Submitted by Julia Chiarcos, SRT

2020 didn’t turn out how anyone expected it to, but that didn’t stop the respiratory therapy students at St. Clair College from celebrating and fundraising for Respiratory Therapy Week. Our program was still able to have fun and educate others while staying safe and healthy.

To start off RT Week, the second years put together a paint night fundraiser over Zoom. Everyone who signed up was given a canvas, paint brushes and paint, containing all of the colours needed to paint the chosen picture. The instructor took us through a step-by-step process on how to draw a beautiful and creative picture of lungs.

Half of the proceeds from this fundraiser went to Cystic Fibrosis Canada, and the other half went towards the RT Club at St. Clair College. It was a very fun activity where everyone was able to be involved. Later on, there was also a draw to win a stethoscope that was generously donated by VitalAire.

Another activity we participated in was the door decorating contest ompetition between other respiratory therapy programs in Ontario. St. Clair College decided to recreate waveforms on our lab door and also filled the top of the door with facts about respiratory therapy. It was a very fun activity that required teamwork and creativity!

Many students in the St. Clair College Respiratory Therapy program, along with other respiratory therapy students across Ontario, were involved in a Respookatory Trivia Night hosted by the RTSO. Everyone was in a team of 3 or 4  with a creative team name of their choosing, and participants included 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students dressed up in fun costumes. The questions consisted of pop culture and respiratory therapy topics. There were many prizes given out such as cooler bags, t-shirts, Amazon gift cards and much more, all thanks to our event sponsors: AstraZeneca, McArthur Medical, Novus Medical and ProResp.

Overall, it was definitely an RT Week to remember – filled with teamwork, creativity, and education. The activities that we participated in were a great way to bring us together as not only future respiratory therapists, but as a community. I am very grateful for this experience.

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