Respiratory Therapists Matter: Help Us Celebrate  Respiratory Care Week

Take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Feels good, huh?

The lungs are wonderful organs that help our bodies stay alive. Granted, many people never
really give their lungs much thought – that is, until they begin experiencing some sort of lung
problem. Thankfully, there’s a group of men and women who have dedicated their studies and profession
to helping those with lung problems or diseases to heal and/or have a better quality of life.

Respiratory Care Week

It’s time to celebrate Respiratory Care Week this October 22nd through the 28th, honoring and
celebrating all those who are passionate about lung health. Whether your specialty is home
care, acute care, emergency care, neonatal pediatrics, geriatrics, pulmonary rehabilitation, or
another area, the reality is that your duties as a respiratory therapist are of great value to
patients struggling with lung health issues.

As we all know, lung health is extremely important, and oftentimes it can be taken for granted
until a health crisis occurs pertaining to the lungs. Respiratory care professionals deserve to be
recognized and honored for their hard work, professionalism, knowledge, and great skills.

Celebrate your Respiratory Care Team

Consider celebrating the members of your respiratory care team this year by acknowledging
their dedication and professionalism. Healthcare facilities around the United States and Canada
will be taking part in the celebration, oftentimes by blessing their staff with small tokens of
appreciation, such as t-shirts, bags, tumblers, and more. It’s a chance for respiratory therapists
to get plenty of pats on the back for their commitment to improve the lung function of their
patients and their quality of life.

Discover a respiratory travel assignment tailored to your tastes

Educational opportunities

Respiratory Care Week gives the healthcare field an opportunity to spread awareness and
educate the public, as well as co-workers in the medical field about the highly-skilled services
that respiratory therapists provide. Whether you work in one location, or you’re a travel
respiratory therapist, your role matters!

What you can do

If you’re in charge of a respiratory care team, and you’re not sure what to do to celebrate
Respiratory Care Week, consider the following:

• Provide a luncheon to celebrate and recognize RT professionals. You can consider having
  a guest speaker or having a patient share a testimony on how an RT professional team
  helped them.
• Put up posters around your workplace to inform employees about RT Care Week,
  encouraging them to show their support.
• Spread awareness in your community when it comes to how RT therapists are helping
  patients who are struggling with things like COPD or asthma. You can even spread
  awareness in the schools how they can get into a career as a respiratory therapist. Don’t
  forget to mention the exciting career as a traveling respiratory therapist, as there are
  plenty of respiratory therapist travel jobs out there?.

Here’s a wonderful Respiratory Care Week Planning Guide, filled with plenty of
resources and ideas. Additionally, you can find over a hundred ideas at the AARC
website that will give you ideas as to how you can celebrate Respiratory Care Week.

Thank you to all those in the respiratory field, for your selfless giving, expertise, and hard work.