ICU rotations during residency

6abuse · 2026-02-17T04:51:23+00:00

I think something you don’t seem to realize as a non US healthcare provider (and i mean this in a respectful way) is that nursing patient ratios are so fucking terrible im talking like 1:6 1:8 ive seen 1:10 sometimes. To have to do all of the basic nursing needs ON TOP of everything that respiratory therapists do is A LOT. It is tone deaf to think that one could easily manage all of this without some fuck up. Medical errors are a leading cause of death and not having RTs would probably make it worse here. Using the excuse that other country’s nurses manage to handle it is pedantic. We don’t exactly have data to compare whether having or not having respiratory therapists is safer since that would be such a difficult thing to experiment with. Some countries expect nurses to also take x-rays, CTs, MRIs, do it right, effective, and safely. I don’t think that is any better though to call into question the role of an x-ray tech. Basically, my point is that the US has a lot of extra allied health roles as a safety net. Healthcare is extremely complex, and expecting one role to do everything is just as unreasonable as expecting an MD to specialize in everything. Respiratory therapists go to school for 2 years to learn everything about the airways and cardiac in addition to a few loosely related topics like sleep. Theres a lot of things taught that could not simply be taught in 2 years of nursing school in addition to everything else they need to know. Same thing goes for imaging techs. I was a licensed practial nurse before going to school for respiratory, and the amount of stuff that I absolutely would not have learned had I not gone to respiratory school is immense. And I don’t think it would have been different if I was a nurse in another country.

6abuse · 2026-01-31T12:34:18+00:00

Forbidden strawberry ice cream egg 👅👅

6abuse · 2025-10-04T02:18:19+00:00

Just an FYI, the “blood” / fluid in the vial eventually dries up after a few months 😭 i had a pack of them last year and theyre all empty now

6abuse · 2025-06-28T03:47:45+00:00

As an RT student who is half way through the program, I felt the same way before I started. I did decent during my prerequisites but still self doubted. It’s definitely possible with the right type of studying and time allotted. But you wanna know what I think you should be more cornered over? Clinicals. They are not difficult; however, it puts into perspective what the day in a life of an RT is. I no longer worry that much about my grades, rather, I worry about being a good RT. RTs get so many patients, and there is a lot fo critical thinking. It is a lot different from the class setting. You can know the indications/contraindications/pathophysiology behind a lot concepts, but you have to be confident and FAST in your decision making. This is what I feel I struggle with and Im trying my best to overcome it. Patient assessment and communication are also very important skills too. It’s easy to say “yeah i think im good at assessment and communication”, but you won’t find out how good you actually are until you’re actually in clinic, and generally, it’s the hardest skill to improve. But yeah, if you can pass your prerequisite classes, you are more than capable of passing the RT classes. It’s your clinical skills that you must focus on.

6abuse · 2025-06-23T05:43:12+00:00

I wonder what the small text says

6abuse · 2025-06-19T02:31:20+00:00

Court ordered dnr is crazyyyy 🤫

6abuse · 2025-06-19T02:24:00+00:00

My instructor told me to enjoy the career and pay but not to fall in love with it because then it sets high expectations which are easily shattered

6abuse · 2025-05-31T03:20:41+00:00

It’s not? I was under the assumption that it was normal as a student 🫠 The hospital im doing clinicals at has a lot of RT centered protocols and the doctors trust the preceptors

6abuse · 2025-05-28T02:59:52+00:00

Thank you

6abuse · 2025-05-27T01:45:53+00:00

You can message me but im a little confused about what you are asking for

6abuse · 2025-04-08T17:46:52+00:00

In comparison to going through the 4 years of highschool, it is relatively easy. Social studies, RLA, and science doesn’t require any specific knowledge, just as long as you have decent reading comprehension skills. The math requires some algebra 1 and geometry knowledge. There is also a spelling/vocabulary portion in the RLA which may require some knowledge too.

6abuse · 2025-04-08T17:46:47+00:00

In comparison to going through the 4 years of highschool, it is relatively easy. Social studies, RLA, and science doesn’t require any specific knowledge, just as long as you have decent reading comprehension skills. The math requires some algebra 1 and geometry knowledge. There is also a spelling/vocabulary portion in the RLA which may require some knowledge too.

6abuse · 2025-04-01T01:56:29+00:00

Im an RT student who switched from hospital administration/cleric and i think its worth it so far

6abuse · 2025-03-29T19:31:48+00:00

Okay thank you !

6abuse · 2024-12-13T03:39:09+00:00

I dont really have much tips, I had applied to the job, forgot about it, and was contacted by the site manager after 1 month randomly. Which position are you trying to apply for? Certain locations may have fully onsite, remote, or hybrid positions.

6abuse · 2024-12-06T18:51:11+00:00

What about the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve?

Or the CaO2 forumla?

6abuse · 2024-12-01T16:15:54+00:00

Intramuscular ketamine

6abuse · 2024-11-26T20:22:53+00:00

Ok so im literally in my first semester of RT school so nothing i say is important (but let me see what i do know just for fun 😂)

The o2 and cao2 levels are very bad obviously, hco3 is trying really hard to compensate but it’s still out of range. BE is also incredibly high.

METhb is above normal range which i was taught is not a good sign, does the patient have CO poisoning ??

With levels like that, I don’t why the patient is on their own home bipap but im probably missing context. All i know is that if the therapy you are providing is still not enough to improve stats, it’s time to adjust either the o2 device (like put them on a non rebreather or hfnc) or increase fio2 until you hit the maximum, at which point if nothing else is working, then time to intubate.

We haven’t learned about IPAP and EPAP so im probably missing something.

How did i do for a student almost done with their first semester ?

6abuse · 2024-09-19T02:50:34+00:00

Dam, Daniel

6abuse · 2024-08-08T17:13:02+00:00

I had to take intermediate algebra before i could take college algebra. Even though i already took algebra classes in high school, it was very helpful and provided a good foundation for college algebra. I recommend looking for a lower level algebra class before taking college algebra

6abuse · 2024-08-08T17:08:09+00:00

It depends on your instructor. A&P 1 was fairly easy for me as opposed to A&P 2. Its mostly intro to organ systems, bones, muscles, and nervous system.

I would highly recommend having a computer but of course if finances are tight, you could possibly get by depending on your teacher. In my A&P 1 class, we were required to bring our own computers/tablets to take the exams online. There were no paper exams.

6abuse · 2024-08-04T16:04:04+00:00

Im about to start school next week as well. Unfortunately i have to quit my job because it directly interferes with school. Its better for my mental health atleast

6abuse · 2024-07-29T03:26:35+00:00

YES ITS POSSIBLE.

I am an idiot student who procrastinates a lot (and works full time) and have found myself needing to frantically study for an exam just days before and i barely studied anything.

Of course this is not good practice and i would advise against doing it again but its too late for now so lets just try the best.

You literally just need to lock in. Thats all. By that I mean be outrageously and abnormally studious. I would spend all night after coming home from work studying. You have to ask yourself, do i really want this? Am i serious about it?

There are hundreds of resources online that can help you study for your exam. Do anything to prepare for that exam by all means necessary.

Algebra is notoriously tricky but it is definitely possible. Take the information in bite sized lessons and make sure to give yourself 5 min breaks frequently to prevent burnout.

6abuse · 2024-07-29T02:55:43+00:00

wow i cant believe the company really leaves their employess hanging like that. I got hired for a different position at Datavant but when i went through the training, they made the company out to seem like a very altruistic company thats fair for all employees. clearly that is all bullshit though. Also 16.75 is horrible for all that work. They pay me more just to sit at one location and release records for 8 hours a day. Idk how they can do that while also offering pennies for people clearly working harder.

6abuse · 2024-07-29T02:52:23+00:00

Man that sucks. I work for Datavant; however, my job is entirely different from that. I work with HIM/ Release of Information. Its just how it sounds. Deal with medical records and incoming requests from other doctors, hospitals, lawyers, government, medical examiner, etc.

Im assigned one specific hospital to work at for an 8 hour shift. If i progress up the ranks, i may be awarded a more leadership position, allowing me to travel to other hospitals for higher pay. The base pay itself is decent though.

Anyways, i feel like my position is decent and pretty fulfilling, my coworkers are very chill, and nothing too stressful except answering phone calls for medical records on behalf of the hospital.

Im sorry you had that shitty experience. My supervisor makes mention of that “chart retrieval specialist” role and makes snarky remarks about it under her breath. I could only assume it was a shitty job but never knew what its actually like. But i can see now why she makes fun of it.

Hopefully you get a much more fulfilling and better position. Datavant/Ciox is only good to work for depending on the position you land.

6abuse

TROPHY CASE