Losing Face... and Loving It!

At the outset, allow me to extol the virtues of respiratory care management. While individual respiratory care practitioners (RCPs) can impact patients’ lives on a one-on-one basis, managers can develop care delivery systems that impact whole populations of patients. However, in my role as Chief Respiratory Therapist, department Director, and Clinical Specialist, I was obliged to work 5 days per week. This can compete with one’s family obligations and hobbies. A few years ago, I migrated away from management and now work as a bedside RCP. Actually, I had forgotten how rewarding this role can be. As opposed to my entry-level stint as a bedside practitioner, I can now apply almost 40 years of clinical experience to my bedside duties, allowing me to intervene in some situations that would have virtually stymied me when I was a neophyte. My work schedule is a dream! Three 12-hour shifts per week translate to 4 days off per 7-day time window—it’s almost like having a vacation every week. I had initially resigned myself to taking a considerable cut in pay in order to pursue this route but discovered that the life of an experienced clinical RCP can be surprisingly lucrative. In the absence of any additional shifts above my three-shifts-per-week commitment, my annual gross pay comes to slightly more than $102,000! A friend of mine who is also a therapist opined that “a lot of managers would, if they could, avoid what they feel is a loss of face, and go right back to treating patients at the bedside.” Unfortunately, I fear that he’s probably right. In that case, you can feel free to count me among the ranks of faceless and happy RCPs.

Bob Demers, RRT
Steering Committee Member
Allied Health NetWork