Respiratory Care: There When You Need Us

Respiratory Care Week 2014

October 19–25

Tips for RC Week Planners

If you’re the designated person in charge of planning Respiratory Care Week this year, here are some tips to help you get started and stay on track.  

• Mark the calendar for Respiratory Care Week. This year it’s October 19–25, 2014. Future dates are listed below.
• Talk to your manager before (and after) you start making plans. Keep him/her informed and be sure you know the budget, especially if there isn’t one!
• Find out what has been done in the past. Were those activities ones you’d like to repeat? Are there any special traditions or awards that should be continued?
• Keep it simple. It’s better to plan only 1 or 2 actions until you know what each involves. If you want more, add them later 1 or 2 at a time.
• Before you begin any serious planning, consider what you want to accomplish—fun, recognition, awareness in the hospital or community, etc. Then keep those goals in mind throughout the process. Lots of activity ideas from the successes of other teams like yours are listed on the ideas page.
• Determine what resources you can use at your facility for advice and help—marketing, public relations, perhaps human resources. They can sometimes assist with activities large or small, but contact them early to give them plenty of time. And don’t forget the person who writes the newsletter!
• If you want to branch out into the community, see what’s going on around the RC Week dates that offer participation. Fall is often a favorite time of year for fairs or other public or school events. And the marketing department might be interested in promoting your facility name.
• When reviewing activity ideas, consider how each can be done with a department that is on shifts and works in various areas.
• If you need a volunteer team, be sure to ask them early and be clear about what they will be asked to do.
• If your activities involve local schools, be alert to their schedules. For example, if you want to be a speaker at a high school during RC Week, be sure to make contact before summer or as soon as school reopens in the fall.
• For each activity you select, make sure you know what is required and how long it will take. Make contact at least 2–3 months before your celebration for anything that involves special planning and inter-departmental coordination.
• If you are going to be doing special events in the hospital or at public venues, determine whether there are any fees or any special permissions are needed.

One last tip: Enjoy your planning experience. Remember that this special week is primarily about recognizing the contributions of respiratory care professionals. That goal can be accomplished in many different ways on any type of budget. And although it would be great to do everything you want to on the actual Respiratory Care Week, conflicts do arise. So make the dates work for you.

Respiratory Care Week Dates

Respiratory Care Week is always celebrated on the last full week of October (Sunday through Saturday). Upcoming dates are:

• October 19–25, 2014
• October 25–31, 2015
• October 23-29, 2016