Current standards for performing the Six minute walk test (6mwt) include not walking with the patient, so that they will walk at their own pace rather than attempt to keep pace with the tester. While this may allow a better result, careful observation of the patient before, during, and after the 6mwt, and handoff of…
Walk into any store these days, and there are miles of aisles full of vitamins, supplements, teas, herbs, and more that claim to help with every breathing issue there is. I am wary of each and every one of them, largely due to possible interactions with other drugs you may be taking. For people with…
This past week, I gave my Advance Directives talk to my group. I try to give it on a Friday, so that my patients can think it over and bring questions on Monday. Over the years, I have had many patients call me and ask when I am giving that talk again so they can…
I have job security. Big-time. How can I be so sure of this? Because medical marijuana is legal in California, other states are soon to follow. As of this writing, 22 states have legalized marijuana, meaning one can have a certain amount on their person and grow a certain number of plants. All one has…
I’ve interviewed a lot of RT candidates over the years, from new grads to greatly experienced. Here are some tips for getting approval… Well, mine, anyway. Confidence: It’s a fine line between being confident and arrogant. I’ve had many new grads say, ‘Yes, I know how to do this and that’, when what they really…
Once upon a time, in a hospital long ago, RT managers actually read resumes. But now, managers are bogged down with more important tasks, and have turned all hiring over to Human Resources (HR). Since HR people have no idea what an RT actually does, hospitals have turned to resume bots. These are nothing more…
One of the markers we use in Pulmonary Rehab is the Borg scale. We have patients rate their breathing from 0 to 10, and their exercise intensity from 0 to 10. It takes them a few weeks to get used to this, as most of them rate their breathing as either good or bad, and…
Are you facing having to undergo a lung transplant? The “Good News” that you are on the transplant list may have been a long time coming… or, may have happened so quickly you were surprised. Either way, the events leading up to being on the list are grueling, and scary… so many tests, so many…
I get asked all the time… “Kelly, I have no insurance. So every time I go to the clinic, I get seen by a different doctor. They have my chart, but I have to start all over every time I go. You say to ask my doctor about this and that, but I have no…
Are you using your oxygen correctly? Most patients don’t! The only way to tell if you need oxygen, and when, is to do the proper tests. A six- minute walking test, done by your R.T., will tell you if you need oxygen with exercise, or at rest. An overnight sleep study will tell you…