I'm a Respiratory Thearpist

The past month has been a little stressful. I've been struggling with the job hunt and inability in trying to avoid the sense of uselessness. My usual day consisted of applying for jobs, playing the harmonica, and getting nagged by parents about being jobless, therefore useless.

After 20+ applications, 3 interviews, and $300 spent on travels, I finally found a job.

I'll be moving to Maryland and starting in July. I can finally call myself a respiratory therapist.
My new life begins in July. For the month of June, I plan on just relaxing.

I'm going to move all the posts before this into a folder called RT school.
The new blog starts......now!

Stop watching CNN

CNN lately has been nothing but bad news. Bad news brings depression. Simple solution: stop watching CNN.

If it's not the tanking economy then it's the swine flu. I recently saw someone where a mask near downtown Atlanta. Wearing masks are actually pretty common during allergy season in Georgia. Atlanta is pretty bad for asthmatics...but it's near summer. There was the first case of the swine flu in Georgia on April 30.

This one case of swine flu should not cause mass paranoia. Come on.

Was your hands.
Avoid unnecessary flights.

Be educated, not paranoid.

New grad seeking job

About once a month I have trouble falling asleep. Maybe my internal clock is screwed up or all that stress I try to ignore. I don't know. Lately, I've finished my clinical rotations and on the lookout for a job.

I'm especially anxious about getting a job. This big hospital that I really like hired four students from our class already. Two of those students have masters degrees. They could be socially retarded amputees and still be hired. Master RT students make the hospital / department look so much better.

I was the last student to rotate through there and I'm entering the market at a bad time. It's not that my interview skills are really poor (I've read countless articles on how to prepare for interviews and practiced accordingly), it's that I'm not getting any interviews.

I think lacking real experience besides these clinical rotations is also a great difficulty I have to overcome.

I've applied to eight hospitals so far and I've received one interview and that only because I was rotating at the hospital. I know eight is not that much, but I get a little discourage when learned that these four students applied to only one place and it's their dream hospital.

I've been told that Georgia pumps out nearly 250 new respiratory therapy graduates every year. 50 of those are baccalaureate degrees or higher. Yahoo HotJobs posting lists 21 in Georgia. 11 of those are either looking for a fake background actors or a nurse.

Majority of big hospitals prefer to hire within / their extern students. It just happens that the last three big hospitals I have rotated through having hiring freezes for respiratory (I'm still hoping the big one will say yes).

My mom has been supportive in the start of the program but her patience is wearing thin. Dad didn't think I would pass the registry and decided that he doesn't want to go to my graduation because "Graudation is no big deal. Find a job."

I actually love my parents and get along with them just fine. They want me to live at home and work around Atlanta so I can save up to buy a house. I'd really prefer not to move out of state but I might not have a choice.

How to deal with night shift

I've been rotating at this big hospital for the past month. It's keeping me busy, but I only have three nights left. Night shift is tough. There is the extra pay incentive, but most starting RT grads are being pushed into night shift. I really don't mind, but I know some fellow students who do.

Here are some tips I've gathered from fellow therapists about how to deal with having a schedule that's different than the rest of the world:

-A lot of articles say that taking a nap at work is essential for night shift. I think that will just get you into trouble. If you get sleepy, try splashing some cold water on your face.

-Keep your stomach happy. I keep enough fruits and snacks in my happy bag to feed the entire floor. My hospital is fortunate enough to have a grill that is open till 3 in the morning but most of the food is unhealthy...which leads to my next point.

-You know that feeling you get when you eat fried food for lunch and then feel sleepy afterward? It gets amplified on night shift.

-Some of the night shift staff told me that they sleep a whole eight hours before work and they have converted their lifestyle to a night shift model. Others tell me they still sleep at night and just take a few hours nap before work. Find what works for you. I prefer the sleep for eight hours before work model.

-When you get home from work, don't go straight to bed. You should wind down. Treat your night as if it's your day. If you normally sleep at 9 P.M., then you should try to sleep at 9 A.M.

-Sleep with no light during the day. Our bodies are accustomed to sleeping in the darkness. Block the sun with heavy drapes and wear sleep masks. I first thought sleep masks were stupid. "Why can't people just close their eyes?" I then realized that a quartered sized hole from the window can penetrate my eyelids.

-Coffee. I know it's bad for you, and I'm trying to wean myself off by drinking tea. But seriously, hospitals would be in a lot of trouble if they banned coffee.

Night shift may be difficult for parents or people that are married. It may be even more difficult for parents or the married if they are a new RT graduate. In this economy, we don't really have a choice.

First week externship impressions

The hospital I'm doing my extern-ship at is a old and established hospital. It definitely has the funding since this is the hospital of choice for celebrities and sports stars. They even have upscale rooms with room service, nicer beds, and a good view.

The first week was pretty positive. They work you hard. Therapists have a lot of control and autonomy...which is what I'm looking for in a first job. I expect to gain as much experience as possible in my first job.

I really like their charting system; everything is digital. Giving out medication requires someone to carry a PDA: scan the drug bar code, then scan the patient's wrist. This system is excellent. It minimizes wrong dosing and drug errors. I just wish this hospital had a scrubs system where they offered free scrubs and a locker room to employees.

The scrubs system should be implemented by every hospital. I can't imagine it being expensive. You don't bring hospital germs back home and you don't bring home germs to the hospital.

My first week gave me a lot of ABG practice, chest compressions, assisting in a Swan-Ganz insertion, and broncospy assistance. I didn't really get a chance of power napping in the closet like some other hospitals.

The nurses were friendly and cute. The two therapists I followed had a plethora of information and felt comfortable with me. And that's what really matters; comfort. If you aren't comfortable with your co-workers, then you don't belong there.