I’m a respiratory therapist, and yes I have gotten my ass kicked over the last two years. I was the one running into Covid patients rooms while the rest of the world was afraid to leave their houses. My fellow coworkers, nurses, techs, X-ray, EVS, technicians ect were reusing PPE and putting ourselves at risk every day when we weren’t even sure how this virus was transmitted. We were staying in hotels and hosing ourselves down before we went home to our family members in order to save yours. That’s our job, that’s what we signed up for yes, and we did it.
As you all know, COVID was a respiratory virus. The amount of patients we had on high oxygen, bipaps, and ventilators was insane. I can’t even begin to tell you the things I’ve seen and done the past two years, the amount of people we tried to save and failed, the people we have watched die.
This past Nov-Feb there was a surge in Covid again, the hospital was crazy, everywhere needed to upstaff, our usual amount of workers wasn’t enough. Overtime is great, sometimes you get a 10$ an hour bonus for working it if its a weekend or last minute, so some of us were getting a bonus if we asked for it.
In January we find out that all the nurses, CNAs, and even cafeteria staff is getting a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR AN HOUR bonus for every single extra shift they work. 100$ an hour, on top of their usual pay, to pick up a shift! Thats amazing! They deserve it! But the respiratory therapists? The ones running their asses off, managing all types of devices to deliver oxygen during a respiratory pandemic, are only getting a 10$ an hour bonus, and only if they ask? It was ridiculous and we were pissed. The hospital was asking for volunteers to hand out food trays for a 50$ an hour bonus while I’m getting nothing for running to codes all night. Eventually we were offered a 50$ an hour bonus so that way nice, but still, why are we not worth the hundred? The respiratory department is much smaller than nursing, there’s probably 200 of us tops between all the hospitals in our healthcare system as opposed to the thousands of nurses. It was just a total slap in the face. We’ve sporadically been getting offered bonus’s for shift that are short, while the nurses bonus’s have never stopped (and I don’t think they should! Nurses are awesome)
We just got an email from our director telling us how much money our hospital has spent over the last year, they have a shortage of 80 million dollars, and a whole 1 million is due to respiratory! This is from them giving us bonus’s and allowing us to work overtime and that has to stop! No more bonus for picking up an extra shift so that our coworkers aren’t short staffed! How dare we want some extra money for spending another 12 hours away from our families! I can’t believe the respiratory department could be so selfish and greedy to cause a shortage of 1 out of 80 million dollars during a respiratory pandemic. My blood is boiling. This is coming from the managers and CEO’s who have never stepped foot near a Covid patient.
End rant.