Advocacy

Patient advocacy is exhausting.  I might "just" be a Respiratory Therapist but since its within my scope of practice to interpret chest radiographs, I am going to.

I won't move an ETT without personally reviewing the film, I will notify you when I see free-air or "bowel shaped aeration above the diaphragm" and I expect you to accept that.  I don't "joust" or anything and I try my damndest to communicate with you one-on-one to save your ego but its not always possible.

Next time though, when a Respiratory Therapist tells you they're concerned about a patient's cardio-pulmonary status, listen to them like you would listen to an expert on the topic.

Not just because we're colleagues or friends, but because we are actually experts on the topic.

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