Mom Identifies With Daughter's Respiratory Therapy Career
If anyone ever was predestined for a career in health care, Margaret Dye figures it had to be her.
“My mom has been a registered nurse working in a hospital setting all my life,” Dye said. “She would come home and share with me the compassion and healing that took place there. Having a mom who is a nurse had a great influence on me.”
On top of that, Dye’s initials happen to be “M.D.”
“Because of those initials, I just knew I would work in the medical field,” Dye said. “My family thought it was certain I was going to become a doctor.”
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All kidding aside, Margaret didn’t become a nurse or a doctor. Although she was accepted into a pre-pharmacy program, she soon discovered joy and fulfillment in respiratory care.
“While majoring in pharmaceutical medicine, I soon found out calculus wasn’t my cup of tea,” Dye said about one of the reasons for switching her career focus.
An interest inventory test soon afterwards identified her strengths and interests pointing firmly in the direction of a respiratory therapy career.
After completing specialized courses in respiratory therapy at a local community college, Dye was hired by SSM St. Mary’s Health Center in Richmond Heights, where she has worked for 15 years.
Providing respiratory care services in a hospital setting has proven to be versatile career that rarely gets boring.
“As a registered respiratory therapist, I work with noncritical patients, with patients in the intensive care unit and with outpatients all in one day. Each has their own different challenges and satisfactions,” Dye said.
In the hospital setting, respiratory therapists assist with bronchoscopies, administer therapy and perform electroencephalogram (EEG) tests, and every day is different. Yet, Dye said the most fulfilling aspect of her job isn’t the caring or healing as much as it is the teaching and encouragement.
“In respiratory therapy, we see a lot of patients who have just been diagnosed with emphysema,” Dye said. “They come here thinking it is the end of their world.
“I immediately try to put them at ease, pointing out there are many options that can improve their health,” she said. “They can have many years of quality life ahead. That relaxes them, puts a smile on their face and a joy in my heart.”
Dye also instructs her patients about proper breathing exercises and information available on the Internet. In the outpatient setting, she often is the medical professional who explains the technical aspects of care and watches her patients improve throughout time as her advice is implemented.
Because they often respond to emergency situations, such as a “code blue” in a patient’s room, respiratory therapists working in hospitals can experience some stressful moments.
“Being the member of the resuscitation team who is responsible for breathing when a patient codes demands someone who is quick on their feet and works well within a team of other medical professionals,” Dye said. “Seeing that patient start breathing again and knowing that you were responsible for their improvement gives real meaning to your job.”
Respiratory therapists can attend community college and technical school programs to become certified respiratory technicians or registered respiratory therapists. Bachelor’s degrees in respiratory therapy also are an option.
Dye currently is enrolled in classes to further her respiratory therapy career. She also stays in touch with her mom, who now lives in Kentucky.
“If I’m happy, she’s happy,” Dye said about her mother. “Quite honestly, she hoped I would become a doctor since that was my childhood desire, but she is delighted I chose a career in health care. Actually, it is kind of neat to teach her some things about respiratory care and treatment that she didn’t know.”
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