Paula Smith, RRT CRE, RTSO President
Sue Jones, RRT FCSRT LSSBB, RTSO Past President
We are firmly into 2021 – Happy New Year to everyone!
We want to thank all RT’s who have supported the RTSO by becoming a member in 2020. We hope that you will continue your support by renewing your membership and by encouraging your colleagues to become members. We have much to celebrate! Your support has allowed the RTSO to become financially viable once again. You have rejuvenated interest in the society, which has resulted in a full Board compliment to start 2021. You have shown that together we are stronger.
We are grateful to our new Board members and very excited to plan out our activities for the coming year. As always, we encourage all members to communicate with us by emailing the office with your suggestions or requests for support. We are working hard as volunteers to improve the practice of Respiratory Therapy, to improve awareness of the profession, and to ensure that timely, relevant education is provided to our members and prospective members. Our email address is office@rtso.ca This account is checked daily by several different volunteers including our webmaster who is quick to respond to any inquiries around payment of membership or insurance. Please check our website www.rtso.ca for resources and information on current membership pricing and liability insurance pricing. We have had inquiries for those who want to support the society as retired RTs, and we encourage them to purchase the “associate/retired membership” at a discounted rate. For our Corporate Members, all of the information is posted under the membership tab on the main page.
Kicking off 2021 in an ongoing pandemic, we can only hope for a brighter future for healthcare with the implementation of vaccine administrations over the next 6-9 months. An educational webinar on COVID-19 vaccines was held on January 14th and the recording is available HERE. We want to thank Dr. Giulio Didiodato for taking the time to provide this information for the RTs of Ontario.
We will continue the momentum and work started in 2020. The Board participated in a strategic planning session on Saturday, January 23rd, to identify priorities important to the profession in 2021. We want to extend a sincere thanks to the RT’s who took the time to complete the RTSO members’ survey. Thank you for sharing your voice about what matters most. Strategic priorities and goals will be announced shortly, as we develop action plans using available resources.
You may be wondering if we are planning other educational events, and the answer is yes! Each of the committees will be hosting a webinar over the next few months. We are discussing the opportunity to host INSPIRE 2021 in October of this year in Blue Mountain, Collingwood. Many factors will determine whether this event will be in person or virtual. We will keep you appraised by eblasts and will finalize format decisions by May 2021, based on the trajectory of the pandemic.
This pandemic is not over, and we recognize the extreme toll this is taking on your work and home life. Despite this, you have shown incredible resilience, leadership and dedication. Please take care of yourselves and reach out if there are topics you want us to provide education on or if you just want to talk about practice in general. We are here for you and encourage everyone to become a member sto strengthen our voice in the province. You have been recognized as essential frontline workers and your role is so very important. Please take care and stay healthy and safe.
