Respiratory Therapist VS Nursing

[airis]

Hello all. I would like to know if any of you knows who has more work load nurse or respiratory therapist. I am going to school for respiratory but at the same time I am thinking about going to nursing school. I know nursing has more options, its an expandable field and also the employment is greater than respiratory but that doesnt really matter to me. What matter to me is the work I do. I want to know the work load and if its more harder than nursing or more stressful.

Thank you all.

[jaha]

pricklypear said:

OMG. Whoever told you this has a somewhat lopsided view of the whole situation. It's not about who has how many or what kind of patients. Are you under the impression that RTs are the primary caregiver of the "sickest" patients? And nurses take care of the easy ones?

OK. I work in ICU. I may be assigned 2 patients. Both are critically ill, on vents (breathing machines). I assume FULL responsibility for ALL aspects of care for those patients. I am responsible for administering meds, treatments other than respiratory, labs, procedures, calling docs, titrating IV drugs, monitoring and treating changes, and recording the whole process.

Every couple of hours or so, someone from the RT department comes into my room, writes down some numbers from the vent, adds some medication to a nebulizer, and hooks it up the the pt. Then they leave. Sometimes they document the treatment in the chart. They might do this same thing for every patient in the ICU. Then they'll go upstairs and give treatments to the patients on the floors. Then they'll start the whole process over again.

During a code, the RT bags the patient (squeezes the breathing bag). Nursing does everything else. We get the patient hooked up to the vent, and the RT leaves. I take care of the rest.

So basically what I'm saying is that RT and nursing have totally different jobs and responsibilities. As a nurse, I am responsible for EVERYTHING that is going on with the patient. The RT manages the vent. That's pretty much it. Not that their job is not important, or critical to the welfare of the patient. An experienced and knowledgeable RT is an invaluable resource. They just have a totally different job, focused specifically on the respiratory system. Hosestly, if I had it to do over again, I'd be an RT. Maybe I'm just in a bad mood tonight.

Wow you really think RT's do nothing? Well we are doing something b/c all of us at the hospital I work in are constantly running around and we are all in pretty good shape where almost all the RN's need to drop about 50-80lbs. Become an RT and you will stay thin.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

jaha said:

Wow you really think RT's do nothing? Well we are doing something b/c all of us at the hospital I work in are constantly running around and we are all in pretty good shape where almost all the RN's need to drop about 50-80lbs. Become an RT and you will stay thin.

This kind of talk is unproductive and insulting.

A little understanding and appreciation for one another is in order here. For a respiratory therapist to insinuate "I work harder because I have 50 patients and the nurse only has two" is about as insulting as saying "the RT really does nothing but come in and write down a few numbers and then leaves".

Both need groups need to get the chips off their shoulders and realize we're both professional hard working people with a hard-degree degree that takes a lot of hard work and common sense.

Thanks. If all we're going to do is insult one another, it might be time to just end this conversation.

[PageRespiratory!]

jethrobodine said:

A therapist cannot hang vasoactive drips or give IV push paralytics or a thousand other things that nurses do......The RT in most places I have worked is obliged to give the nurse the responsibility to call gases to the doctor and take RT orders because they can't legally take telephone or verbal orders.

>

I realize that this post is almost a year old, and complimentary as well, but the quotes above are just simply not true. As a registered licensed therapist my license is worded almost identically to that of an RN. I'm "legally allowed" to perform any intervention that a licensed RN is. That being said, I have been not trained to do so, I fill a different role. And those tasks are better to be performed by the primary caregiver. BTW - at the hospital that I work in, the ICU manager is an RT.

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

PageRespiratory! said:

>

I realize that this post is almost a year old, and complimentary as well, but the quotes above are just simply not true. As a registered licensed therapist my license is worded almost identically to that of an RN. I'm "legally allowed" to perform any intervention that a licensed RN is. That being said, I have been not trained to do so, I fill a different role. And those tasks are better to be performed by the primary caregiver. BTW - at the hospital that I work in, the ICU manager is an RT.

Well you learn something new everyday. Here is what I found on the web on RT practice FAQs from NY.

Practice Issues

Frequently Asked Questions

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Introduction

As a newly licensed respiratory therapist or respiratory therapy technician you may have questions about the practice of your profession. The following section may help you answer some of the most common questions. This section is based upon questions submitted to the State Board for Respiratory Therapy by licensed respiratory therapists and respiratory therapy technicians like yourself.

Practice Questions

What is the difference between licensure and registration?

For each of the professions regulated by the State Education Department, licensees are licensed for life unless that license is revoked or suspended by the Board of Regents. In order to practice, however, you must be registered with the Department. In respiratory therapy, registration is required every three years. The Department typically sends out a renewal request four months before the beginning of the new renewal cycle. If you do not receive a renewal notice, please contact the Office of the Professions' Registration Unit at 518-474-3817 ext. 410 or [email protected]. You are responsible for renewing your registration even if you do not receive an automatic renewal form. You can confirm your registration expiration date through the Office of the Professions' online license verification service here.

The scopes of practice for the professions of respiratory therapy and respiratory therapy technician are defined in Education Law. Can I do everything that falls within the legal scope of the practice of my profession?

A licensee may legally perform services that are in the definition of the scope of practice but licensees must also be competent to deliver those services. Part 29 of the Rules of the Board of Regents requires that licensees practice within the scope defined in law and within their personal scope of competence. If you are not competent to provide a service that you are legally allowed to provide, then you may not provide that service. As a licensed professional, it is your responsibility to practice within the scope of your abilities and expertise. If you practice outside your personal scope of competence, you may be charged with professional misconduct.

Must I wear an identification badge when I am providing respiratory therapy services in a healthcare setting?

You must wear an identification badge indicating your name and your professional title if you are practicing as an employee of a hospital, clinic, group practice or multi-professional facility or at a commercial establishment offering health services to the public. This requirement is set out in Part 29.2(a)(9) of the Rules of the Board of Regents.

What is my official professional title?

The Respiratory Therapy Practice Act, presented in Article 164 of the New York State Education Law defines the professional titles of respiratory care providers as Respiratory Therapists (RTs) or Respiratory Therapy Technicians (RTTs). That is the title that must be included on your identification badge. Other titles, including those granted from national specialty organizations such as the National Board of Respiratory Care (NBRC) may also be used but are optional.

Do I need to keep my registration certificate on me in order to practice?

Not necessarily, although the registration certificate must be available for inspection upon request. In many facilities copies of the registration certificates of all licensed staff are maintained in a centralized office. This requirement is set out in Part 59.8© of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education.

What type of medications may a respiratory therapist administer to patients?

Respiratory therapists and respiratory therapy technicians can administer medications that are directly related to respiratory care procedures*. There is no restriction on the routes of administration of such medications. It is expected that the licensee has gained competence in performing medication administration through education and experience.

Is it within the scope of practice of a respiratory therapist to insert an intravenous line?

Insertion of an intravenous line may be within the scope of practice of respiratory therapy if the purpose of the line is directly related to providing respiratory care*. It is expected that the licensee can demonstrate competence in this procedure.

Is it within the scope of practice of a respiratory therapist to insert an arterial line?

Insertion of an arterial line is within the scope of practice of respiratory therapy when the arterial line is inserted to monitor medical gases*. It is expected that the licensee is competent to perform the procedure through education and experience.

Can respiratory therapists accept an order for treatment from a nurse practitioner (NP)?

Yes, Section 8501 of Article 164 of the Education Law was amended in 2004 to permit respiratory therapy services to be performed based on a prescription from a certified nurse practitioner.

I understand that respiratory therapy care practitioners are not included in the law that mandates infection control education as a condition of licensure and registration. What does that mean for me specifically?

Respiratory care practitioners are not required to complete an infection control course as a condition of licensure and continued registration, however, you are required to use scientifically accepted infection prevention techniques and practices according to Part 29.2(a)(13) of the Rules of the Board of Regents.

If I am unsure about whether something falls within my legal scope of practice, how can I find out?

Please contact the New York State Board for Respiratory Therapy by mail at:

New York State Education Department

State Board for Respiratory Therapy

89 Washington Avenue, Second Floor

Albany, New York, 12234-1000

Phone: [phone] ext. 120

E-mail: [email protected]

*Section 8501 of Article 164 of the Education Law defines the practice of respiratory therapy as: the performance of cardiopulmonary evaluation, respiratory therapy treatment techniques, and education of the patient, family and public.....Therapy shall include pharmacologic agents related to respiratory care procedures and the application and monitoring of medical gases.

[jstbreathe]

OK, I am new here, but have to reply to this. I have read all of the post. I am a Resp Therapist for 5 years now. I work in a 500 bed hosp. 2 adult icu's, 1 nicu, and the norms, cath lab, surgery, recovery, etc.

I love being an RT, my mom and sis are RN's, and yes they do act as if my job is not important.

I too am a trauma junkie. I love to stay busy. We work with 9 on days, 7 at nights. We all go out with as many as 40 pts. I think the RT has to earn trust with RN's and Dr's. And at the same time they have to earn my trust!

Silly things I have been called to pts room stat for:

"My pt is cyanotic"..... get to the room to find out pt just ate purple popcycle!

"My pts sat is dropping, I turned O2 up but its not helping'...... get to room to find pts O2 not hooked up to flow meter that is on flush!

"my pt is coughing"..... my response give cough medicine.

" my pt is foaming at the mouth".....get to room to find the RN gave po meds to a pt that is 90 years old and in hosp for dysphagia

Being an RT you do have to know alot of tech stuff. How to put machines together.

(vents, bipap, ippb, ipv) Some smaller hosp do not have common resp equip that was made in the past 20 years.

Ok, if ya want money.......go nursing.

ifya want variety...go respiratory!!

I see pts in ER, on the floor, icu then at rehab! I enjoy seeing the recovery!

[JaredCNA, CNA]

jstbreathe,

That seems very insulting, and it seems like the topic has turned into a flame war.

I gathered from your post that nurses are just in the profession because they "want money" and that there is no variety in nursing, both of which I know to be untrue, by comments my co-workers have made, and the latter in my role as a CNA. In Med-Surg, we care for a large variety of patients, each with different cultural needs, physical needs, mental needs, and emotional needs...not to mention the multitude of different surgical patients we care for post-operatively.

I know I'm not a nurse, but I find your post to be degrading.

[JaredCNA, CNA]

topamicha said:

I did a semester of RT school before I decided on nursing. I wanted to do total patient care, but RT was great. There are more opportunities in RT than are being said: you can work at a hospital, you can also do home healthcare, you can do asthma education, polysomnography, work in all different departments in the hospital, specialize in neonatal care, etc. There are case management jobs as well. You can be a flight RT. Many universities offer a BS in Respiratory Care. In fact, many RT's with associate degrees get their BS paid for. Hospitals are offering tuition reimbursement, sign on bonuses, and most start their RT's out at $20 an hour (in Colorado anyway). And you don't just bag patients and adjust vent settings. You do patient eval, breathing treaments, arterial blood draws, ABG assesments, even some form of physical therapy (I can't remember the name) to help patients breathing (CF patients for example), intubations, take sputum samples (yum!), and yes, vent settings. But setting a vent is not a piece of cake. It is complicated and can have a profound effect on patient outcome. RT's also have a great deal of autonomy and are specialized - they have vast knowledge of all things respiratory, so in reality, they are, second to the doctor, the authority on the issue.

I'm sorry, I spent a lot of time around RT's that one semester. I hope I don't sound biased.

In addition to what topamicha has pointed out, I'd like to add a few things to the list. There are also master's degree programs for respiratory therapy, and degrees at the doctorate level. RTs can be self-employed, performing PFTs (pulmonary function tests), can work on a critical care ambulance or intensive care ground transport, can work in pulmonary rehab, as polysomnography testers, and even smoking cessation counselors, to name a few different career paths.

Both RT and nursing staff are worth their weight in gold, as far as I'm concerned.

[kozina0209]

I come fromway a family of RN's. My mom is hell bent that RN is the only way to go in the healthcare field. And I appreciate her opinion. I am also in the medical profession, currently an MA challenging the CNA and moving toward the LVN and eventually the RN. My 13 year plan! With 4 kids, a husband and a job....

I came across the RT program in my research for a LVN program and it sounds interesting.

Now I don't know anyone who is a RT but know a lot of nurses.

Can anyone give me an idea " A Day in the Life of a RT??"

Thanks,

[JaredCNA, CNA]

Ckozina0209 said:

I come fromway a family of RN's. My mom is hell bent that RN is the only way to go in the healthcare field. And I appreciate her opinion. I am also in the medical profession, currently an MA challenging the CNA and moving toward the LVN and eventually the RN. My 13 year plan! With 4 kids, a husband and a job....

I came across the RT program in my research for a LVN program and it sounds interesting.

Now I don't know anyone who is a RT but know a lot of nurses.

Can anyone give me an idea " A Day in the Life of a RT??"

Thanks,

In my profile, there is a link to my blog.

I have some other RT bloggers listed on the right-hand side of my page. If you read their blogs you can learn a lot about RT.

[Willjon]

ckozina0209 said:

i come fromway a family of rn's. my mom is hell bent that rn is the only way to go in the healthcare field. and i appreciate her opinion. i am also in the medical profession, currently an ma challenging the cna and moving toward the lvn and eventually the rn. my 13 year plan! with 4 kids, a husband and a job....

i came across the rt program in my research for a lvn program and it sounds interesting.

now i don't know anyone who is a rt but know a lot of nurses.

can anyone give me an idea " a day in the life of a rt??"

thanks,

"a day in the life of a rt??"

this is a layout of the type of day an rt would have at the hospital i work at.

a day on the floors:

-receive, download, and do up reports for all take home sleep studies.

-set up pt. for take home sleep studies.

-visit all respiratory related pt. on the floors and implement therapy’s like sp02 checks, weaning of o2, trach changes, walk tests etc.

-respond to codes

-respond to er calls for vent set-ups, intubations, transports, abgs, art lines etc.

-set up pt. for in hospital sleep studies, bipap, cpap etc.

-

a day in the icu/ccu:

-performing spirometry

-abgs & art lines

-intubations & extubations

-transports

-weaning pts from vents, o2, etc.

-giving respiratory drugs to pts

-vent checks & changes, suctioning, etc.

also rts work in the pulmonary function lab testing lung functions, or assisting the anesthesiologist, pulmonary rehab clinic helping chronic lung pt cope with their disease. and maybe some other areas that i can't remember right now.

forgive me if i forgot anything

[mama_d, BSN, RN]

airis said:

Can u tell me all if the job for RT is more dangerous than nursing because RT deals with breathing/ people that are dying. I was told that RTs have the most difficult patients. While nurses handles the easiest ones.

Could you have my management order me up some of those easy patients, b/c really, I could use an easy team!

All kidding aside, and not trying to sound snotty, but who do you think takes care of those dying patients with RT? The nurses. Nurses are responsible for any crisis situations with a patient, if RT gets involved, you can be damn sure that unless it's something like someone throwing a clot, I've been in that room for an extensive period of time beforehand. And I promise you that trying to juggle stat orders for Mrs. Jones who just went into afib w/RVR, for Mr. Smith who just desatted into the 70's for no particularly obvious reason, all while hanging stat blood on Ms. Doe who just started exploding straight blood out of her rectum is not easy.

Bottom line is that both professions are damn difficult, and if you're not willing to come home from work physically and emotionally exhausted at the end of each shift, neither one is for you.

Sorry if my post comes across snippy...it's hard to convey a joking tone in type! I'm glad that you're coming here for more information, and am taking into account that your statements are probably based on the bias of others and not knowing the inner workings of healthcare facilities.

[macizu, BSN, RN]

Hello all, I'm also currently in the process of finishing my pre-reqs for nursing school but have always been interested in respiratory therapy. Now the money is really not an issue for me at all but I would really like to know as of today what the starting salaries are looking like for new graduates for respiratory therapists. I know what salary.com has as the "average" but I would like to know what new grads are really being offered.

Also in larger hospitals, is it hard to get overtime as a respiratory therapist? How much overtime can one work as a respiratory therapist, or is it really limited?

Do respiratory therapists also get shift, nights, and weekend differentials? I'm guessing they do.

I live in Houston, TX so anyone with info on this side of the country is especially appreciated. I welcome info on any part of the country as well.

As always any answer to my questions is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.