Shadow for a day

Derek Stephenson Job Shadow

I performed a day of work as a Respiratory Therapist at Park City Hospital. My overall impression of the job shadowing experience was that this was a very valuable experience. After job shadowing for just a day I saw some things that I had no idea the job entailed. I know you don’t learn everything in one day but it made me realize there are some unglamorous things in the medical field that school just can’t prepare you for. A job shadow could save you lots of time and money as far as school is concerned. It can also develop many good relationships and potential job leads for future employment. I think I need to do some more research before choosing this as my proffesion.

Michelle Colledge

RN/RT Park City Hospital

Why did you choose respiratory therapy as a profession? The choice was easy for me because I graduated in Respiratory Therapy so when it came time to go to work I could actually use the degree that I worked so hard for.

What do you enjoy most about your job? I enjoy helping people and making them feel better. I also enjoy the people and environment that I work in.

What are some things you don’t enjoy about your job? Well, you make relationships with patients that you see on a day to day basis and occasionally a patient’s condition can worsen and some don’t survive and that can be difficult to deal with.

Do you find these circumstances difficult to cope with? Yes and no, in the beginning it took some getting used to, but I have learned to deal with these situations and I have learned to leave my work at work.

Is this job in your long term career plans? Yes, in some fashion I plan on continuing my job as an R/T. As an RT you can work in many different fields of medicine.

What other medical fields are available to an RT? You can go to work as a Life Flight RT, also a NICU RT a RN/RT, and there are many more fields where a Respiratory Therapist can find work.

How long did you go to school to become a Respiratory Therapist? I went to school at UVU for 3 years, going to night school trying to get accepted to Webers program and eventually was accepted. Then it was another 7 semesters or so and I finally was done. Weber State had a great RT program and I would recommend it to all.

Overall is Respiratory Therapy a satisfying career? Yes, I enjoy the work, the hours, I have a sense of self accomplishment and I feel like I’m making a difference in patients’ lives. I look forward to coming to work each day. Oh yeah and I enjoy the people that surround me each day.