RUNNING HEAD: INTERDISCIPLINARY PAPER 1

Interdisciplinary Paper

Morgan Metzger

Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences

RUNNING HEAD: INTERDISCIPLINARY PAPER 2

Interdisciplinary Paper

Respiratory therapists are a vital part of the healthcare system. According to the U.S.

Bureau of Labor and Statistics (2019), a respiratory therapist’s duty is to help people who may

need assistance with breathing. Some patients may be struggling with asthma or different kinds

of respiratory diseases and it is the respiratory therapist who assists these patients. Respiratory

therapists are required to learn a variety of skills. Among these skills according to Respiratory

Therapist License (n.d.), include; critical thinking, educate patients, exceptional communication

skills, and be compassionate, just to name a few. A respiratory therapist is required to preform

several responsibilities throughout their shift. Respiratory Therapist License (n.d.) states that

responsibilities that respiratory therapist perform include; managing life support monitors, help

manage cardiopulmonary therapy equipment, perform studies, check vital signs, and help with

counseling patients with breathing. Respiratory therapists are an important part of the healthcare

system team due to the fact that they are the ones who are the most efficient to help patients

breathe. According to AARCCenter (2013), the YouTube video states that no one in the

healthcare field knows the lungs and breathing system like respiratory therapists do.

Respiratory therapists are required to complete educational requirements. According to

the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (2019), respiratory therapists need to complete at least

an associate degree, and some do have their bachelor’s degree. A professional organization or

accrediting licensing agency that influences respiratory therapists is the Commission of

Accreditation of Respiratory Care. This accrediting company according to the Council for

Higher Education Accreditation (2015) is an entry program in associate, bachelors, and

master’s degrees for respiratory care.

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I feel that respiratory therapists have positive and negative outcomes on patients.

Respiratory therapists have a positive effect on patients because they are able to help patients

who need assistance breathing or may not be able to breathe on their own. Respiratory therapists

may have a negative effect on patient outcomes because they are not able to perform tasks that a

registered nurse could when dealing with a patient with other medical complications. Respiratory

therapists have an impact on the interdisciplinary team. According to the Registered Nursing

Staff Writers (2020), respiratory therapists benefit the interdisciplinary team due to the fact that

they are able to collaborate and help solve respiratory related patient problems. Respiratory

therapists are able to provide specific breathing care that benefit the interdisciplinary team.

Physical Therapists are also a vital part of the interdisciplinary team. Physical therapists,

according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (2020), work to help patients manage pain,

regain strength from injuries or surgery, and help patients with disabilities. They are able to help

patients by doing different activities and exercises in order to restore the patient to optimal

health. As stated in the YouTube video by County San Diego (2010), physical therapists are also

able to help patients who suffer from spina bifida, cerebral palsy, and juvenile rheumatoid

arthritis. There are many skills that physical therapists need to be able to do. Skills required by

physical therapists according to the College Foundation of North Carolina (n.d.) include being

able to communicate effectively, instruct patients, be coordinated, have time management and

critical thinking skills, plan treatments, and being a good listener. Respiratory therapists have

many responsibilities. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (2020), physical

therapists are responsible for developing plans for patients, using equipment to help their patients

with their specific needs, and educate patients on their process of recovering or learning.
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Educational requirements that physical therapist need to meet as stated by the U.S.

Bureau of Labor and Statistics (2020), is that they need to complete their Doctor of Physical

Therapy degree and become licensed. A professional organization or accrediting licensing

agency that influences physical therapists stated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics

(2020), is the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. According to the

American Physical Therapy Association and Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy

Education (2017) the role of this association is to make sure that the educational physical therapy

program meets the standards of the profession as a whole. The association is in place to make

sure that educational faculties are doing the right thing in order to get students to become

practicing physical therapists.

I feel that physical therapists have a tremendous role in the healthcare system. Physical

therapists are able to do many things that other health professionals cannot. They are able to

create care plans for the patient with different exercises or movements. These therapies will help

them recover from an injury, surgery and reduce the amount of pain the patient may be having.

They are able to do this through body movements and exercise. Even though the role of the

physical therapist is positive, they are not able to prescribe medication as a doctor could in order

to manage the patients’ pain. They are only able to control or manage patients with exercise

focusing on the physical aspects, not through administering medication. Physical therapists also

have a role in the interdisciplinary team. According to the Registered Nursing Staff Writers

(2020), they impact the interdisciplinary team by being able to help the patient regain strength,

movement, balance, and much more.

Another important part of the interdisciplinary team is speech and language pathologists.

These healthcare providers job, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (2019), is to
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assist patients to prevent swallowing and speech disorders. Also stated by the U.S. Bureau of

Labor and Statistics (2019), the duties of speech and language pathologists include creating

treatment options for patients, teach children and adults how to improve speaking by creating

sounds to strengthen their voices, and working with adults and children to learn to be able to

swallow. Speech and language pathologists are able to help adults and children who may not be

able to speak effectively. They are able to work with the individual and create a plan that is

going to meet the needs of the patient. Knowledge and skills that are required of a speech and

language pathologist as stated by Georgia State University: Communication Sciences and

Disorders (2018), include communicating to patients with both verbal and nonverbal ques, time

management skills, manage stress, collaborating with other healthcare professionals and patients,

and good cognitive traits. These are just some of the skills and responsibilities that it takes to be

a speech and language pathologist. According to Vidant Health (2016), in the YouTube video

Matthew Eiban mentions how speech and language pathologists also have the qualities of being

flexible, have integrity, be passionate, and have accountability to make sure that each and every

patient is being treated to optimal health.

It does require specific educational training to become a speech and language pathologist.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (2019), most of these health professionals

need to maintain a master’s degree and become licensed. A professional organization or

accrediting licensing agency that influences speech and language pathologist is the American

Speech-Language-Hearing Association. According to American Speech-Language-Hearing

Association (ASHA) they are a credentialing association whose vision is to create effective

communication for everyone (n.d.).

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I believe that speech and language pathologist are a crucial part of the healthcare team.

They can impact patient’s outcomes positively by helping them be able to talk or communicate

effectively. They may have a negative outcome on patients because they are not able to help with

other problems that they patient may be dealing with like a nurse or doctor could. Speech and

language pathologists also have an impact on the interdisciplinary team. According to Registered

Nursing Staff Writers (2020), they are able to help with communication disorders and help

patients be able to communicate to the best of their ability.

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References

AARCCenter. (2013). Life and breath—A presentation of the respiratory therapy career.

Retrieved March 29, 2020 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj9UJgpJiCM

About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). (n.d.). Retrieved March

31, 2020 from https://www.asha.org/about/

American Physical Therapy Association & Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy

Education (2017). Commission on accreditation in physical therapy education (CAPTE).

Retrieved March 31, 2020 from http://www.capteonline.org/Home.aspx

College Foundation of North Carolina. (n.d.). Career profile. Retrieved March 30, 2020 from

https://www1.cfnc.org/Plan/For_A_Career/Career_Profile/Career_Profile.aspx?id=lZtrgk

sdDniauceCG784ZgXAP3DPAXXAP3DPAX&screen=3

Council for Higher Education Accreditation. (2015). Commission of accreditation for respiratory

care- (CoARC). Retrieved March 27, 2020 from https://www.chea.org/commission-

accreditation-respiratory-care

County San Diego. (2010). Physical therapist- A day in the life. Retrieved March 30, 2020 from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ykElSXlReU

Georgia State University: Communication Sciences and Disorders. (2018). 16 characteristics of

effective speech-language pathologists. Retrieved March 31, 2020 from

https://education.gsu.edu/2018/06/22/16-characteristics-of-effective-speech-language-

pathologists/

Registered Nursing Staff Writers. (2020). Collaboration with interdisciplinary team: NCLEX-

RN. Retrieved March 27, 2020 from

https://www.registerednursing.org/nclex/collaboration-interdisciplinary-team/
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Respiratory Therapist License. (n.d.). What is a respiratory therapist? Retrieved March 29, 2020

from https://www.respiratorytherapistlicense.com/what-is-a-respiratory-therapist/

U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. (2019). Respiratory therapists: Occupational outlook

handbook. Retrieved March 29, 2020 from

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/respiratory-therapists.htm

U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. (2019). Speech-Language pathologists: Occupational

outlook handbook. Retrieved March 31, 2020, from

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/speech-language-pathologists.htm

U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. (2020). Physical Therapists: Occupational Outlook

Handbook. Retrieved March 31, 2020 from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-

therapists.htm

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/respiratory-therapists.htm

Vidant Health. (2016). Spotlight on excellence: Matthew Eiban - Speech pathologist. Retrieved

March 31, 2020 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30buCNSv9lU