To the BCSRT,

I wanted to thank-you for the education grant that you provided to me. With that money I attended a weekend workshop, the COPD Trec. The course was very informative, covering things like, instructional strategies, COPD self-management, travel and end of life issues. Having taken my Asthma Trec last year, this course allowed me to accomplish my goal of becoming a Certified Respiratory Educator.

Thank- you again very much
Cara Falconer

To the BCSRT,

I wanted to thank-you for the educational grant money I received after attending the Asthma-Trec workshop in Calgary. The workshop was a information packed 2 day course. I was surprised by how much more information there was to learn. My career has spanned 22 years of critical care Respiratory Therapy (it went by sooo quickly)…..when I graduated, the most common medication delivery device that we used in our hospital at that time was the SVN (ventolin aerosols for everyone) and remember the OTC Primatene mist (Epinephrine MDI)?. We have come a long way with the use of MDI’s, handihalers, turbohalers, and aerochambers. The asthma workshop aided my instructional skills and greatly improved my asthma knowledge base using the recommended guidelines. This is beneficial not only to our patients but the students that we are precepting (it’s good to know what your talking about apparently). Thank-you for supporting education in the aging Respiratory Therapist population.

Tracey Demers
Royal Inland Hospital

Thank you very much for the grant to assist with funding for the COPD Management course. This course offered up to date information to better educate our patients and the care they receive while at ERH. As well, it emphasized patient self-management strategies, to ulitmately improve their quality of life. In the future I wish to become a Certified Respiratory Educator, and completion of this course brought me one step closer to my goal. A big thank you to the BSCRT!
Stacey McNeilly

CSRT 2009 Participant (Liz Jolley) Synopsis (attachment identified as such)

Several people were awarded grants for November 2008:

Here is what Nute Remi had to say about the ECG Course:

12 and 15 lead ECG Interpretation

Recently, thanks to a BCSRT educational grant, I was able to attend a 2 day presentation on 12 lead ECG interpretation and uses of the 15 lead ECG in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. This brief synopsis is intended to pass on the valuable information I gleaned that may be pertinent to a Respiratory Therapist.

Please Click on the Link Below to View the Notes form the ECG Course:

  ECG Course Notes in Word

ECG Course Notes in Adobe Acrobat

 

Here is what Michele Mackenzie had to say about the COPD Trek Course:

To the BCSRT,
Thank you for the educational grant for attending the COPD-Trec course this past January in Maple Ridge.    Having taken the four day Asthma-Trec course in October, I was somewhat hesitant to take on another course so soon.  Once I heard that most of the same people from that course would be returning for the COPD course, peer pressure kicked in and I signed up.   All aspects for the management of COPD were covered – from basic diagnosis and treatment to preventative and palliative management.  I highly recommend this course for anyone who deals with COPD in their practice. 

Michele Mackenzie
Respiratory Therapist
Eagle Ridge Hospital. 

 

Here is what Bruce Wood had to say about the COPD Trek course:

Thank you  very much for the $500 grant to assist with funding for the

COPD trek course.  The course is extremely beneficial in dealing with

the many COPD patients we see in all areas of the hospital especially in

the COPD clinic.  The course covers all facets of COPD management from

simple breathing control to exercise programs and optimal nutrition and

dealing with the psychosocial aspects of the disease process.  I highly

recommend it for anyone dealing with this patient population.
Bruce Wood

 

Four people were awarded grants for July 2008:

Bob Somerville will be attending the AARC Conference in Anaheim in December. Richard Cant will be will be taking the Asthma/COPD TREC courses. Ed Williamson attended the 1st Canadian Respiratory Conference in Montreal and Linda Worby will be going to overseas to Berlin to attend the European Respiratory Society Annual Congress in October.

Please check back to read about their experiences.

 

Here is what Bob Somerville had to say about the AARC conference in December:

To the BCSRT,
I wanted to thank you once again for the education money you provided for me to attend the AARC conference down in Anaheim.  It was a great educational experience.
My main reason for wanting to attend, was to gain experience/knowledge on working with adult oscillators.  Our hospital in Kelowna will most likely start oscillating in the upcoming year, and being in a position of supervisor/educator, I wanted to be able to get the latest information on this mode of ventilation so when we do get the oscillator I can help to make the transition to this mode as comfortable as possible for our staff who have never used oscillation techniques.

In Anaheim, I attended as many lectures as possible that pertained to this topic, and found many of them very educational.
Some of the lectures I found the most rewarding were:

“Technical Aspects of HFOV 101”  Speaker-Ruben D Restrepo

“Is There a HFOV Protocol That Works?”  Speaker- Henry E Fessler

“Permissive Atelectasis:  Lung Protective or Lung Injurious”  Speaker- Neil R MacIntyre and Michael J Hewitt

“PEEP- Bringing the Evidence to the Bedside” Speaker-  Ira M Cheifetz and Dean Hess

“What is the Legacy of the NIH ARDS Net? Speaker- Richard M Kallet

I also found it very beneficial to discuss various oscillating topics with RRT’s and Physicians from other hospitals who have experience working with oscillators on a regular basis.
I found out just before I left that I would be on a committee to get speakers together for the upcoming 2009 BCSRT conference in Kelowna.  I think the experience down in the AARC will help with knowing what RT’s are interested in hearing about and also what the newest trends and topics are for discussions.

Thank you once again for your generosity,

Bob Somerville RRT

 

Here is what Ed Williamson had to say about the 1st Canadian Respiratory Conference in Montreal:

I wish to thank the BCSRT for their generous support which allowed me to attend a
great conference (CRC) in Montreal last summer.

The lectures were informative and enjoyable; the “post” conference food and sights
were definitely a lot of fun as well.

The Conference was jointly hosted by:

1) the Canadian Lung Association
2) the Canadian COPD Alliance
3) the Canadian Respiratory Health Professions
4) the Canadian Thoracic Society

The main focus of the conference was Asthma and COPD with regards to the
“non-critical care” perspective of the diseases. I primarily attended talks on
COPD, and with the huge selection of topics available, I focused on ones pertaining
to (1) underdiagnosis, (2) proper management of COPD and the cost associated with
acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD).

With COPD being the 4th leading cause of death of Canadians, the report card
published by the Canadian Thoracic Society in 2005 was pretty shocking as it
outlined all the deficits that existed across the country. A primary focus of this
report was poor diagnosis and the lack of treatment plans for COPD.

Papers were presented that showed COPD treated in a dedicated clinic is far more
consistent with the CTS guidelines for the management of COPD than those who were
seen and treated in a non COPD dedicated clinic. Also, undiagnosed COPD has less
evidence of disease activity and that routine spirometry greatly increases the
correct diagnosis of GOLD stage II COPD. As far as acute exacerbations of COPD due
to underdiagnosing and poor treatment of COPD, the cost to the Canadian Health Care
system is estimated at $646-$736 million.

There was also evidence presented which demonstrated restarting in a pulmonary rehab
program following a decline in a six minute walk test had similar gains in patient
outcome as there were in the initial enrolment of a program. This is strong evidence
to support a proper maintenance program should be incorporated into a Pulmonary
Rehab Clinic. This would definitely further reduce Health Care Costs in the long
run, especially if the patient was properly diagnosed.

The next conference will be in Ontario this coming summer. I strongly recommend
that you try and attend if you are able. It was a great time.

Once again, THANK YOU to the BCSRT for supporting me in my goal to attend this
conference.

Ed Williamson
Clinical Practice Chief
Ridge Meadows Hospital

 

 

Here is what Richard Cant had to say about the Asthma Trek course:

 

I’d like to thank the board for the $500 grant so I could attend the Asthma Trec course in late October at Ridge Meadows hospital. I was a little leery initially as the amount or pre-reading was voluminous and the pre-workshop home work took longer than I thought it would. I was wondering how and why it would take a four full day course to teach my anything new about asthma.
I’m happy to report that my new found knowledge far surpasses what I thought I knew during my 18 years as an acute care therapist. Not only did I learn about the Canadian Asthma guidelines and how to apply them but more importantly how to teach asthma patients about their condition and how to best manage the disease themselves.  I am finding myself using my new found skills not only during the clinic hours but also in the ER when as asthmatic is requiring as acute intervention.

I would strongly recommend this course not for RT’s in asthma education but also RT’s in the acute care settings. Your knowledge will increase dramatically.

 

Here is what Linda Worby had to say about the European Respiratory Society Annual Congress in October:

Dear BCSRT Board/Membership:

I was recently given the once-in-a-lifetime experience of attending the European Respiratory Symposium in Berlin, Germany from Oct 4-8, 2008. Four of us Respiratory Therapists from Ridge Meadows hospital travelled together to learn about Asthma and COPD research overseas.  This was the largest conference I have ever attended with 19,500 people coming from 100 different countries.  There were people from many different professions, including Respirologists, Physiotherapists and nurses with an interest in respiratory medicine.  I think we were the only Respiratory therapists in attendance!  There were many experts from all over the world speaking on various topics.  There were post-graduate courses, symposiums and poster and email presentations.  Choosing what to attend was often the challenge!

I heard 35 speakers over the three days.  It was a lot to take in!  It was reassuring to hear from so many others about the value of Respiratory Rehab and patient education.  It’s extremely valuable to hear from others around the world that are struggling with the same disease issues that we face here at home.

Education and networking give our profession meaning.  Thank you for supporting my travel.

Linda Worby, RRT, CRE

Three people were awarded grants for March 2008:

Bina Vithlani attended Asthmatrec in Vancouver in September and Susan Attridge attended the American Thoracic Society International Conference held in Toronto May 16-21.

The annual BC Lung Association Grant was awarded to Caroline Martini. She also attended the American Thoracic Society International Conference in Toronto.

 

Here is Bina’s synopsis of the Asthmatrec course she attended:

I would like to thank you for the grant provided to me for my continuing education endeavours. In the past 8 months I have completed both the Asthmatrec and COPDtrec courses offered by the Lung Association.

These weekend courses helped me optimize my ability to assist in the education of in-patients and empower out-patients with the tools and knowledge to manage their respiratory diseases. Therefore, not only improving patient outcomes but also decreasing the financial load on the health care system and the rest of the health care team.

Without funding like yours, it makes it hard for health care workers like myself to further our education. Which for me, I feel is my personal obligation and responsibility.

Once again, I would like to thank you for your funding.

Bina Vithlani, RRT

 

Here is what Sue Attridge and Caroline Martini had to say about their trip to Toronto in May:

As Respiratory Therapists, continuing education is essential to maintaining a high level of patient care within daily practice, as well as enhancing personal/professional growth and job satisfaction. Attending the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Conference provided us with the opportunity to learn from international experts within the respiratory field.

The ATS Conference was held over the May long weekend in Toronto, Ontario. The conference focuses on transitioning respiratory care from basic research to clinical practice. Attendees were able to participate in a variety of learning environments including post-graduate courses, symposiums, large group sessions, and poster presentations in all facets of respiratory care.

The highlights of the conference included attending a post-graduate course in pulmonary function test interpretation, multiple sessions highlighting the 2007 respiratory year in review, and a variety of symposiums and poster presentations discussing current practices in the management of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and interstitial pulmonary fibrosis.

Not only was the conference an opportunity to expand our knowledge as professionals, it also allowed us to network with health providers and researchers who we would not otherwise have the opportunity to meet.

We would like to thank the members of the BCSRT board for recognizing the importance of continuing education and giving us the opportunity to attend the ATS Conference.

Caroline Martini and Sue Attridge

 

 

The next deadline for Grant Applications is July 1, 2009!

Please send your Grant Application to the BCSRT via mail (preferred) or to the Secretary at secretary.bcsrt@gmail.com postdated/dated no later than July 1, 2009.

To download the Grant Application, please go to Education Grants under Education.