Networking Ventilators

WARNING: Not only can this article be classified as a Rant, but it may be directed at you.


There is an article in the November issue of Respiratory Care (Howard, William R, "Wireless On-Demand and Networking of Puritan Bennett 840 Ventilators for Direct Data Capture", Respiratory Care, November 2007, Volume 52, Number 11, p1530.), on how this individual rigged a Puritan Bennett up to download information to his PDA.

If you do a Google search on "networking medical ventilators" you will come across a fair number of sites that deal with this inevitability. Here's a little blurb from Medical Connectivity.com. Not a big article, but another indicator that this is going to be a big thing in the near future.

My question is, are RTs even thinking about this aspect of their jobs?

Most of my time spent talking to my coworkers is listening to them complain. It boils down to this: I spent my x years (usually 2, occasionally 4) getting this degree, I'm registered (by coercion) and licensed (not proud of that, they made me do it!). Why should I have to learn anything? Why should I have to get a whole 1 hour CEU per month? Why should I join the AARC? Why should I consider acquiring any special skills? Why should I consider continuing my studies? I have a life to live, what a lousy profession, and why aren't I paid as much as nurses are? Nobody ever does anything for me.

Here is a News Flash: health care is changing. You had better change with it, or become obsolete. And BTW, heath care corporations don't need people with your attitude.

If Respiratory Therapists want the recognition and roles that most feel they deserve, then, as a profession, we have to deserve them. It's not enough for 5% of RTs to carry the rest of the (supposed) professionals. If we aren't ready for what's ahead, if we don't continually update our skills, if we don't get our heads in the game, we will no longer exist.

I admit I'm at a point that I'm okay with the latter possibility. I mean, I'd like to see the profession go on, because I think a lot of very valuable work has been done, and we've made important contributions to medical science. I also would like to have systems in place to preserve our collective knowledge, and be certain someone takes up that torch if we have to pass it on.

But why not pass it on to other RTs? Why not put pressure on each other to become the kind of professionals that health care organizations would welcome in the role?

The American Association of Respiratory Care has a Guide to Professionalism. Why don't you mosey on out there and read it?

While you're at it, Google something useful, like "interoperability of medical devices"? See, nobody is going to care how many times Brittany Spears shows her booty five years from now when someone else has your job.

End of Rant