Respiratory Therapists Week

October 23-29, 2011

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Respiratory Therapy Week Video By Ingrid Hakanson

RT Week Wrap
(click on images to enlarge)

Respiratory Therapists Week was celebrated in style across the country. The CSRT provided promotional material to more than 180 members. Here are some examples of how RTs promoted their profession.

In Miramichi (left to right) Angela Thomas, Amanda Gibson and Chantal Babineau

Nova Scotia
They started early in Halifax. A large group of RT students from QEII/Dalhousie School of Health Sciences, along with faculty member Noel Pendergast, partnered with the Nova Scotia Lung Association to celebrate World Spirometry Day (October 14). Along with other health care promoters, they hung banners and posters and provided brochures as well as doing spirometry testing on approximately 100 people. During RT Week they continued the trend and added public pulse oximetry demonstrations as an added method of providing information to the public.

The respiratory therapy staff at Miramichi Regional Hospital celebrated RT Week with an educational booth in the hospital lobby where they spoke with students, patients and co-workers about various respiratory ailments. They played the "Respiratory Therapy Week Video" from the CSRT website and distributed information about COPD, asthma and smoking cessation.  The "Year's Worth of Tar" jar was a hit!

At the Cumberland Regional Health Care Center, Kristina Johnstone, Iris Munn and Eugene Kelly set up a display that generated a lot of interest with the public. They also targeted area doctors and sent updated pamphlets on Asthma and COPD guidelines to help encourage respiratory education.

Dalhousie School of Health Sciences and The Michener Institute added a bit of extra celebration to their RT Week activities. A pizza lunch was served compliments of the CSRT. Dalhousie and Michener tied for the highest percentage of students joining the CSRT between August and October of this year – approximately 14%. New Brunswick Community College and NAIT each won a set of Dana Oakes books.

Dalhousie claimed they were Number One in student recruitment.

 

Ontario
At Hamilton Health Sciences, Mike Kampen, Chief of Respiratory Therapy Practice, found a number of ways to promote the profession.  He was instrumental in organizing daily rotational Lunch and Learn sessions with different vendors at the three main sites; daily emails with RT knowledge questions and prizes and gifts for correct answers; Outreach Airway Management Skills challenges for RTs; information kiosks at three main sites; celebration cakes and cupcakes for the RT staff of 150.

Fanshawe College RT students set up a table to promote the profession and teach prospective students about the RT program at Fanshawe. Nadine Meek, the Vice-President of the RT Student Federation also took part in a fundraising event – The Amazing Pace. As a class they raised approximately $2,000 for the Lung Association.

Fanshawe students also held a successful bake sale to raise funds for the annual RTSF conference next March.	Amazing Pace participants: Patrick Freel, Katelyn Earle, Megan Watson, Mirela Mehanovic and Melissa Grant. In the front row from left to right: Marcel Goure, Jamie Brownlee, Emily Pelton, Stacey Gibson, Mai Phan and Nadine Meek.

 

Consetoga College in Kitchener held its annual Poster Board Presentations for 1st and 2nd year students. They had a great turn out and the students were able to educate the public and advocate for the profession.  The first year Poster Board was won by Vanessa Brown, Rebeka McCallum, Jessica Sheppard and Katharine Culumovic for their Poster on the role of the RT in the ICU.

The second year Poster Board was won by Alicia Young and Hussein Zeitoun  for their Poster on the disease process Spina Bifida.

First year students at Conestoga College	Second year students at Conestoga College

 

The Michener Institute
Over the span of the week, the students hosted a bake sale, photo scavenger hunt around the city, 'pie in the face' fundraiser, the 5th annual Airway Olympics and a highly successful raffle. All-in-all, over $750. was raised for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The week ended with a pub night at a local establishment.

The annual stethoscope ceremony also took place during RT Week with the second year class taking their Respiratory Therapy Student Oath at the stethoscope ceremony. First and second year students also indulged in their prize-winning pizza, courtesy of the CSRT. The Michener tied with Dalhousie for the highest percentage of new student members to the CSRT.

 

Alberta

RRT Ron McFadyen answered questions and provided demonstrations of spirometry, oximetry and auscultation to members of the public and staff in Drayton Valley.

City of Edmonton proclamation October 23-29, 2011 Respiratory Therapist Week

The Drayton Valley Hospital and Care Centre has one respiratory therapist. Despite having no budget and limited resources, RRT Ron McFadyen was very busy during RT Week. He set up a poster display at the facility with demo airways and masks. Ron held an open house and also had an article published in the local paper.

Students from NAIT were on hand to celebrate RT Week at the “Respiratory Therapy; A Day at the Mall” event at the Kingsway Mall in Edmonton. They provided information on COPD, smoking cessation, the NAIT RT program and a host of related respiratory topics. This event was greatly supported by area organizations. RTs also appeared on local news programs to promote the profession. The City of Edmonton also proclaimed October 23-29, 2011 as Respiratory Therapist Week.

British Columbia

Blaine Busslinger, RRT, shows off the Kelowna General Hospital display	RRT Lisa Mostowy is ready to slice the cake provided for RT Week at Kelowna General Hospital.

At the Kelowna General Hospital, RT Week was celebrated in style, with RT Manager Richard Milo offering pizza, cake and coffee throughout the entire week. Visitors were encouraged to check out the display set up by RRT Lisa Mostowy. The event was greatly supported by staff and everyone enjoyed Chinese food on the last day.

At the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital, Kelly Scott (left) RRT, CRE demonstrated early COPD screening to Jon Mario using the Vital-O-Graph COPD 6 device. KBRH has been selected to pilot a Hospital Based Smoking Cessation program which links admitted patients with BC QuitNow services.  The pilot kicked off in conjunction with National Respiratory Therapy Week. Kelly is the program coordinator.

Throughout the course of the week med students, veterinarians, staff, public visited the display, including a very keen 12 year-old successfully intubated the mannequin!

The Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria celebrated RT Week by hosting a beautiful display in the hospital's main lobby. The display featured real, preserved pig lungs ventilated by one a transport ventilator. The CSRT student competition winning video "Ventil8or Boi" portraying a typical day in the life of an RT weas also played. RTs hosted the 3rd annual hospital-wide challenge of "Who has the most HOT AIR in VIHA". The staff and public were invited to perform spirometry to determine their FVC and be screened for lung diseases in the process. The individuals with the highest FVCs (men vs. men, ladies vs. ladies) were posted to our leaderboard and won the prestigious award of pride, dignity and excellent lung health. More than 150 people were screened. The lobby display also gave everyone an opportunity to learn and test their intubation and bag-mask ventilation skills and the chance to compete against their co-workers in a timed intubation competition.

 

 

Qatar
As part of RT Week, RT Students at the education center at Hamad hospital in Doha, Qatar celebrated “Lung Health Day"  with an exhibition on October 30th.  The RT students and staff created 10 different booths demonstrating many facets of respiratory care. At the event, guest speaker, Bernie Fowler (Application specialist from Maquet) presented on "asynchrony and its clinical impact."

Student displays at the Hamad Hospital, Doha	Qatar RT Students left to right - Eman Mahmoud, Stephanie Piercey, Leila Mohamad, Taysir Nouh, Zahida Mohdazeem

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