{"id":11746,"date":"2020-05-08T19:20:44","date_gmt":"2020-05-08T23:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advertise.nurse.com\/?p=11746"},"modified":"2025-08-12T12:13:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T16:13:13","slug":"recruiting-respiratory-therapists-during-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nurse.com\/solutions\/blog\/recruiting-respiratory-therapists-during-covid-19","title":{"rendered":"Recruiting Respiratory Therapists During COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"

The need for respiratory therapists grows during pandemic<\/h2>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the stark reality for millions of Americans and people around the globe\u00a0that\u00a0there\u00a0are critically ill patients among us who\u00a0at\u00a0times need mechanical ventilation.<\/p>\n

Healthcare recruiters and other healthcare\u00a0professionals, are typically aware that\u00a0a ventilator needs a skilled, educated professional to operate it.\u00a0Those\u00a0professionals are respiratory therapists (RTs).<\/p>\n

RTs\u00a0are considered by some as the\u00a0unsung heroes of the COVID-19\u00a0crisis. This is\u00a0likely\u00a0because of a general\u00a0lack of\u00a0media coverage about their work and an unfamiliarity\u00a0by some\u00a0with the\u00a0profession.<\/p>\n

Under normal conditions,\u00a0healthcare\u00a0recruiting\u00a0can prove challenging. Amid COVID-19, filling RT vacancies quickly for organizations located in pandemic hot spots,\u00a0such as the New York metropolitan and others,\u00a0is\u00a0essential.<\/p>\n

Nurse.com\u00a0spoke with two\u00a0RTs to gain\u00a0insight into\u00a0strategies on recruiting fellow respiratory therapists\u00a0during COVID-19 and beyond,\u00a0and\u00a0the path\u00a0required to\u00a0join the profession.<\/p>\n

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Describing the need for RTs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Shawna Strickland,\u00a0PhD,\u00a0CAE,\u00a0RRT,\u00a0FAARC, associate\u00a0executive\u00a0director\u00a0at the\u00a0American Association for Respiratory Care<\/a>\u00a0(AARC),<\/u>\u00a0described the\u00a0life-saving\u00a0work of\u00a0RTs\u00a0during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cCOVID-19\u00a0infections can lead to severe lung illnesses,\u201d she said. \u201cThis has increased the demand for respiratory therapists with critical–<\/u>\u00a0<\/span>care knowledge\u00a0and\u00a0experience, as\u00a0these patients require very sophisticated mechanical ventilation strategies. As the number of patients who require mechanical ventilation grows, so does the demand for RTs.\u201d<\/p>\n

One RT is needed to operate four ventilators (one\u00a0ventilator per\u00a0patient\/four patients), said Patrick Moore, RRT, BHA, RCP, project specialist with Yellow Brick Consulting of\u00a0Glendora, Calif., an\u00a0RT\u00a0classroom instructor in an associate\u00a0degree program and a former clinical educator in acute care.<\/p>\n

While\u00a0some\u00a0practice guidelines\u00a0are\u00a0changing\u00a0and\u00a0more\u00a0is\u00a0<\/u>discovered\u00a0regarding\u00a0the most effective treatments for COVID-19, many critical patients have been placed on ventilators as their condition\u00a0worsen.<\/p>\n

To understand the\u00a0great\u00a0need for RTs during the COVID-19 crisis, Moore said, \u201cIf you\u2019re looking at using 2,<\/u>000 ventilators, that would require 500 RTs for one 12-hour shift. For two 12-hour shifts, you would need 1,<\/u>000 RTs to be fully staffed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding respiratory therapists during the pandemic highlights the need for effective recruiting strategies<\/a>\u00a0by hospitals, emergency planners, and in particular, in areas considered \u201chot spots\u201d with\u00a0more severe cases requiring hospitalizations.<\/p>\n

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Suggested recruiting strategies<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Under normal conditions and\u00a0before\u00a0the pandemic, Strickland said, \u201cThe job demand for RTs typically differs\u00a0by region.\u00a0<\/u>\u00a0<\/span>For example, California\u00a0generally\u00a0produces a lot of RTs in comparison to other states. Many of those\u00a0RT\u00a0graduates seek jobs in other states, some of which have hospitals with many job openings.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re recruiting for an organization in a current COVID-19 hot spot, it\u2019s\u00a0important\u00a0to\u00a0communicate\u00a0to job candidates the\u00a0perks<\/a>\u00a0of working with your organization.\u00a0<\/u>\u00a0<\/span>This is good practice under normal conditions, and even\u00a0more so a pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201dCompetitive pay, benefits, and a progressive department are always attractive for a job offer\u201d Strickland said. \u201c. During COVID-19,\u00a0it\u2019s important\u00a0RTs\u00a0know that the\u00a0hospital\u00a0and department\u00a0they\u2019re considering working for,<\/span>\u00a0provides adequate\u00a0personal\u00a0protective equipment. This\u00a0is vital.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another strategy for healthcare organizations to consider,<\/span>\u00a0is assessing if any of their current employees have an interest in becoming RTs, then offering tuition assistance for their training.<\/p>\n

\u201cPromoting within the facility to those\u00a0staff members\u00a0who wish to change careers is a good option to\u00a0grow\u00a0the profession,\u201d Strickland said\u201d. \u201cTuition reimbursement is a great benefit that many employees are either unaware of,<\/span>\u00a0or don’t know how to use effectively.<\/p>\n

Strickland described the work of respiratory therapists as:<\/p>\n