Where I live in Southwestern Michigan, springtime always brings three things: wild swings in the weather, the beginning of road construction season, and the annual launch of our hometown favorite Oberon Ale from Bell’s Brewing. This year, Kalamazoo also welcomed the Michigan Society for Respiratory Care to town. This was actually the first time I have been able to attend our annual Spring Conference educational event since I had the honor of serving as MSRC president in 2019. I am excited to share my thoughts with you.
It may seem a little odd to be writing about a gathering of health care professionals for a community blog. However, meetings like this are often how clinicians learn about the latest advancements in our field. That way, we can jump into our next shifts ready to provide the best possible evidence-based care. This year, there were also some special guests that shared some important messages as well.
The needs of the COPD community were represented right from the start. This year’s MSRC President is Brian Wicker. He and his staff developed a program to follow people with COPD in their homes after a hospital stay. That program has saved their hospital system tens of thousands of dollars over the past few years. It has also helped keep people from being re-admitted to the hospital. Their program is an excellent model for COPD care everywhere.
One of the first learning sessions covered bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR). BLVR is a treatment to manage shortness of breath when medications are not doing the trick. In the right person, BLVR can make major improvements in activity level and quality of life. It also does not have as many risks as surgery. Another great session on Day #1 talked about the usefulness of pulmonary rehabilitation, particularly in people recovering from COVID-19.
The second day was just as educational. Carl Hinkson, President of the American Association for Respiratory Care highlighted several advocacy efforts that impact COPD. He talked about upcoming legislation to improve access to oxygen therapy. Carl also mentioned the COPD Foundation’s own efforts to get over-the-counter oxygen devices (what we call “noncentrators”) off the market. It was a great feeling to see our message being shared by another national organization!
Next up were those special guests I mentioned. First was Maurielle Lue. She is a news anchor from the Detroit area. Maurielle went through a severe case of COVID last year and shared her experiences on social media, both in the hospital and in recovery. She talked about making friends with many of the hospital staff. She also talked about seeing first-hand how so many health care professionals were simply overwhelmed and in crisis. It was a very powerful story of overcoming fear, isolation, and uncertainty on her road back to health.
The second speaker was a respiratory therapist-turned-patient. Hope Carew went in one day for her normal shift when she suddenly experienced a massive heart attack at age 34. She went from working in intensive care to fighting for her life in intensive care in a matter of minutes. The problem was caused by a sudden tear in one of the blood vessels in her heart. It caused so much damage that she needed an emergency heart transplant. She described being in and out of consciousness over the next week and not being sure what was real and what was a dream. She was, fortunately, able to receive a new heart, but described how procedures like transplants come with their own complications. She also talked about how just because someone has a procedure like that does not mean they are ”better.” It was another reminder to us clinicians that we need to ALWAYS consider where the people in our care are mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Finally, the third speaker in the session was Maria Erickson, a licensed mental health counselor who shared techniques to manage the intense feelings that come with going through (or seeing) health crises. All three speakers really help us to understand that even though we may not know exactly what the people in our care are going through, we can ABSOLUTELY be there to help guide you through tough times.
Although that was a high point of the day, it certainly was not the end! COPD was again well represented. We had a great session about managing symptoms with medications (and making sure people know how to actually USE their inhalers). There was also an interesting session that discussed the history of COPD and the latest treatment recommendations. I was VERY glad to see that session was well-attended by respiratory students. That means we should have a lot of fresh ideas coming down the pipeline in the coming years!
Overall, it was an excellent event, filled with learning opportunities. Programs like these are a wonderful opportunity for clinicians to learn from each other and from experts in the field. When we are lucky, we also get to learn from people like Maurielle and Hope. They remind us that we are never taking care of just “people.” We are taking care of mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, friends and family. Our responsibility as clinicians is to honor that idea every day.
I am not sure I have an actual question to ask for this check-in, but I would still love to hear your thoughts!