Lisa Weisenberger

Hi, welcome to today's episode of the AARC Perspectives Podcast. I'm Lisa Weisenberger, AARC Director of Content and Communications, and I'm joined today by Darlene Boggs Assistant Director of Respiratory Therapy and Pulmonary Function at University Hospitals and Cleveland Medical Center. AARC Thanks Class for their support of today's podcast. Darlene, thanks so much for joining me today. To begin, could you tell me a little bit about your journey to becoming a respiratory therapist and why you chose to be an educator?

Darlene Boggs

Sure. So back when I was in high school, I was always interested in the medical field. I was really enjoyed doing my math and sciences. And I honestly always thought I was going to become a nurse. But then when I applied at my community college, I started looking through the catalog, and I realized that the nursing program required public speaking. And I was terrified as an 18-year-old. I'm like, there's no way I could do public speaking. So I continued looking through the catalog, chose respiratory therapy, saw that, looked that up, and decided to apply for that program. And I was accepted in the fall. So then, you know, I was a few months in and I still really wasn't sure if I had made the right decision or not. But after going to clinicals, doing CPR and my first time on a patient, and the patient survived, I can remember driving home and thinking, wow, that was awesome. And I think this is where I belong. And I've been in the field for 40 years. So I did education a little bit in the beginning, and then I got into leadership. So I've been in leadership almost 20 years. I enjoy leadership. I enjoy uh promoting people, helping people, you know, become the best therapists they can, and just, you know, supporting. So that's my favorite.

Lisa Weisenberger

That's a great story. So I guess with all of the things that you've seen, what do you think are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the respiratory therapy profession today?

Darlene Boggs

Um, right now, I think the biggest challenge in respiratory is our workforce recruitment and retention. As experienced therapists are retiring and the demand for respiratory care continues to grow, the healthcare organizations are working to attract and retain qualified RTs. Another challenge is ensuring that the profession is fully recognized for the experience that the RTs bring to patient care. Respiratory therapists are highly trained clinicians who make clinical decisions regarding mechanical ventilation, oxygen therapy, pulmonary diagnostics, and airway management. And we need continued efficacy and education for helping to increase the awareness of the profession along with the patients and the healthcare leaders. Despite these challenges, though, there's a lot of reasons to be optimistic. Healthcare is placing greater emphasis on evidence-based practice, quality outcomes, and interdisciplinary collaboration, all areas where the respiratory therapists have proven impact. RTs are increasingly taking leadership roles in developing protocols, improving patient safety, reducing ventilator-associated complications, enhancing pulmonary rehabilitation, and leading quality improvements. The greatest opportunity is a growing recognition of respiratory therapists as essential members of the health care team. And COVID-19 really helped highlight the critical role of respiratory therapy in managing patients. That increased our visibility, continues to open doors for expanding clinical roles and leadership opportunities, which helps, you know, shape the future of respiratory care.

Lisa Weisenberger

Yeah, so how do the students find out if university hospitals are hiring?

Darlene Boggs

So if respiratory therapists can or students can find out about jobs at university hospitals by going to universityhospitals.org slash careers, and they can see what positions we have open there. They can also contact any manager at university hospitals for shadowing opportunities. And also we're partnering with CLASP for student loan repayment programs. So they can go to CLASP.com and look up what university hospitals has to offer there also.

Lisa Weisenberger

Can you tell me a little bit more about CLASP and how they are helping your employees succeed and find the jobs?

Darlene Boggs

So CLASP is a student loan repayment program that once the therapist is interested and they can apply for the program, it will pay up to $20,000 of their student loan repayment over a two-year period. So it's a little different than a sign-on bonus because it's paid in monthly increments instead of all at once. So there is some tax advantages because of that. Like it's not taxed all at once. It helps the student, you know, make sure that they have a solid payment each month that's, you know, being paid directly to their student loan. And it's, like I said, up to the $20,000 per student.

Lisa Weisenberger

That sounds like a great program. Why did the hospital decide to partner with CLASP?

Darlene Boggs

I think its shows that we want to invest in our employees, like we're trying to retain employees, obviously, and recruit, but it just really helps to show that we're invested in our employees, invested in getting, you know, the new hires here and hoping that it retains for not only the two years, but longer once they're here in the system.

Lisa Weisenberger

That's great. So, what would you tell students or new graduates that are coming in to be hired in your hospital about why respiratory therapy is such a great profession to get into?

Darlene Boggs

Respiratory, is a very very demanding job, but it's also like our our day is never the same. Every day is different. There's a lot of opportunities in the hospital. We work through the whole entire, house, like we're in the emergency room and the ICUs, we're emergency medicine. So any, anytime there's a code, we're called and we're, head of the bed, helping to save the patient. There's also opportunities in education and pulmonary function labs and sleep labs. And there's a lot of growth in respiratory therapy. We're one of the highest growing professions in healthcare. So there's opportunity, to be employed, which is really good.

Lisa Weisenberger

Darlene, what type of student thrives in respiratory therapy, or what kind of skills do you think they need to thrive in this profession?

Darlene Boggs

Um, definitely students who enjoy science and physiology. That's one of the key things. Somebody who likes solving problems, working well under pressure, is able to communicate, well with patients and enjoys teamwork. Those are really the type of students that we're looking for. Um, and then, you know, like I mentioned before, is a variety because with respiratory, every single day is different. We're not on just one wing of a hospital. We're all throughout the whole hospital. So every single day is different. So anybody who likes variety and maybe gets bored doing the same thing every day, this is, you know, not what you're gonna see. So why is university hospital a great place to work? And why did you choose to work there? So I really for this reputation is why I chose it. Because it's a great place to start. Um, they have long-term career offerings like for clinical experience. They support us for as far as tuition reimbursement. They encourage you, to further your education. So there's a lot of, somebody who wants to do just babies can work at Rainbow Babies and Children's. If you want just adults, you can work at Cleveland Medical Center. If you want a combination, you can do work at our community site. So there's a little bit for everybody. And I really feel that they do a really well job of recognizing respiratory therapy, rewarding us for the things that we do, and just really the support. I think that's the most important. So why live in Cleveland to work and to play, I guess, too. It's a great university city. The cost of living is fairly low, you know, compared to some, you know, bigger cities. We have, as I say, great sports teams. I don't know if we have great sports teams, but we have sports teams. We have some great ones. Same way in Chicago. There's a lot of cultural here, you know, parks and you know, there's just a lot to do. And uh it's a growing city and, it's a nice place to work, to live.

Speaker 1

So anything else you'd like to share about your respiratory care journey, clasp, and the respiratory therapy profession?

Speaker

We need respiratory therapists. We're definitely looking for people, you know. If there's anybody who's is even slightly interested, you know, contact a hospital. They could contact me. Like we'll do shadowing. You know, that's really one of the best things. We see people who are not really sure what they want to do, and they'll call and say, Can I come shadow a therapist? And they'll spend a few hours with us, and then they're hooked. They're like, we want to, this is what we want to do, you know. So, you know, definitely look into your colleges, you know, reach out to your local hospitals, see what they have to offer. So, can you tell me what a day is like in the life of a respiratory therapist? So the therapists, when they come to work, they get an assignment and they have assigned patients to see. So they're going to see patients to, you know, evaluate their breathing, give breathing treatments. And then if they're working in the ICU, they're managing ventilators. They're, working alongside the physicians and the nurses to create their care path, and helping them to get better. And then there is a code blue, and we're running off to any emergencies. I'm here at Cleveland, we're a level one trauma unit, so we're involved in the emergency room a lot. Any traumas that come in, we're, right at the bedside. So it's delivering routine medications, but it's also doing critical emergency things on and off. And some days are busier than others, and it all kind of balances out. We have a great team. Uh, the therapists all work really well together. How many respiratory therapists are on staff? Here at Cleveland, we have um 16 therapists on staff both days and nights. That doesn't include leadership and our clinical coordinator. So every day, there's probably about 20 total that are here. But yeah, so it's a busy place.

Speaker 1

So can you tell me about a memorable patient story that you've experienced during your career?

Darlene Boggs

Yeah, I think there's I have a lot of them, but I think the ones that stick with you, or at least with me, there's two ends. Like I've done babies and where you're helping bring a baby into life and they're not breathing, and then you're helping them, and they all of a sudden start breathing, and the parents are all excited. And that's a really happy, very happy time. And then we have the other aspect of, you know, patients who are at the end of their life and they're getting ready to take their last breath. And the the impact that you make, not only on the patient, but with the patient's family. We really become very, very close with the family. But even as a leader now, I get letters and and emails from our patients thanking the therapist for being right there with them until the very end, and that we truly make an impact. And then everything in between. As a therapist, you you truly can do at both ends. You know, the beginning is very beautiful and the end can be very beautiful. And being part of that is really awesome.

Lisa Weisenberger

I guess you don't often think of it in that manner. Like I have a son who was a preemie and the respiratory therapist, just like you said, we're right there with him for a couple of months, and he's 15 now and doing great thanks to the therapist. What a great way to phrase it from the first breath all the way to the last breath. On that note, thank you, Darlene, for joining me today for this episode of the AARC Perspectives Podcast. And thank you to CLASP for their support of this podcast. For more information about clasp and connecting yourself or your students to their services, visit CLASP.com. And don't forget to subscribe to this podcast wherever you listen, and be sure to share this resource with your colleagues and other AARC members.