International Fellowship Award
Program
Summary Reports
Back in 1992, after I received my bachelor of science degree
in respiratory therapy from SUNY Stony Brook in New York, I came back to my
country to work as a respiratory therapist. Back then, respiratory therapy in
Panamá was provided only by nurses and doctors.
At the Social Security Hospital there was a section for
respiratory therapy under supervision of the neumology service in the
department of medicine. Working in this section were three respiratory
technicians (who had graduated in Mexico) and some other personnel trained
within the health institution to perform basic duties such as oxygen therapy,
aerosol therapy, hyperinflation therapy, and some lung testing. The duties in
the intensive care units and other complex tasks were not within our scope of
practice. I started to work in this area, but my duties were limited due to the
other personnel who had seniority. I was always striving to help open up
opportunities in the field, offering a variety of services, but that was not
enough.
In 1995 I became a member of the Panamanian Association for
Respiratory Care (formed in 1991) to promote recognition of respiratory
personnel’s duties and to improve the respiratory field in Panamá. My
colleagues and I started to explore an opportunity at the different
universities to create a respiratory therapy program in Panamá to educate and
prepare new respiratory professionals and increase the field’s human resources.
At the same time, I set out to enhance my knowledge in education so I could
improve my teaching skills at an institution of higher education. I wanted to
specialize in research-based teaching and learning techniques and obtain an
education in a broader context of academic preparation and student education.
Being a member of the AARC gave me the idea to apply to the
International Fellowship Program offered by the American Respiratory Care
FoundationSM. I applied in 1998 and was fortunate to be selected.
During my fellowship, I was able to exchange valuable respiratory therapy
information and experiences with RTs at six hospitals and two colleges in
Boston, MA, and Tupelo, MS.
In Boston, I toured four big hospitals. Although I had
graduated at SUNY Stony Brook, I found it very interesting because I was able
to observe the kind of patient care RTs in Massachusetts provide during a full
working day. I saw RTs perform procedures that were not very common for me,
such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy and extracorporeal oxygenation. I was
included in the rounds at General Massachusetts Hospital, and the respiratory
therapists were eager to take me with them to the ICUs and the wards. I visited
a cancer hospital, where I saw RTs respond to a code blue, and I saw a
children’s hospital and pulmonary rehabilitation hospital. During my trip to
the college, I received educational materials that I used later for my
respiratory therapy program in Panamá.
In the college I saw how RTs teach respiratory therapy and
realized that students actively participate during the lessons and receive
intense practice training in fully equipped laboratories. The respiratory
equipment was remarkable, and I was especially impressed with a human simulator
that could mimic various pathological scenarios.
My experience in Tupelo, MS, was also intense and full of
variety. The organization of the health system and its various inter-related
services amazed me. I visited all the services, as well as another institution
in their health system. On my last day, I visited the Itawamba College, where I
spoke of my experiences as a respiratory therapist in Panamá and shared
with respiratory therapy students some of the great places to see in Panamá. I
also had a nice surprise: A local television crew interviewed me about my visit
to Mississippi and then aired it on the evening news.
The Mississippi Society for Respiratory Care gave me a great
reception dinner at the end of visit, and we shared several experiences about
respiratory therapy in the health systems of Mississippi and Panamá.
What was rewarding for me was the camaraderie of both my
host-city representatives and their willingness to show me how respiratory care
can be practiced. My trip to the United States ended with the AARC
International Respiratory CongressSM in Atlanta, GA, where I met
with many respiratory therapists who helped make my fellowship a really
unforgettable experience. It was great to meet the other International Fellows
and the AARC International Committee, as well as once again see some of my professors
from Stony Brook. The standard of respiratory care in the United States is
admirable, and this profession’s team spirit of giving and sharing is amazing.
The enthusiasm to promote the profession and help mankind is so visible.
The AARC International Respiratory Congress, with its
ceremonies, receptions, and programs, made my international fellowship
complete, giving it the perfect ending I will never forget. It also gave me the
strength to set out on a new beginning — the establishment of a respiratory
education program in Panamá.
With all the background in respiratory therapy from America,
my colleagues and I were able to begin forming our own educational program. We
presented a proposal to several universities, and in 2002, the Universidad
Especializada de las Américas opened the door to our respiratory program, which
offers students a bachelor’s degree. At that time, our difficulties were
obtaining respiratory books in Spanish, and I was the only respiratory
therapist who knew English. The respiratory program attracted professionals in
neumology, critical care medicine, and pediatrics. Since I did not have any
formal experience in education, I went back to school and obtained my master’s
degree in education in 2003.
So far, we have graduated four bachelor-degree students who
now work at private and public hospitals. In our department at Social Security
Hospital, the respiratory staff has grown to include 10 respiratory therapists,
two technicians, and two respiratory assistants.
With all the change that has come to the way we practice
respiratory therapy in our country, we can now offer a better quality service
to our patients. For example, we now offer 24-hour coverage in the ICUs. We
still have a long way to go and more therapists are needed, but at least we can
offer more time to their treatments and other health programs. We now implement
holistic health care and offer prevention and health promotion to our
ambulatory patients.
The best thing is that special legislation went into effect
on Aug. 5, 2008, that legitimizes the role of the respiratory therapist and the
profession in Panamá, allowing us to have all the rights to practice respiratory
therapy, among other responsibilities and benefits. Now our professional
association is growing, the field is advancing, and we are helping our
community raise the standard of good respiratory health, evidenced by our
special research projects in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. We will keep
working for the profession we love.
Briseida Delgado Rodriguez, MS, CRT, is coordinator
of the respiratory program in Bella Vista, Panamá, and president of the
Panamanian Association for Respiratory Care (APTR in Spanish).
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