Responsibilities: I had to follow around a respiratory therapist as he checked on patients.

Knowledge: I found out that for patients that are having trouble breathing it isn't always oxygen in the ventilators. They put a muscle relaxer so that the patients throat will allow an easier flow of air.

Best: I got too encounter more patients this time. I saw the therapist clean out a couple patients mouths.

Worst: It was my second time following a respiratory therapist, and the field has been pretty boring both times.

This week was fair. I did gain more experience in the subject, but there wasn't much to see.

Tech:I saw ventilators that were only assisting the patients breath but not completely breathing for them. I saw a couple other cool looking machines at the foot of the beds that no one seemed to know what they did.

Diagnostic: We looked at the breaths per minute and compared them to earlier data and saw that one of the patients was improving. The therapist said that if he could continue to strengthen his lungs then he would be completely off the ventilator.

Therapeutic: I watched him put a muscle relaxer into the ventilator to loosen up the throat muscles. He also brushed and sucked out the saliva of a couple of patients.

Diseases: I saw that a couple patients had gotten pneumonia from being immobilized with saliva in their mouths. The respiratory therapist wasn't looking so hot himself.

Terms: Renal failure- kidney failure  ABG- arterial blood gas

I walked in and all the therapists seemed to be under the weather. I thought it was kind of dangerous for them to be around people with weak immune systems. the therapists were going around and cleaning mouths and adjusting ventilators. The equipment that they work with include mainly the monitors and the ventilator. The guy I folloewed was in charge of flushing them out.

Their job seems kind of repetitive. The only excitement seems to come from the codes. They seem to work on their own thing and are good with working alongside the ICU doctors and nurses. I had to wait outside one of the precaution rooms as the therapist did an abg on a patient. He was one of  the only people of whom I've followed that has washed his hands after every patient he saw. Wecdidn't do very many hands on things as he only cleaned out ventilators and mouths.

The ventilators apparently vapor out a muscle relaxant to allow for an easier flow of air to the patients hooked up. We visited a guy who had renal failure meaning that his kidneys stopped working.  He looked like he was in a lot of pain , yet he  was semi conscious. His eyes followed me the whole time. The therapist talked to him like a normal person, and that was pretty cool.

I thought that it was alright. It wasn't my favorite , but that might have been because I came at a boring time. I saw Amanda during my rotation and made some weird faces at her which was fun, as I waited for my guy to finish charting. Respiratory isn't for me.

Responsibilities: My responsibilities this week were to follow the administration lady.

Knowledge: I learned how to navigate through health quest. It made me realize just how important the administrative position is.

Best: The best thing was that I got to hang out with Jasmine. She was real chill as one of my peers would say.

Worst: I got the smell of breakfast burrito all over me.

Tech: The database the use is called health quest and it is pretty simple. Jasmine said that it was outdated.

Diagnostic: Checking people into the hospital. Other than dealing with insurance there wasn't anything else they do that's therapeutic.

Therapeutic: Checking people into the hospital. Other than dealing with insurance there wasn't anything else they do that's therapeutic.

Diseases: They see all the types of diseases as well as people coming into surgery who need to get checked in.They see almost every patient in the hospital.

Terms: EKG- They put electrodes over and around the heart to monitor it for irregularities.
Patient- A person who is admitted into the hospital and is in need of treatment.


When I walked in the smell of breakfast burrito hit me in the face. It was only Jasmine who was in charge of admitting patients into the hospital as well as answering patients questions. The program that they use for the hospital is health quest, and Jasmine taught me how to use it. It's a lot of computer work.

The only team work is from the people in the back who actually deal with the insurance companies. They then make a packet with all the information then people like J-girl explain it. The only safty they deal with is patients and people harming themselves or others. They really don't diagnose or give any therapy.

The administrative positions are really important to the hospital. The programs they use help the hospital to run so efficiently.  There wasn't any med terms being thrown around. I did learn how to use their programs.

It wasn't as boring as I expected. The person was really cool and fun to talk to. It was good to go to see that you don't have to be a doctor or nurse to make an impact in health care. I do know that it is not an area that I would want to work in.