It was just another hectic day in the pulmonary outpatient department with piling ABG slips, Non-cooperative patients and the unending charts. From being the cute therapist to bringing out the policeman inside of me, my patients know to get the best out of me. At the end of the day the only thing you look forward to is to go and crash in your bed after some honey lemon water and cucumbers, that kind of sums up my day. On this note, I wrapped up my OPD, took the zentilion bags and headed back to the department to time out my duty. The joy of seeing the hour hand of the clock on ‘4’ during day shifts is a feeling unexplainable. All these thoughts were brought to a standstill when a strong resistance stopped me from moving forward. With a sudden jerk I looked aside, to my surprise it was the frail tiny but firm hands of a woman with a 100 watt smile asking me “epudi iruku?“ which means “how are you“ in Tamil. That was the love and affection from the wife of COPD Patient whom we had treated in our wards. This small gesture made all the tireless efforts, the extra hours and much more worth it. I was leaping forward with joy and then I heard someone calling from behind ”Papa” which means kiddo in Tamil. At first, I thought it was for someone else, but anyways I turned back and to my surprise I saw a lady take her dust mask off and rush towards me. It was another patient who was critically ill and was on invasive mechanical ventilation in the ICU a month ago. It’s wonderful to see your patient well. The gratitude of some humbles us a team.
Therapy / Treatment is not just administered by an individual, in fact the well-being of the patient is the cumulative efforts of the healthcare team. Each of us; be it an “RT”, a Doctor, a Nurse, a Lab technologist, a Radiographer all play a unique role in the healthcare arena and no one can replace each other. This might give you an idea that intern life is a bed of roses, indeed it is. Roses have thorns on the stem, and sometimes the thorns prick you, you might even bleed but that doesn’t stop you from getting roses for your beloved ones; Isn’t it? Same applies here, there are days you feel dead tired and don’t even have the strength to move an inch, days when you feel like giving up, days when you feel disappearing into the depths of the ocean and never be found. But it’s these small gestures of your patients that keep you going.
3 years of being a student and now an intern, the hustle and bustle among the Vent alarms, ABGs, Therapy orders, Spirometry, Rehab sessions, Theatre scopy procedures, Sleep studies I was taught to value every moment of life as a precious gift from above. I realized that what we are called to do is more than oxygen therapy, aerosol therapy or managing mechanically ventilated patients, rather to be there for them at their most difficult times and helping them to breathe without wearing themselves out. “We are not a household name, we are not characters on a medical TV show nor do small children want to grow up to be us. But they should”, as in the words of Ms Melissa Allen (RRT). Our Role in the system is quite an essential one but often unheard, unspoken of, that’s why we are known as the Silent Heroes who are used to running in and saving lives. Like all heroes we don’t seek praise and we step in by understanding the need. So ‘who is’ and ‘what does’ a Respiratory therapist do? If you are one, you might know we are few in number, overworked and few understand what we do. Patients, family and friends might confuse us with other disciplines of healthcare and other professions have huge misconception about our work. But that doesn’t stop us from being awesome and I’m Proud to be a part of Respiratory therapy family. We don’t need huge posters or TV commercials to make people understand what we do. Our actions speak much louder than all of these. As they say “We are cute enough to take your breath away, but trained enough to bring it back.
Yours Truly
Miss Alex
(Something I penned for IARC (Indian Association of Respiratory Care)
