In the last issue of Career News we shared two stories from members who’d left the profession for a number of years and then returned. In this edition, we take a look at what managers have to say about RTs who opt out and then want to get back in.
Why did you leave?
Cynthia Finley, BS, RRT, has two therapists right now who had taken several years off before returning to RT, one to raise her children and the other to start his own business. “Both are very good therapists and one is now a charge therapist,” says the director of respiratory therapy at the Health Center at Standifer Place in Hixson, TN.
She says she sees an applicant like this about once a year and her first order of business is to find out why the person left in the first place. “If it had anything to do with respiratory duties I stay clear,” she says. ”I work in a LTC vent management/weaning unit, which is much like a step down unit in a hospital. I need skilled, knowledgeable, and versatile therapists with positive attitudes. If they fit that profile I will interview them.”
Although Joy Hargett, MBA, RRT, says she has only rarely seen returning RT applicants in her 30 year career, motivation for coming back is important to her as well. “If they simply just ‘can’t find a job’ then I’m not sure I am interested,” says the manager at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston, TX. “I also have to evaluate, as I would in any candidate, how long they are planning to stay in respiratory care. Is this a permanent return, or are they just waiting to find something better? This is sometimes seen in RTs who are in sales and have lost their jobs.”
Reasons for leaving that sit better with her are taking time off to raise kids, care for an ill family member, or the relocation of a spouse and the inability to find a job in RT in the new location. The length of time the person has been away is crucial as well. “Are they current with technology and computerized medical records? How are their IT skills, which is a huge part of the RT’s job now,” she asks.
Proceed with caution
For Debra Skees, MBA, RRT, CPFT, returning RTs don’t come around very often either. She has one application like that about once every five years, and in most cases it’s a therapist who worked for her before. If she knows the person was a good therapist the first time around, she’s more likely to take a chance on him or her again—but not in a full time capacity right away. “I primarily hire into per diem positions to start out,” she says. When she has hired returning RTs in that capacity, it has generally worked out well.
“The great majority of hires turned out to be positive experiences and the RT was willing to put in the work to meet standard requirements. They seem to be enthusiastic and more ‘worldly’ in terms of customer service and self-initiative,” says the manager at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, MN.
Jeff Thompson, MBA, RRT-NPS, says he gets returning RT applicants several times a year in his department at Floyd Medical Center in Rome, GA, and is generally willing to give them a shot to see what they do and don’t know. “Some have kept up with current practice but many have not. I have only hired one person that fits into this group but trained them to do sleep.”
He always asks why the person left the field, and shies away from folks who say they quit to get married and then got divorced and now want to return. “They seem to have issues,” he says. But he reiterates that the bottom line for him is how well the person has kept up with changes in technology and practice. “Equipment changes are constant, and I do not even realize it until I interview someone out of practice for some time.”
Do your homework
What does all this mean for the former RT who wants to get back in the game? Put your reasons for leaving in a positive light and assure the manager you’ll work hard to regain lost skills. And get a jump on that part of it before you ever sit down to the interview by making sure your state license to practice is up to date and taking some refresher courses (such as the many offered through AARC University) to show you are serious about reentering the field with the knowledge you need to provide high quality patient care.
Stay tuned for more “Comeback Kids” stories over the next few months.
