Health is the main consideration of people in different age and of different welfare. To be healthy means to be successful, powerful and happy. There is a tendency in modern world to the allied health professions. This is a relatively new profession (referencing to the fact that medicine exists for many centuries), which is separated from the other scope of health care professions, medicine, nursing and dentistry. Allied healthcare professionals are valued for their ability to combine the research work with something which is really worthwhile. Respiratory therapist is one of the professions, which is considered to be allied health, as people, who help us breath, make more and more researches in the sphere which is not investigated till the end, and the result of their work is the grateful feedbacks from the patients.
Considering the definition, it may be said that “respiratory therapy is the allied health profession responsible for the treatment, management, diagnostic testing, and control of patients with cardiopulmonary deficits” (Pozgar, 2006, p. 246). It is usually considered that respiratory therapy is a modern science which was discovered in 1940.
This opinion is mistaken as the roots of the respiratory therapy extend back to the ancient times. Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.) and Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) are considered to be the fathers of the respiratory therapy and the innovators in the use of oxygen in the therapy. Leonardo da Vinci also provided some respiratory investigations in 1400s. Thomas Beddoes was the establisher of Pneumatic Institute and provided the use of primitive oxygen mask, what was a real contribution in the respiratory therapy profession development. 1878 was the year when Oertel used “positive pressure to treat asthma” (Wyka, Mathews, & Clark, 2001, p. 8).
Early 1900s are characterized by the attempts to use mechanical ventilation. 1940s and 1950s were the years of clinical and organizational growth. One of the representatives of this period was Dr. Alvin Barach. The abound of information which is available and the level of technological achievement is one of the main possibility for progress in the respiratory therapy profession and the developing of its history (Wyka et al, 2001).
The education is very important in any field of medicine. Medical schools, colleges or Universities are the main requirements before hiring a person. Moreover, there are a lot of extension courses which help young professionals to develop their skills and knowledge and reach the other stage of acceptance. According to Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), “51 entry-level and 329 advanced respiratory therapy programs were accredited in the United States of America in 2005” (The United States Department of Labor, 2006, p. 308). To become trustful and reliable doctor, he/she has to go through certification and licensure.
There are two types of certificates which are offered today in America that is Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) and Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT). The graduates from the educational establishments in medicine have the rights to pass the exams and to be qualified to one of these certificates. The licensure is the necessary way to be able to provide the practice in the studied field of medicine. To get the licensure therapists have to pass the exam on one of the certificate. Moreover, there is tendency to ask for cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification in order to be licensed (The United States Department of Labor, 2006).
It is not a secret that every job contains the responsibilities which should be followed anyway. Considering the respiratory therapist, his/her work usually lasts for 40 hours per week, but here is a tendency for the part work occupation, that is when respiratory therapy work only 20 hours per week. Large medical centers have the opportunity to provide the respiratory therapists with the separate cabinets with lots of different tools and devices which are very helpful in their work.
The small hospitals, which cannot afford such placement, put into hazards patients, as they have to go to the therapist, then move to the procedure cabinet and return to the place of recept. Furthermore, big medical centers can allow having respiratory therapists’ assistants who are busy with different non important business (The United States Department of Labor, 2006).
So, respiratory therapy is a very responsible allied health profession, which helps us to keep up breathing and the quick reaction of which make it possible for us to live longer. Allied healthcare professions are aimed to improve the healthcare system and to make it function better. Respiratory therapy is a very responsible profession as when the problem with breathing appears, the count comes on seconds and often only the quick reaction and the professionalism of the doctor helps people to stay alive.
The history and background of the profession shows that a lot of researches were provided and a lot of discoveries were made, but there are still so much work can be done in the field as there are still diseases which impossible to treat with current knowledge.
Reference List
Pozgar, G. D. (2006). Legal aspects of health care administration. Jones & Bartlett Publishers, New York.
The United States Department of Labor. (2006). Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-2007 Edition. McGraw-Hill Professional, New York.
Wyka, K. A., Mathews, P. J., & Clark, W. F. (2001). Foundations of respiratory care. Cengage Learning, London.