highly under used if you ask me, I work very close with them in the ICU, but the jos outlook is not as good compared to nurses. just my 2 cents.

[SincityBSN]

I think the opposite. RTs are not being "PHASED" out. Not that i've heard. Hospitals more and more are compartmentalizing everything. RNs don't draw labs anymore, (unless its a PICC line or some other central line) because they can bill for a phleb. to come and do it. RNs don't do inhalers or breathing treatments anymore because They can bill for an RT to come and do it. Get my point. RNs used to be the jack of all trades. But since we nurses are part of the daily hospital care, its a kind of package deal for us. My Great Aunt was a nurse and she told me about the things that she used to do as a nurse and i'm amazed. Sometimes I would rather be an RT. They get paid well, They do far less work, have less stress. (this is purely on observation as compared to what I have to do and go through in a typical day.) The ones at my Hospital are a critical part of the RRT. "Rapid Response Team." I'm not sure if other health systems have them, I'm sure they do. They maybe called something else. Anyway, my point was, There is nothing wrong in being an RT or a PT/OT, a CNA, an MA or a clerk in health care. I applaud you for caring enough as a human being for wanting to help your fellow humans. Because at the core, almost everyone that I work with directly, is a kind, compassionate and caring person, you have to be to care for others. And FYI, in my BSN Cohort, there were at least 5 students out of 24 that were over the age of 40 including one that was 52 when we started. It was an accelerated BSN 18mo., it's never too late. I even know a Doc I work with that is in her 3yr of residency at age 57, started Med school at 50!! Follow your dreams, live YOUR life, you only get one shot for this ride and it goes by fast, so make the most of it and do what you want to do.

[SincityBSN]

Mine does too, but unfortunately, One can't ever be found when breathing treatments are an hour over due and the pt is wheezing and i could set up and run the nebu. treatment in a couple of mins. But lo and behold, there is a "Rapid Response" called then all of a sudden, there are 4 RTs in the room. lol makes me wonder sometimes, where they were all hidding for the last hour.

[JLCarter]

I'm an RT and went through a two year program in Phoenix with six kids from diapers to pre-teen. I look back with wonder as to how I made it through, in fact when I graduated one of my teachers said no one thought I'd make it through the first month. I know your circumstances are different, but I would highly pursue the field of respiratory. In the 20 plus years I've been in the field, I've never regretted it, I've never had a problem time finding work, and have always been well respected. I heard rumors of phasing us out since I was going to school in the 90's, but have never seen anything that suggested it would become a reality. Which ever you decide, I wish you the best, prayers for your family, and a BIG thank you to you and your husband for your service to our country! XO

[Creamsoda, ASN, RN]

both your questions... no RT's are not going anywhere. i have never worked anywhere where this was a concern. where i live they are always short staffed

getting into nursing at 40? no problem. i see people alllll the time at that age just getting in. Do the RT program, afterwards, continue to work on all your pre-reqs for a nursing program over the next few years maybe a course at a time/night classes etc. Then when your husband is ready to retire you can likely get into any kind of 2 year accellerated degree program as long as your prereqs are done.

Good luck, all of this is definately possible

[navywife16]

I wish I could buy you a drink for all your advice! I did not know about the accelerated BSN programs. It seems like there are a lot of those programs in every state except the one that I am currently in. HOWEVER! We will be moving and I could quite possibly get my degree done at our next duty station in a program like that.... And I thought my undergrad was for nothing!

[navywife16]

thank you soo much for your advice!