What can RT's do that RN's can't?

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It seems nurses can do everything an RT does plus their own duties... is that true?

Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

Personally, if I were the pt in that bed, I'd be nervous for one person to be tweaking my vent AND titrating all my drips AND worrying about my other labs AND trying to manage my pain and everything else. Especially if my ventilation involved a dual lumen ETT and the oscillator after taking a knife in my pulmonary artery. Just saying.

To say that that RRT just helped me out would be supremely arrogant, and supremely foolish.

It's not about having someone to give my pts their nebs for me.

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Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.

it is not RT

the national credential is CRT certified, or RRT, registered,

and in Texas respiratory care practioner....

I know we say Respiratory Therapist, but there is different credentialing

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Specializes in Emergency, ICU.
It depends on your facility. At mine, RNs don't intubate, do percussive therapy, respiratory treatments, or arterial sticks. We also don't touch anything on the vent except the silence alarm button and the 100% button.

What? Do you have an RT on standby? If I had to wait for RT to do these things, I'd wither... We do all of that (ok, not intubate, but RTs don't do that either).

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Specializes in Emergency, ICU.
What? Do you have an RT on standby? If I had to wait for RT to do these things, I'd wither... We do all of that (ok, not intubate, but RTs don't do that either).

To clarify: this is because the hospital staffs only 2 RTs to cover 500+ beds. Not because they aren't capable. I always page them for difficult vent issues, but don't bother them for a breathing treatment or to restart a patient on bipap. They appreciate that I take care of my stuff and utilize them for their specialized knowledge and so, if I'm ever in a bind, they respond to my page right away.

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Specializes in ICU.

In my ICU, the RT's are a member of the interdisciplinary team that is JUST at IMPORTANT to the wellbeing of the patient as I, the RN, am. With my sick patients, titrating multilple gtt's and attempting to keep a patient alive that's circling the drain, it is awesome to have a good RT at the bedside with me, working together taking care of the patient. In my hospital, the RT's are given a broad scope of practice and leeway from our ICU docs. Love it!

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Specializes in Critical care.

For those of us in the US style healthcare system, we're used to having RT's. For those that don't already know, this is not the case worldwide. One common example is Australia where you very much will have just one person adjusting your vent and your drips (the RN, of course).

In my opinion, a rockstar RT is worth his/her weight in gold, as the saying goes.

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Specializes in MICU - CCRN, IR, Vascular Surgery.
What? Do you have an RT on standby? If I had to wait for RT to do these things, I'd wither... We do all of that (ok, not intubate, but RTs don't do that either).

In my ICU we have RTs that are assigned to ICU only for the shift, usually 2-3 for our whole unit. There's always at least 2 on the unit at all times.

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Specializes in Emergency, ICU.
In my ICU we have RTs that are assigned to ICU only for the shift, usually 2-3 for our whole unit. There's always at least 2 on the unit at all times.

You are very lucky. We have 2 for the entire hospital.

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Specializes in MICU - CCRN, IR, Vascular Surgery.
You are very lucky. We have 2 for the entire hospital.

I work in a 30 bed MICU, tons of vents so we love our RTs!

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You are very lucky. We have 2 for the entire hospital.

This was my experience at a large teaching hospital as well. At my current community hospital, RTs are everywhere. It's a totally new experience for me. I think it's great, for the most part, though there are a few times when I've questioned their assessments (these are for non-vented patients). I love the collaboration--particularly the instant ABGs. I don't love the "hands off" for nurses when it comes to less complicated respiratory stuff, like spirometry teaching/observation/reinforcement, applying CPAP or bipap at night (mostly because a lot of my patients refuse when initially asked to put it on, then the conversation ends with RRT documenting "pt refused"). I also think that chest PT is a basic intervention--at the large teaching hospital (the only place I'd ever worked before), we all participated in a little chest PT--including PCAs that felt comfortable with it and demonstrated good technique.

I think there may be more specialized respiratory care at the community hospital, but I can't say that the care is "tighter" or more effective than the constant barrage of teaching, ambulating (which nursing can easily get rest and exercise sats), spirometry, and frequent poundings on the back that nursing (and some aides, and some providers) incorporate into their patient interactions.

I would rather participate with general pulmonary hygiene (because this gives me a great pt exam) knowing that the skills of the RRT are being used to assist with the vents and get the ABGs. At my last job, all nebs/mdi's etc were given by nurses as well.

I actually don't remember the names or faces of the RRT at my last job...

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What can an RT do that a nurse can't?

Can a nurse do the job of an RT or would they need to be certified?

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Specializes in LTC, med/surg, hospice.

I'm getting de ja vu here.

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