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 […]
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 […]
Sexual harassment in the workplace has received significant attention over the past number of years and rightfully so. Hopefully we all know that sexual harassment in any form, and in any setting, is completely unacceptable. However, a 2014 study into workplace conduct found that there was a form of negative behaviour occurring much more commonly […]
The closing out of a year always makes me want to look back and I am usually amazed about how much has happened in just twelve-months. Like most years, 2016 was mostly good with just a couple of things I could have lived without. Hopefully it was the same for you, too. If I look back […]
I have been hearing about large groups of people in the U.S. protesting the outcome of the recent presidential election. My first thought is “good for them” and my second thought is “I really hope they voted”. In the run up to the U.S. election, it was estimated that between 80 and 100 million voting-age […]
If you watch cable TV you may have already seen the Special K “Own it” marketing campaign that encourages women –no matter what their shape or situation is – to “proudly own it all”. It’s an interesting shift in perspective for a product that has always marketed itself to women as a diet cereal – […]
When considering the possible outcome of any given situation, I often find myself beginning with the worst possible scenario and working backwards from that (my friends will attest to this). I don’t see that as a bad thing. It’s RT Risk Management 101 – prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Even in […]
The astonishing array of personal information available at our fingertips has had two very different effects on our society, our healthcare system and on us as healthcare professionals. One is the growing awareness that we need to safeguard our privacy from the technology that has encroached on virtually every part of our lives. The other […]
