Paula Smith, RRT CRE BHSc

As the incoming RTSO President, I am so thankful to be part of the RTSO community and to have the chance to continue to build on the successes of our past. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Board, committees, and our members for paving the way for future success. I especially want to thank you for being an active member of our professional association. It is with the combined support of all our members that our voice has become stronger and heard, allowing us to make changes that benefit us on the job and in our personal lives.  I feel an incredible sense of pride as a Respiratory Therapist and want to strengthen our organization to rally behind each other – especially during these challenging times.  Looking forward into 2021, you can expect that we will achieve great things together. The RTSO has listened to what matters most to you and has set strategic priorities to reflect gains that will be most impactful to our members. Our new Board is  full of talent and dedication. We are already deep into work that will deliver results.

Here is what you can look forward to:

Advocacy:

There has been a heightened awareness and recognition for who we are as Respiratory Therapists. Our profession has been seated at the table in public health circles now more than ever before. Senior healthcare policy makers want to hear from us. This includes those within the Ministry of Health, the Emergency Operations Command Table, the Vaccination Committee Planning Table, and other allied health associations across this province.

With guidance from our government relations team at Stosic and Associates led by Rebecca Grundy, coupled with the hard working RTSO Board volunteers, we have been able to engage with senior government policy makers. This has opened new doors and propelled our efforts to affect meaningful change. I am happy to report that we will engage Stosic over the next three months to build on our momentum to date. This includes changing the authorization level for ultrasound and gaining equal access to mental health supports for RTs as frontline healthcare workers. In addition to this work, the RTSO will continue to forge our way to be part of more public health conversations and decisions.  We are committed to improving awareness and advocating for our profession within the government, our communities, and hospitals across Ontario. Our profession has so much to offer!

Communication:

Membership engagement is top priority. As an active member, you can look forward to increased communication with diverse ways of highlighting the important work we all do, including our shared achievements. We want to hear from you, and encourage you to share your successes with us via social media! There is so much to celebrate.

Like us on Facebook @RespiratoryTherapySocietyONT

Follow us on Instagram @RTSociety_on

Follow us on Twitter @RTSociety_ONT

Education:

We continue to strive to deliver learning experiences that meet your needs in this constantly evolving environment. We are committed to continuing our webinar series on topics that matter most to you! This year our profession has already been supported by webinars hosted by experts in vaccination and mental health. Our Student Affairs Committee has developed incredible opportunities for student development. We are committed to providing rich educational opportunities to enhance your clinical knowledge but also to support self-development.

Governance:

The RTSO is working at establishing a framework that supports inclusion, transparency, heightened communication, and accountability. This will help us better serve our profession by addressing your needs and achieving our goals as an organization, to ultimately provide better patient care.

Membership:

You may be asking yourself: Why join the RTSO and continue to hold an active membership? What’s in it for me? I can proudly answer this. Being a member of this organization means being part of a community that supports one another. It means being part of a community that understands the challenges RTs face and one that works together to make life better for all of us. Members give Respiratory Therapists the voice we need!  Now more than ever we need to band together to maximize the opportunities before us as an essential health profession in Ontario. Together we have the power to rise and make impactful change.

To our members, I can’t wait to see what we will accomplish together. To those who haven’t yet joined, don’t miss out on this great opportunity. Sign up now.

Once again, thank you for all that you do! Please take care of yourselves and each other. Know that the RTSO is here for you.

#RTStrOng

Sincerely,

Paula Smith, RRT CRE BHSc

President

Respiratory Therapy Society of Ontario