Respiratory Therapy or Nursing School?




For education both the RN and RRT take two years or longer with prerequisites that are required before acceptance. But for both the 4 year degree is recommended for advancement into specialty areas. RT is also petitioning for enhanced reimbursement in other areas for practitioners with the 4 year or higher degree.​

Doing a specialty career is not for everyone and if you can not come up with one good reason why you want to specialize in cardiopulmonary, then consider nursing where you do have more opportunity to hop around. If you consider teaching and giving nebulizers treatments boring, then please go to nurse "dude" (in reference to Jeremy's post) as RT will have little use for you in it.​

If you want to see the full potential of an RRT especially in your state, visit the department at Arkansas Childrens.​


 
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Vent, I understand what you are saying about expanded scope of practice and the different environments an RT may work in and under. Just out of curiosity(and this is not to sound demeaning), how much is taught outside of the standard AAS curriculum? It seems that there is a lot of in-depth cardiology that I was unaware was standard training? Is there a lot of cross-training involved? I have been pursuing a BSN in my spare time for a multitude of reasons and often consider the future and the different specialties available.

When I had an RT clinical I actually enjoyed a lot of what I learned. While it is easy to say "you won't deal with it," it cannot hurt to have a bit of exposure to what went on in the hospital before you take a transfer. Or what is going to happen to a patient after you transfer care. One thing I would have loved to see more of is lab values and a further detailed explanation. When watching ABGs I asked a lot of questions and the one-on-one tutelage that they provided cleared up a lot of issues I was having during classes. In summation of all that I guess I would ask the question "How specific does your education as an RT(AAS or BS, I don't believe that the RT cert is existent at all anymore?) prepare you to function, inside a hospital and out?"
 
Vizior said:
Vent, I understand what you are saying about expanded scope of practice and the different environments an RT may work in and under. Just out of curiosity(and this is not to sound demeaning), how much is taught outside of the standard AAS curriculum? It seems that there is a lot of in-depth cardiology that I was unaware was standard training? Is there a lot of cross-training involved? I have been pursuing a BSN in my spare time for a multitude of reasons and often consider the future and the different specialties available.
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The basic sciences or prerequisites, including the pharmacology, for RN and RT are generally the same. However where the RN student spends over 90% of the time on med-surg, the RRT student spends 90% of the time in some type of critical envirionment. Cardiology and hemodynamics are the fundamentals of Respiratory Care. If you do not understand either you have no business touch a ventilator or working in an ICU. As well, RT departments took over Cardiac Diagnostics which also can include the Cath Lab in the late 80s when health care started changing for reimbursement with many cut backs. I forgot to mention that while intubating at a code you will have to multitask and get an EKG as soon as there is a rhythm as well as getting the ABG. If you are the only RT on or available, that can be fun. Sometimes the RNs will take pity and squeeze the bag for awhile.


Vizior said:
When I had an RT clinical I actually enjoyed a lot of what I learned. While it is easy to say "you won't deal with it," it cannot hurt to have a bit of exposure to what went on in the hospital before you take a transfer. Or what is going to happen to a patient after you transfer care. One thing I would have loved to see more of is lab values and a further detailed explanation. When watching ABGs I asked a lot of questions and the one-on-one tutelage that they provided cleared up a lot of issues I was having during classes.
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The point I was trying to make is that so many in EMS miss the opportunity to see or learn something new because some already have a mindset about a profession be it RT, RN or whatever. I personally find PT a fascinating profession as well as OT and Radiology. Radiology is also one of those professions that has grown rapidly and deserves some serious respect for what they have done in a relatively short amount of time.

Vizior said:
In summation of all that I guess I would ask the question "How specific does your education as an RT(AAS or BS, I don't believe that the RT cert is existent at all anymore?) prepare you to function, inside a hospital and out?"
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Basic 2 year program:
http://www.spcollege.edu/program/RESC-AS


Other links:
http://www.spcollege.edu/webcentral/acad/asprog.htm

My favorite 4 year degree programs:
UAB
http://www.catalog.uab.edu/2009_2010UnderGradCatalog/Health_Professions.pdf

http://main.uab.edu/shrp/default.aspx?pid=32648

http://www.upstate.edu/chp/programs/csrc/study.php

It is a shame that EMS did dummy down their courses to just the overview pharm and A&P since this had been an outstanding program way back when. The Paramedics could also transition to the RT program easily but not any longer.

Correct in that the one year program no longer exists. It is a minimum of 2 years for both the CRT and the RRT with 2 separate exams. The CRT is primarily basic theory and equipment which the RRT is critical thinking and application. It used to be "tech" vs "therapist" but since the education has been raised, both are "therapist". That does make a difference in the world of reimbursement petitioning.

RT is very much like nursing in that the medicine and technology have expanded to where a mere "two year degree" with only a little over 1000 clinical hours barely prepares one to function efficiently in all areas. They know this degree is just the beginning. Our RTs are stepped through with the first level being floor treatments. The next level gets you into the ICU and allows you to manage basic ICU ventilators, hemodynamic monitoring and intubate. The higher step allows you do more invasive procedures and work with the more intense modes of ventilation. Each step may take around 6 weeks to 3 months of additional classroom time and another 6 months to 1 year of being precepted. It is similar for the RN progressing through the levels through the different ICUs. To qualify for transport, one must have at least two years of specialty ICU which comes after about 2 years of regular RT work in the ICUs. You become proficient in all the regular knowledge and skills until the Medical Director takes note of you or a transport team member recommends you. We needed over 100 intubations before being considered and that was for each, neo and pedi. So no, just RT school does not prepare one for transport but without the fundamentals, it would be difficult to understand the advanced theories. It is like explaining CPAP to someone who doesn't understand preload and afterload to where the "it pushes lung water" gets used.
 
Vizior said:
Vent, I understand what you are saying about expanded scope of practice and the different environments an RT may work in and under. Just out of curiosity(and this is not to sound demeaning), how much is taught outside of the standard AAS curriculum? It seems that there is a lot of in-depth cardiology that I was unaware was standard training? Is there a lot of cross-training involved?
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Let me get a little more specific to answer your question. These classes will be in both the A.S. and the B.S. programs as they cover the basics of critical care medicine.

http://main.uab.edu/shrp/default.aspx?pid=32619#RST

RST 322. Cardiopulmonary Anatomy and Physiology.--Structure of airways, lung parenchyma, chest wall, pulmonary and systemic circulations, diaphragm, heart, and kidneys. Physiology of pulmonary blood flow, ventilation, gas diffusion, gas transport, ventilation/ perfusion relationships, control of ventilation, hemodynamics, pressure and flow relationships, arterial blood gases and acid-base balance, electrical properties of heart, contractile properties of heart, cardiac output, regulation of arterial blood pressure, and renal physiology. Prerequisite: Admission to RST Program or permission of instructor. 3 hours.

RST 334. Critical Care Monitoring.--Assembly and operation of hemodynamic monitoring systems, safety precautions, quality control, and troubleshooting of equipment; measurement, interpretation, and application of hemodynamic parameters. Prerequisite: Admission to RST Program or permission of instructor. 2 hours.

RST 413. Special Procedures and Pulmonary Function Testing.--Pulmonary function testing procedures including equipment, spirometric measurement of pulmonary function, lung volume measurements, pulmonary mechanics tests, gas distribution studies, lung diffusion studies, exercise testing, bronchial provocation testing, interpretation and application of test results, and case studies. Assistant functions in tracheostomy and thoracostomy tube insertion, bronchoscopy, thoracentesis, tracheotomy, and pulmonary artery catheterization; insertion of arterial cannulae; and introduction to neurodiagnostic procedures and sleep studies. Prerequisite: Admission to RST Program or permission of instructor. 3 hours.
 
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