Thank You Respiratory Therapists for the Vital Work You Do

Since first being proclaimed in 1982, National Respiratory Care Week has been celebrated in hospitals and clinics by respiratory therapists, their healthcare colleagues and patients.

This year is different. COVID-19 has made us all acutely aware of the important work respiratory therapists do. In the early months of the outbreak, therapists traveled to the places that were the hardest hit to help overworked staff. They managed patients on ventilators and when there were more patients than ventilators, they improvised.

As one respiratory therapist told MedpageToday a few months ago, “When you’ve maxed everything out, where do you go from there?”

Not only are they frontline workers, their jobs brought them in close contact with the sickest patients, exposing them to the virus in a way few other healthcare workers were.

In more normal times, respiratory therapists work in a variety of settings, including in private homes, hospitals, care facilities and sleep centers, treating patients with lung and breathing problems. The range of these problems is broad, from asthma and bronchitis to trauma patients and including those with Lou Gehrig’s disease and sleep apnea.

Becoming a respiratory therapist requires an associate’s degree in respiratory care and licensing by the state. The National Board for Respiratory Care conducts a formal exam, which is recognized by the licensing boards of several states. Once licensed, a therapist must maintain their skills, demonstrating that by earning continuing education credits.

For the lifesaving work respiratory therapists are doing this year, and the critical job they do all the time, we say thank you to these professionals and honor their commitment to us all.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Is Covid-19 Back or Are We Just Seeing a Surge in Cases?
General Interest Healthcare Pharma

Is Covid-19 Back or Are We Just Seeing a Surge in Cases?

Strategic Networking: A Secret Weapon in Job Searching
Accounting + Finance Architecture + Engineering Financial Services General Interest Healthcare Human Resources Information Technology Legal Support Marketing Technology Pharma Professional Support

Strategic Networking: A Secret Weapon in Job Searching

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Justin Nadelman
General Interest Green Key News Information Technology Leadership + Management

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Justin Nadelman

Navigating the Tech Interview Maze: A Guide to Success
General Interest Information Technology

Navigating the Tech Interview Maze: A Guide to Success

Green Key Unlocked: How to Succeed in Payroll Management
Accounting + Finance General Interest Human Resources Leadership + Management

Green Key Unlocked: How to Succeed in Payroll Management

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Jenny Rehkugler
Accounting + Finance General Interest

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Jenny Rehkugler

Handling Mistakes & Failure in the Workplace
General Interest Worklife

Handling Mistakes & Failure in the Workplace

How to Support Those Affected by Hawai’i Wildfires 
Green Key News

How to Support Those Affected by Hawai’i Wildfires 

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Halle Sarfin
Green Key News Professional Support

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Halle Sarfin

Advantages of Offering Exit Interviews
General Interest Human Resources

Advantages of Offering Exit Interviews

Tracking Metrics: Learning & Development
General Interest Leadership + Management Worklife

Tracking Metrics: Learning & Development

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Leanna Gallagher
Green Key News Human Resources

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Leanna Gallagher

How to Beat the Summer Productivity Slump
General Interest Leadership + Management Worklife

How to Beat the Summer Productivity Slump

Questions to Ask When Hiring a Recruiter
General Interest Leadership + Management Worklife

Questions to Ask When Hiring a Recruiter

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Chianté Vidal
Architecture + Engineering Green Key News

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Chianté Vidal

Celebrating 10 Years of GKR in Rockville
Green Key News Leadership + Management Professional Support

Celebrating 10 Years of GKR in Rockville

Internal Mobility: Retaining Top Talent
General Interest

Internal Mobility: Retaining Top Talent

Green Key Unlocked: The Future of Telemedicine & Virtual Healthcare
General Interest Healthcare Information Technology

Green Key Unlocked: The Future of Telemedicine & Virtual Healthcare

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Melissa Sanchez
General Interest Green Key News Healthcare Leadership + Management

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Melissa Sanchez

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Rory Valan
General Interest Green Key News Information Technology Worklife

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Rory Valan

Latest Blog Posts
View All Posts
Is Covid-19 Back or Are We Just Seeing a Surge in Cases?

Is Covid-19 Back or Are We Just Seeing a Surge in Cases?

With the recent increase in hospitalizations and Covid-19 cases across the U.S. the question of How to protect ourselves and...
Read More
Strategic Networking: A Secret Weapon in Job Searching

Strategic Networking: A Secret Weapon in Job Searching

Networking is more than connecting with other professionals on LinkedIn or collecting contacts; it's about building relationships that can lead...
Read More
#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Justin Nadelman

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Justin Nadelman

Almost seven years since he first joined Green Key, Justin has seized many growth opportunities in his role and truly...
Read More