The Difference Between Life and Breath :: essays research papers

The Difference Between Life and Breath   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Respiratory therapists are highly skilled practitioners who provide treatment, management and care of patients with breathing deficiencies and abnormalities. I chose to go into this profession not just for the money, as some might think, but because of my own life experiences in having to deal with taking care of my Dad, who died from third stage emphysema and because my son has asthma. Part of my acceptance into the respiratory program at Ivy Tech was to job shadow a therapist for a day. I chose to do this at St. Clare Medical Center in Crawfordsville. I called to set up my appointment for the job shadow and found out I would be shadowing Pam Ehrie, which was good because I already knew her as she helped to care for my Dad and also cared for my son.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I arrived at the Respiratory Department at 10 a.m. on Monday of the following week and Pam came out to greet me with a scrub jacked and a name tag and briefly explained that I would go with her to make her rounds for the day. â€Å"Oh yesterday would’ve been a much better day to have come,† she exclaimed. â€Å"We had three codes so there was a lot more going on and it would‘ve given you a better idea of what we really do.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"What are codes?† I ask, although I already had a pretty good idea.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Oh that is when the patient arrives and they are basically gone, not breathing, and we have to recessitate them back to life.† Pam says. â€Å"I forget that you are just starting into this, so if there is anything that I say and you do not understand it, just ask me.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pam is a rather petite, bubbly individual who stands about five foot tall with shoulder length reddish brown hair and green eyes. She is pretty, with a warm smile that hugs you when you first meet her and a friendly face with kind, gentle eyes. Pam has been a therapist for fourteen years and she also went through her schooling at Ivy Tech. She loves her job, co-workers, and helping others. â€Å"It is my passion in life,† she says. She embraces the idea that she is giving a better quality of life to others. She is also the senior Registered Respiratory Therapist on staff at St. Clare Medical Center and she does all of the clinical sequences with the new students at Ivy Tech.