RT LACEY

You know I've heard that before. That RTs are mainly just in the states. Has Australia ever had RTs or ever tried to introduce them as far as you know?

I said that RNs don't learn about the respiratory system in much DETAIL. Pay attention to detail. It's important whether you are an RN or RT :) As far as vents are concerned, you have to know which button to press and each brand, or even generation of ventilators, is different. Lastly, as orders are concerned, you are absolutely correct. Nurses do not write orders. However, hospitals have policies called standing orders which nurses, like RTs, can implement if they deem it necessary.

I have never been to nursing school. I took one nursing course at the University I attended but it was simply an intro to nursing course. The information that I shared with you was actually information that a nurse at my job gave to me. She told me that she went to a 2 year college and that information was skimmed over. Also, another coworker of mine who is going to a local community college now told me the same thing. The coworker who is a nurse told me that's probably why an rn will order a bronchodilator for pneumonia, for example.

Respiratory Therapy is a very specialized field of medicine. Because of that, we spend two years on a subject that nurses spend a few weeks on (my sources are two of my c/w). If you are asking what an RT can do that an RN can not LEGALLY do, I don't have an answer for that. However, in many hospitals, RTs are responsible for things like intubation and vent management and drawing ABGs. From my own personal experience, I was in clinicals about 3 weeks ago and one the RNs in the ICU didn't know how to silence the vent alarm, another RN didn't know what low VE meant, and a different nurse said that she didn't know how to draw an ABG. The list goes on. This is in no way meant to demean nurses. They just have WAY too many responsibilities to try to manage a vent patient on top of that. If you are interest in RT, then check out your local hospitals and see if they have a shadowing program you can sign up for. I think everyone should experience was RN and RT school are like before deciding to make a career doing it :) I hope that clears up some things for you. Feel free to ask any questions and Ill do my best to answer or find out.

RNs do not learn about the respiratory system, the physics of mechanical ventilation, and the physiology of bronchodilators for example, in much detail.