RRTs in Ontario, Its Role & Responsibilities, and its Function within a Multidisciplinary Team

Respiratory Therapy in Ontario

Respiratory Therapy (RT) is a regulated profession in the province of Ontario. To practice as a Registered Respiratory Therapist in Ontario (RRT), RRTs are required to hold a membership at the College of Respiratory Therapists of Ontario (CRTO). The CRTO is a regulatory body, authorized by the Regulated Health Professionals Act, governing the practice of its Members in the public interest.[1] Through strict requirements of entry and continued proficiency, the College ensures that its Members are practicing by minimum standards of care as laid out by the College.1

As a Member of the CRTO, RRTs are required to maintain an annual professional portfolio, which is reviewed by the Portfolio Review Committee at the CRTO on a 5-year cycle. As part of this process, Members are required to select an annual learning goal related to their profession and log a minimum of 12 learning activities such as conferences, articles, workshops, etc. related to their learning goal for that year. If a Member meets the minimum requirements as outline above, their next review year will be scheduled 5 years later. If a member fails to meet the minimum requirements, the Reviewing Committee Member (also known as Peer Assessor) will schedule a one on one session with the Member to review their portfolio. 

In addition to being a Member of the CRTO, I am also a Peer Assessor Portfolio Committee Member at the CRTO.

Liability Protection for Respiratory Therapists

RRTs are generally protected for liability and professional error through their employers; however, the protection is quite limited and not sufficient in case of major liability. However, as Members of the CRTO RTs do have the option to enroll with the Respiratory Therapy Society of Ontario (RTSO) for additional liability insurance, which provides sufficient coverage in cases of major liability claims. 

Respiratory Therapists, Vital Part of a Multidisciplinary Team

Speaking from personal experiences, I can attest to the fact that outcomes are always more favorable when members of a patient's care team interact with one another in a professional and cohesive fashion. In addition to reducing redundancies and potential for errors, it provides relief for families and caregivers when they see their loved ones are being cared for by a team rather than individuals who may not be on the same page.

From a physiologic perspective, our bodies are comprised of a sophisticated and integrated system of networks that through cohesive interaction maintain homeostasis. Members of a care team are similar to organs found within the subject they are caring for, in that they may be beyond sophisticated at the individual level, but only useful when they operate in tandem with the rest of the organs within the body.

As an RT I spend most of my time at work interacting with other professions who are working towards the same goal of improving our patients’ health so that they can return to their family with a better quality of life than they first came in with to the hospital. These interactions are sometimes formal in the form of multidisciplinary rounds, conferences, family/caregiver interviews; and other times it may be a casual conversation with the bedside nurse regarding a recent change that I have made in the ventilator.

What is an appropriate social media presence?

Before drawing a line between what’s appropriate and what’s not appropriate social media presence, it is essential to first define what is referred to as social media. According to (Naions, 2019) “Social media are web-based communication tools that enable people to interact with each other by sharing and consuming information”. According to this definition, social media is in part a tool, however, at the core of it is the human-to-human interaction that accommodates the exchange of information.

When referring to human-to-human interaction, the medium through which that interaction takes place is irrelevant when determining appropriate conduct. The interaction may be face-to-face, via telephone, in writing, or through one of the various social media platforms; however, one thing that should remain consistent is one’s principles and values and the application of those principles and values in how those interactions take place.

In my opinion, social media interactions are neither superior nor inferior when compared to traditional means of engagement. As a prerequisite, appropriate social media presence includes interactions that are in-tune with our values and principles and how we interact with others in person. In our daily in-person interactions we often refrain from taking certain actions and abstain from saying certain things because we do not want to be defined by those inappropriate actions. Similarly, in our social media presence, we should not be deceived by the artificial screen, and must only portray ourselves in a manner that’s in-line with our values and principles.

How does your response consider professional ethical standards?

Regardless of the specific profession each one of us belongs to, we are all expected to adhere to a certain code of conduct and professional ethical standards while representing a certain organization. In part, our values and principles are influence by our professional ethical standards.

For example, based on professional ethical standards we should never see a pilot holding a bottle of beer as they greet passengers on board an airplane. Similarly, you should never see a nurse showing up to a rave party wearing their hospital scrubs and ID card – and fortunately, we almost never do. However, we often see people posting daring content on their social media platforms while they identify affiliation with a certain organization – which is the opposite of appropriate social media presence as defined above.

As a professional are you obligated to speak up in public?

As a Registered Respiratory Therapist, I am not obligated to speak in public through the traditional definition of obligation to the public, similar to how a politician would be expected to. However, as a professional, I am obligated to speak up when warranted through my obligation to be an expert and a patient advocate in my field.

We often see social media posts that have questionable validity or comments that are inaccurate and actually may be harmful to society. For example, COVID19 vaccine trials have not even concluded yet; and I have already seen several posts from anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists questioning the function of the vaccine and spreading mass hysteria among the public.

As a professional, in this case, I am obligated to speak up, and share my knowledge to counterbalance the inaccurate information that’s being spread around, as long as I do that through appropriate social media presence and with full consideration of my personal values and principles and the professional ethical standards of the organization that I belong to – that’s if I am publicly advertising affiliation with a certain organization.

References

Naions, D. (2019, 12 19). What Is Social Media? Retrieved from Lifewire: https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-social-media-explaining-the-big-trend-3486616

[1] (College of Respiratory Therapists of Ontario, 2020)