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ISRC
Conference 2008
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September
11th-12th
Owyhee
Plaza Hotel
Boise,
Idaho
Speakers - Vendors
and Reception - Door Prizes - Sputum Bowl - Board Meeting
Click
above for Conference brochure and Registration Form or it can be found
at http://www.idasrc.org/2008ISRCBrochureE-mail.pdf
Contact
Brandi Johnson for more information at johnsonb@slrmc.org
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Forrest
Bird to Speak at ISRC Conference
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Tom
Gable
| The 2008 ISRC Conference is to be held in Boise on September
11-12. The site is the Owyhee Plaza hotel in downtown Boise. |
| Idaho resident and respiratory care pioneer and icon,
Dr. Forrest Bird, will speak at our conference for the first time. (We
did have a tour of his home, laboratories and museums on Lake Pend Oreille
many years ago.) He will be joined by an impressive list of national, regional
and local lecturers. Brian Walsh from Children's Hospital of Boston is
currently the Chair of the AARC Neonatal-Pediatric Section. Judy Tietsort
has been one of the major driving forces in the development and popularization
of respiratory care protocols. Mark Siobal and Brian Daniel are respiratory
care practitioners and researchers from University of California San Francisco.
Dennis Bing is a mechanical ventilation expert and current President of
the Washington Society for Respiratory Care. Frank Rando is with the US
Department of Homeland Security. |
| Local physicians who will be presenting include Dr. James
Souza, a pulmonologist and critical care specialist from Idaho Pulmonary
Associates in Boise and Meridian. Dr. Mark Rasmus is a pulmonary, critical
care and sleep specialist practicing in Boise. Dr. David Christensen is
a pediatric critical care specialist in Boise. Dr. Perry Brown is a pediatrician
and one of the major physicians in Saint Luke's Cystic Fibrosis Clinic.
Dr. Nirmal Charan, pulmonologist and researcher at the Boise VA and ISRC
Medical Director, will be the moderator for the conference. |
| Educational topics include: Sleep medicine, cystic fibrosis,
nebulization of agents other than bronchodilators, APRV in pediatrics,
hypoxic respiratory drive in COPD, end-tidal CO2 monitoring, deadspace
measurements in patient monitoring, respiratory care protocols and much
more. |
| This looks like a great line-up. It should be a fine
way to get your continuing education for licensure and your own personal
growth. Please join us in Boise. |
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What
Does a Delegate Do?
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Ramona
Sailor, Delegate
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| I have recently returned from the AARC House of Delegates
meeting in Phoenix. Being a first time Delegate, I was not sure what to
expect. When I got the binder of information from the AARC to review before
the meeting I was thinking, this is going to be real dry and boring. That
was not the case. It was very professional, but with a great sense of humor.
The exciting thing that happened was the passage of the Pulmonary Rehab
Reimbursement bill in both houses of congress while we were at the meeting.
We then heard that President Bush vetoed it, but the congress overrode
his veto that same day. There had been some concern that there would not
be enough yes votes in the senate, but there turned out to be enough. I
learned a lot about the inner workings of the AARC. I was impressed by
the fiscal responsibility of the organization. Our dues are used as carefully
as possible and if it were not for this, we would not be able to have a
voice in Washington D.C. to address these issues that come up. It is our
responsibility to be the patient advocate and the AARC makes this happen.
I look forward to being your Delegate for these next two years. |
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High
Desert Pulmonary Conference
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George
Pletcher
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| The American Lung Association of Idaho presented the
7th annual High Desert Pulmonary Conference on June 13. The program was
themed “Chest Trauma & Disaster Preparedness”. There were 65 attendees
and all but two were respiratory care practitioners. The Boise Holiday
Inn was the site. The ALA provided a complimentary lunch and facilitated
drawings for an I-Pod and other door prizes by the vendors. |
| Frank Rando of the US Department of Homeland Security
gave the first lecture. It was almost two hours and covered most of the
systems of planning and response by the US and State governments to various
threats. One of the big take-home messages was disaster scene survival
and outcomes can be much different than in the emergency room. Interesting
was his long list of credentials: he is a PA, RCP, CRT, CVT, EMT-P, RMS,
RHSO. He was also a VBD (very big dude). Frank also gave a mini-lecture
after lunch on emerging infections |
| Joseph Crutcher, NREMT-P/CC is the Director of the Paramedic
Program at ISU. His lecture on Scene Triage, Assessment and Initial Stabilization
covered aspects of low impact (manageable), high impact (stresses the Health
Care system), and disaster (overwhelms the HC system). Both of the speakers
stressed safety of the health care workers. |
| William Morgan, MD, FACS is a general and trauma surgeon
at St. Alphonsus RMC. His presentation of slides and movie clips resolved
any after lunch sleepiness and engaged the audience with actual scenes
of trauma cases he’s treated in his many years in Fort Worth, Texas. |
| Uwe Reischl, Sandy Gough, and Conrad Colby, all PhDs
from BSU, gave the fourth lecture. They showed us a Bird Flu business
continuity management tool that they developed for the local health department.
Audience participation was used to show how it could be employed. |
| The esteemed Robert Kacmarek, PhD, RRT from Massachusetts
General Hospital & Harvard Medical School spoke on Ventilatory Management
of the Trauma Patient. He covered the usual and the newest approaches of
respiratory care. |
| Last but not least, Kristen Saak, MD is an emergency
room physician from St. Al’s RMC. She gave a lecture titled Triage of the
Multiple Trauma Patient and used a bomb explosion as example. Kristen and
Joseph both displayed the patient Triage Tags used by disaster scene personnel. |
| It was a very relevant and timely presentation and seemed
to generally be enjoyed by all of the participants. |
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Understanding
the Undesirable
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TJ
Wing
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| Here is a secret you might not know: When reading
research articles many healthcare providers are lost when it comes to understanding
the biostatistics within. Don’t feel too bad though, even the authors struggle
and bring in statisticians. In this article I will attempt to shed light
on two common statistics presented in research today. |
| Odds Ratios (OR): These values are the end product
of many Case Control studies. ORs reported are compared to a value of “1.0”
and should be reported as positive, negative or no association. For example:
an OR of 3.0 would show a positive association; -3.0 would show a negative
association; and 1.0 would show no association. A relative weakness of
the value of ORs stems from the type of study it comes from (Case Control).
Although Case Controls have many benefits they first start with a group
that already has a disease/outcome then retrospectively evaluate exposures
that potentially could have caused the disease. If we were then trying
to determine a relationship between cigarette smoking and lung cancer and
our study gave an OR of 5.75, it would be interpreted as follows: Among
those who already had a previous diagnosis of lung cancer there was a positive
association with cigarette smoking when compared to those without lung
cancer. |
| Relative Risk (RR): A Cohort study that follows a similar
group of individuals prospectively over a period of time produces a value
of RR. This value, similar to an OR, is compared to “1.0”. The difference
is that the value is interpreted as “times more or less likely”. For example:
an RR of 3.0 would show a population being three times more likely to develop
an outcome; -3.0 would show a population as being three times less likely;
and 1.0 would mean a population is equally likely to either develop or
not develop an outcome/disease. RRs are considered a stronger value leading
towards correlation, since they are the product of a study that starts
with a population that is disease/outcome free and then evaluates exposures
over time to see if the outcome develops. Utilizing the previous example
an RR of 5.75 would be interpreted as follows: Those who smoked cigarettes
were 5.75 times more likely to develop lung cancer than those who did not
smoke cigarettes among this population. |
| It is important to remember that the value of an Odds
Ratio or Relative Risk should be presented along with the corresponding
confidence interval (CI). A large study will have many different ORs or
RRs obtained from different sample populations, often only reporting the
mean value for the entire population. This, though, can cause problems
if there was a large CI. For example: A mean RR of 5.75 has the potential
to show a large positive correlation, but if the CI was -2.35 to 8.29,
it would show that a population could be either more, less or equally likely
to develop an outcome. |
| Hopefully, in the future this helps to eliminate some
confusion with biostatistics. In the next article I will tackle P-values
and study biases. |
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Call
for Sputum Bowl Participants
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Tom
Gable
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| Our state has a rich history of competition in state
and national Sputum Bowl contests. After several years of inactivity on
the state front, the 2007 ISRC Annual Conference in Pocatello had a very
spirited event. Let’s do it again this year at the conference in Boise.
I volunteer to create the questions and handle the running of the game.
All you need to do is organize a three-person team and show up. |
| The focus in these games is fun – for the audience and
the participants. I make the level of the questions fit the level of the
game. There is no killer trivia. Most questions are facts and concepts
known to all respiratory care practitioners. As we get a little deeper
into later rounds of the contest, the level raises somewhat. In general,
everyone has a fine time. But we need you to step forward and get the ball
rolling. Please inform me (gablet@slrmc.org) or Brandi Johnson (johnsonb@slrmc.org)
if you will be fielding a team, so I can prepare an adequate number of
questions. Lets do it. |
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2009
Nominees for Officers/Director/Delegate
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| The election for next year’s Board
members is currently underway. Results will be announced at the Annual
Business Meeting on September 12 during the ISRC Annual Conference in Boise.
Here are this year’s nominees: |
| President-elect:
George
Pletcher, RPFT/RRT/AE-C |
I graduated from BSU Respiratory
Therapy program in 1983. I worked as RT at St. Al's 1982-1985, as RT at
Blaine County Hospital (Hailey) 1985-1986, and have worked at St. Luke's
since September, 1986.
I worked as floor RT and PM shift
supervisor from 1986-1990.
I've worked in the Pulmonary Lab
since 1990. I'm a member of the Idaho Asthma Coalition and the national
Alpha-1 (antitrypsin) Association. |
| My hobbies are books and collecting
music. I've been married to my wife Carla for 29 years, but I think she's
starting to get wise to me. I have a grown step-son who lives in Texas
and works as a heavy equipment operator. |
| Vice President:
Mark
Wood, RRT |
| Professional: Employed at Saint
Alphonsus Respiratory Care Dept. since 1986 |
| Achieved & maintained highest
RT Clinical Ladder Level @ SARMC since its inception in 2003 |
| Co-authored an article published
in the American Journal of Infection Control May 2007 |
| Co-staff member for ALA of Idaho's
Camp Super Breathers: 2006, 2007, and August 2008 |
| Personal: Age: Fifty-four
years...likely lived more years than I have left to live. |
| Husband: 30 years this December
to Marylinn Wood who assists and supports w/Camp Super Breathers and annual
ISRC adopt-a-highway litter clean-up plus pet therapy at SARMC |
| Father: two sons
ages 27 & 29 (both married) excellent citizens despite my bias. |
| Religion: Christian
(sinner saved by grace through faith in Jesus) definitely not perfect. |
| Hobbies: Fishing,
hiking, camping...tinkering in my shop to make my hobbies easier to do. |
| Major Achievement:
Built a house in the mountains doing virtually all the work w/my family. |
| Residence: Idahoan
past 30 years mostly in Boise valley except for eight mountainous years |
| Vice President:
T.J.
Wing, MS, RRT |
| T. J. Wing graduated with a Masters
of Health Science in 2007 and a B.S. from the Boise State University Respiratory
Care program in 2001. He worked at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center
throughout his schooling and after graduation from 2000-2005. In 2003 T.
J. changed from the clinical side of Respiratory Therapy to the educational
side by becoming a full time faculty member of the BSU Respiratory Therapy
program. While instructing T. J. keeps his clinical skills sharp by teaching
inside of the ICU at St. Al’s two days a week. T. J. has recently been
promoted to assistant professor, and is conducting research with an emphasis
in adult critical care, mechanical ventilation, and health service leadership. |
| Secretary: Mendy
Burns, RRT |
| I am a resident of Buhl, Idaho
who is a recent graduate from ISU that has just received my RRT.
This Fall I am returning to school to earn my Bachelor of Science degree.
I am becoming a member of the ISRC to become more involved in my profession
and to increase my knowledge of my profession. |
| Director at-large:
Michele
Andrew, MS, RRT |
| 31 years in Respiratory Care.
BS in Corporate Development from ISU. MS Exercise Science from BSU.
Currently Coordinator Cardiac/Pulmonary Rehabilitation at Saint Alphonsus
Regional Medical Center. Married, 2 boys and 5 grandchildren.
Enjoy outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting, X-C skiing , hiking
and being a passenger on my husband's Harley. |
| Delegate: Kelvin (Kelly)
Dwello, BA, RRT |
| Education: |
| · Respiratory Therapy Associate
Degree, Skyline College, Daly City California, 1981 |
| · Bachelors Degree, Management,
Saint Mary's College, California, 2001 |
| · Advanced Training Program
in Health Care Delivery Improvement, IHC Salt Lake City, 2002 |
| · Great Manager Program,
Gallup University, Irvine CA 2004 |
| · Six Sigma Green Belt Training,
BMG, Boise, 2005 |
| Work experience: |
| California (San Francisco Bay
Area) |
| · Staff Therapist 1980 –
1986 |
| · Clinical Specialist 1986-1988 |
| · Department Manager 1989
– 1992 |
| · Cardiopulmonary Services
Director 1992-2001 |
| Idaho: |
| · Department Manager 2001
– 2003 |
| · Pulmonary and Sleep Services
Director 2003 – 2007 |
| · Director, Diagnostic and
Therapeutic Services (June 1, 2006), Cardiology Service Line Director (April
1, 2007) Still hold both titles. |
| · Departments covered include:
Respiratory Care, Pulmonary Diagnostics, Pulmonary Rehab, Cardiology (Invasive
and Non-Invasive), Cardiac Rehab, Cardiac Outreach, Peripheral Vascular
Lab, Neurodiagnostics, Sleep Disorders Centers and Endoscopy |
| Member AARC since 1981 with
a one year absence in 1987. |
| California Society for Respiratory
Care: |
| · Served as Chapter 7 &
13 Board member – four terms |
| · Served as Chapter Treasure
– two terms |
| · Served as Chapter Vice
President – one term |
| · Served as Chapter President
– one term |
| · Rick Urban Award for Outstanding
Service to CSRC 1999 |
| Idaho Society for Respiratory
Care: |
| · Served as State Board
Director – one term |
| · Delegate - current |
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Need Respiratory
Care Professionals?
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2008
ISRC Board of Directors
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Brandi Johnson (Boise), President
Nikkie Stephens (Twin Falls),
President elect
Michele Andrew (Boise), Past
President
T. J. Wing (Boise), Vice
President
Elena Ilyusha (Boise), Secretary
Carrie Massey (Idaho Falls),
Treasurer |
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Ramona Sailor (Twin Falls),
Delegate
Kelly Dwello (Boise), Delegate
Dana Hagestad (Lewiston), Director
at Large
Steve Schaal (Rupert), Director
at Large
Dr. Nirmal Charan (Boise), Medical
Director
Heather VanOrden (Pocatello),
Student
Representative |
Visit http://www.idasrc.org/contact_us.htm
to contact a Board Member.
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The Mountain Air newsletter
editor is Tom Gable. If you would like to contribute information/articles,
please contact Tom by e-mail:gablet@slrmc.org,
or fax (208) 381-3498.
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