I was listening to a radio program in the car this morning about Stephen Hawking, and they mentioned one of his books, “On the Shoulders of Giants: The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy”. Apparently, the phrase, “on the shoulders of giants” goes back a very long way, and its most familiar expression was by […]
A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to listen to an excellent presentation given by Dr. Brian Hodges from the University Health Network. His talk provided a thought provoking exploration into the types of competencies health care practitioners will need in the not so distant future – and these competencies are quite different […]
I have always had a bit of an allergic reaction to things like “ice breakers,” “talking circles” and “mindful meditation” – an aversion I believe I share with others members of my profession. RTs tend to be very task-oriented and no-nonsense kind of people who like to troubleshoot, fix and move on. So many RTs […]
Do you know what I think is most surprising about the recent Harvey Weinstein scandal? Absolutely nothing. Same story; different day. It was Bill Cosby and Bill O’Reilly last week and its Harvey Weinstein this week. Guaranteed it will be someone else next week. And these are just the men who are rich and powerful […]
Social media was abuzz last week over the Utah burn unit nurse who was arrested for protecting the rights of her patient. The story goes that a police officer (who apparently was a part-time paramedic) wanted to take a blood sample from an unconscious patient who was injured in a deadly collision involving another driver […]
It seems that facts are having a tough time of it lately. For the first time, we are hearing phrases like “fake news” and “alternative facts”. Lies repeated frequently enough (or loudly enough) are often taken to be the truth – especially if these fabrications come from celebrities (I mean, how else can Gwyneth Paltrow […]
At the most recent CSRT conference, I attended a talk by Brian Walsh (President of the American Association of Respiratory Care) entitled “The Professional Road Ahead”. The purpose of Brian’s presentation was to look at some of the ways that RTs have the potential to make a significant impact – not just in the lives […]
Online reviews can be found for just about everything – restaurants, hotels, health clubs – and even for healthcare services and the professional who provide the care. And these reviews can carry an incredible amount of weight. Studies have shown up to 70% of people who look at online review trust these recommendations – even […]
From time to time I hear from RRTs who have a variety of concerns about teaching student RTs. I think one of the reasons for this is that it is often a role that we have not taken on before. One day we are a squeaky clean new grad and before we know it, we […]
Just this morning I read about a “wearable stethoscope” the size of a bandage that can listen to and record heart and lung sounds on a continuous basis. Yesterday I heard about some of the recent advances in home sleep apnea testing technology and how it is impacting polysomnography practice. There are pulse oximeters that […]
