Tips on Reaching Your Goals to Become a Respiratory Therapist

More than 25 years ago, I was sitting in my grandmother’s home at a family gathering along with many successful family members, and we were all just reminiscing when it hit me. Suddenly, I knew that when I got back home 800 miles away, I was going to go back to school. Just like that, out of nowhere, I knew I wanted to get an education and a skill.

Even though my mother was a registered nurse and I had visited medical facilities as a child, I never wanted to be a nurse. But now that I was older and a young parent, I needed a dependable career similar to what nursing offers. My mother had another idea.

I had never heard of respiratory therapy and wasn’t even sure I could spell “respiratory” correctly. But after she informed me about this promising line of work and gave me an example of why she felt it would be obtainable for me, it just so happened that my younger brother’s oldest friend, who had lived across the street from us when we were children, had become an RT — I was sold.

Luckily for me, my mother’s sister had attended a community college for her nursing certification that had a respiratory technician and therapist program, so I knew where to go for my education.

I enrolled immediately, although not without the school’s resistance. After reviewing my documents, they found I needed to take a few remedial courses, and I got busy doing that.

I promise you I did not know at the time that this decision would end up being the best of my life. But it was, and I’d like to share my story with you in the hope it will help you complete your RT journey as well. Now take a deep breath.

The preliminaries

A high school diploma or GED is required for an RT program, but if you have been out of school for a while, I recommend taking the assessment test. After you see your assessment score, take any remedial classes needed to get up to speed. Once that is achieved, begin your journey by taking the basic courses, such as Math and English, needed to enter the respiratory program.

Once the program begins, sit in the upper half of the classroom so you will easily be within the instructor’s line of sight. You will probably introduce yourselves, so pay close attention to your classmates to see what you will be getting from each one. Use all their strengths because it will take a village to achieve your goal.

Now it’s time to get started. The first thing to understand is that the program has two parts. A classroom part and a clinical part.

The classroom part

The respiratory therapy classroom is primarily composed of lecture and lab courses. Succeeding in these courses requires common sense, math skills, reading comprehension, and luck.

You will be given tons of information that you must, and I mean must learn. Stay focused and take notes during the lecture, then rewrite and review your notes. Highlight important points while reading the corresponding chapters in your textbook before moving on to the next topic.

Start off in good standing because it only gets harder. It is best to earn your good grades early, as it is very challenging to play catch-up later.

For test-taking, go back and review all your lecture notes, and memorize the highlighted notes at least two days before the exam. If there is anything that you don’t know, call a peer, and no matter what, get help to know the problem inside out. If you live in a busy household, spend some time with your friends or family the day before the exam and then start studying at night once everyone else is asleep. I found caffeine drinks, fast music, and candy helped keep me going.

Study 100%. But get some pre-morning sleep too before arising to shower and eat breakfast. At this point, there is no need to do anything else, because it will feel like all the test answers are ready to just fall out of your head.

Once the exam is over, I advise you to quickly check for the correct answers for as many questions on the test as you can remember to get an idea of your score.

Now rest and complete this cycle of study habits throughout the program. It is also not a bad idea to take part in some group study sessions to observe your peers and compare notes, and it’s okay to share your knowledge. If there is a big brain in the group, stay close, even ask for a tutorial session, and be willing to pay.

But if you are not making progress in these sessions, don’t spend too much time on them.

The clinical part

Clinicals were my favorite part of the program. This is when you go to a hospital twice a week in the designated uniform. Wearing a uniform helps you to immediately feel successful, and you’ll also be pleasantly surprised by the respect you receive from absolutely everyone passing by.

Clinicals consist of a small group of peers led by a clinical instructor who guides you as you practice what you have learned in the classroom environment. This is your opportunity to shine. But let me be the first to warn you that you will be seeing death and comforting patients and their loved ones. Your strength will begin to show as you safely grow your skills and build confidence in yourself.

You will be given several tasks to perfect, so learn well, be inquisitive, ask questions, read, and observe. Never be in too big a hurry to follow universal safety precautions and to wash your hands frequently.

Come prepared to clinicals, as they will mimic your upcoming job. It is hard work, but your body will begin to build resistance the more you are exposed to the hospital setting. Comfortable shoes are a must-have, no matter what the price, both now and throughout your whole career, as the long hours of being on your feet can be crippling as you age.

I also recommend a pouch with scissors, a highlighter, a black ink pen, a secondhand watch, hand sanitizer, lunch or money for lunch, peppermint candy, and a phone charger. Be the person who has everything, not the person who needs to borrow everything. Make sure your car has a full tank of gas and always get a good night’s rest prior to arrival.

Shine brightly during clinicals because leaving a lasting, positive impression on the hospital staff could be the beginning of a secure career.

Now, get to work and good luck.