By Marian Benjamin
It has been a tumultuous end of the year: plummeting stock market; tanking housing prices; and a brand-new president—who promises change for the better. I am ready to say good-bye to 2008, and I am looking forward to the new year, with whatever changes it may bring. Change is coming to RT also, and I am excited by the plans we have made for RT in 2009.
We are returning to our “themed” issues where each month we will present a special report on a single topic—such as this month’s on neonatal and pediatric patients. RT is the only respiratory care publication to focus only on respiratory care, and in 2009 we will have practical, up-to-date information for RTs wherever they practice—whether it be in the emergency setting, home care, or hospital—and whatever patient population they care for, from neonatal to geriatric. We also plan a complete issue on strategies for running an efficient, cost-effective respiratory care department and hiring, training, and retaining the best RTs.
We also have a new tool to help you make informed purchasing decisions—Tech Guides. These guides will offer specs and features of medical devices from your favorite manufacturers—all in a convenient pullout format. Look for ventilators in March.
But there is more to RT than the print publication. Staying on top of patient care means knowing what clinical advances are being made through research—fast—and you can access the latest through our newly redesigned weekly e-newsletter, Respiratory Report. Subscribe to the Report, and you will receive it automatically via e-mail, every week. We’ve also made getting around this web site easier, with better navigation tools and plenty of options for how you get your information, including interviews and analysis on our podcasts and knowledgeable answers to your ventilator questions from “Ask the Expert.”
The online Buyer’s Guide connects you to the companies and products that you need to provide the best care possible for your patients. You can also link to RT‘s Facebook page from this web site. There you will find a host of job opportunities to help you advance your career and an opportunity to network with other respiratory care professionals.
We heard a lot about change during the 2008 campaign, and we do not yet know what those changes will mean to the healthcare industry or to RTs; but you can be sure we will be here with the information and tools you need to meet whatever challenges come your way.
Visit RT’s Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/RT-Magazines
