2010 NCSRC Newsletter, Issue 2
ECC honors Ralph Webb
August 18, 2010
For The Daily Southerner
TARBORO — Ralph Dawson Webb, chairman and instructor of respiratory therapy at Edgecombe Community College, has been named recipient of the 2010-11 Keihin Endowed Faculty Chair.
“I consider myself most fortunate, as I have performed daily what I consider to be my life’s calling and passion,” he said Tuesday in accepting the honor during a reception hosted by the ECC Foundation in the Mobley Atrium on the Tarboro campus.
The chair was endowed by Keihin Carolina System Technology through a $100,000 gift in 2007, and it rewards excellence in teaching.
As the Keihin chair holder, Webb will receive $2,500 and a chair with an engraved brass nameplate.
He has been an instructor at ECC for 22 years. Webb was instrumental in the establishment of ECC’s respiratory therapy program, and he has led the program since 1988.
A registered respiratory therapist, he holds a diploma from Lenoir Community College, an associate of applied science degree from Durham Technical Institute, a diploma from Duke University Medical Center, and a bachelor’s degree from Mount Olive College.
Webb is a state leader in respiratory care and has served as president, vice president, and treasurer of the N.C. Society for Respiratory Care. He worked extensively with members of the N.C. General Assembly as North Carolina enacted the Respiratory Care Practice Act in 2000, which legally credentialed and licensed respiratory care practitioners in the state.
In 2002, Gov. Mike Easley named Webb to the N.C. Respiratory Care Board, where he has served as both chair and vice chair.
Among his many awards, Webb received the ECC Excellence in Teaching Award in 2006 and was selected for Lifetime Membership awarded by the N.C. Society for Respiratory Care in 2009. In 2010, he was selected for Who’s Who Among Executives and Professionals.
“The Keihin Endowed Faculty Chair is the highest distinction the college can bestow on a member of its faculty,” said ECC President Dr. Deborah Lamm. “The award fosters academic excellence and recognizes creativity in instruction.”
In announcing the selection, Karen Andrus, executive director of the ECC Foundation, said Webb practices every day what he teaches. He “believes that only after true acts of devotion, encouragement, and commitment by the instructor can a student give his or her best toward achieving their educational and personal goals,” she said.
One student commented, “He is an amazing instructor. Each and every day, whether in the classroom, at a clinical site, or in his ever-open office, he uses creativity, ingenuity, innovation and imagination to broaden the minds of his students.”
Walter Williford III, clinical coordinator of pediatric respiratory care at Duke University, completed ECC’s respiratory care program in 1992. He said, “Recently the program at Edgecombe went through a reaccreditation process. During that process, 39 graduates showed up to support this instructor, Edgecombe Community College, and the field of respiratory care. A comment from one of the accreditation team says it all, ‘I have never seen this kind of response from past students of a program of this size anywhere.’"
Webb was selected by a committee of ECC personnel and KCST officials from a pool of six nominees who submitted a performance portfolio, a philosophy of teaching, and an essay. Other nominees were instructors Kim Bell, Kimberly Cobb Cherry, Francine Long, Carole Mehle, and Rebecca Stamilio.
Webb is the fourth Keihin Chair holder at the college. Previous recipients are instructors Bruce Panneton, 2009; J.H. Koonce, 2008; and Monika Fleming, 2007.
“From an RCA’s Perspective”
by Josh Van Leeuwen, CRT
May 2010 DTCC graduate
UNC Hospitals
Respiratory Care Department
Chapel Hill
I definitely am grateful for the wonderful opportunity I have been given to be an RCA. I think that the amount of time spent in my job this past year has been like having two extra days of clinical every week. Obviously, the money is fantastic but I think that in order to make the most of this great opportunity, you have to be willing to take time out of your schedule to train and learn from veteran therapists. There are some outstanding therapists here, who possess a wealth of knowledge, experience and wisdom. They have been instrumental in adding to my development as a therapist. I have learned how to perform ABGs, interpret x-rays, and witness various pathologies that I did not see in my clinical rotations. I can assess a patient and administer breathing treatments. I have acquired the confidence to share my opinions and theories with doctors and or nursing staff as it pertains to the management of the patient. I feel that I am more prepared to assimilate and transition into my new career as a respiratory therapist. I am comfortable with the system in place at UNC. I am proficient charting and documenting treatments and services rendered. I am efficient with my time. The amount of information and experience I have gained from being an RCA is seemingly invaluable. The thought that some are thinking of eliminating this very important opportunity for some Respiratory Therapy students is disheartening at best. The RCA opportunities need to remain for students to get the experience that I was offered to improve my skills and learn from the best. However, I would recommend some things for future RCAs.
My largest problem with the RCA position (with its current structure and limitations per the licensing act) pertains to the limitations set forth for me in providing quality of patient care. I could be the best RCA in the country. I could be hard working, enthusiastic, and empathetic. I could be efficient with my time, while possessing an attention to detail. I could be extremely knowledgeable and possess all the critical thinking skills that a therapist needs to perform at a high level. I could be all of these things standing at the bedside of a patient needing to be suctioned or who may require tracheostomy care and be forced to stand there with my hands tied behind my back as I must rely upon another therapist to come and assist me. The therapist is forced to put what they are doing on hold and his or her patient’s quality in care suffers. More often than not, the answer has been I am busy right now, I will be able to get there as soon as I can. Well, the patient does not need his or her care in however long it takes the other therapist to get here; he or she needs that service performed right now. I do understand that suctioning and tracheostomy care are "shared responsibilities" in some departments, but I think that is simply non-sense. If it is pertaining to airway, it should be therapist's responsibility whether a RCA or licensed therapist. Anything short of that is disrespectful to our profession.
In my opinion, it would be helpful and efficient for all parties involved if an RCA is able to be checked off on other services not initially covered under the license. Just as we were checked off on ABGs, so could or should we be checked off on things such as suctioning, tracheostomy care, CPAP or BIPAP, etc. If the RCA is able to perform a specific treatment a certain number of times under the close observation of the department management of the hospital in which we work, then at the proper time, he or she should be allowed to perform those modalities unassisted. This would improve the overall quality of patient care, as there would be fewer situations requiring the assistance of additional therapists. This would decrease the time that other patients would be without proper staffing. I believe it would add more value for the RCA who is continuously learning and acquiring new skills until the moment he or she graduates. I think that utilizing options and increasing the skill sets for RCAs would maximize the usefulness of the RCA position, a position to which I am entirely grateful.
NBRC Writing Assignment
by Jill C. Saye, BS, RRT, RCP
In December, the NBRC put out a request for volunteers to write items for a new credentialing program for therapists who specialize in the critical care of adult patients. More than 130 people volunteered, showing a tremendous interest in the program. Given the strong response, each volunteer was asked to complete a survey to define their professional experience.
Based on this survey, 35 therapists from around the country were selected to attend the face-to-face workshop on January 23 and 24, 2010 for the new NBRC Adult Critical Care program. Many highly qualified persons were included in the group of willing volunteers making the decision difficult. Those who worked in clinical settings on the front lines of patient care in institutions with a lot of intensive care beds were given priority in the selection decision. Other factors included experience level, highest level of academic degree and memberships in the AARC and SCCM. Those not selected for the face-to-face workshop were invited to a web conference training session held on January 24.
Armed with books, laptops and years of knowledge, thirty-five volunteers from multiple states across the country came together in Olathe, Kansas to participate in what I can only call an experience of a lifetime. Visiting the NBRC, meeting the people who plan and write our exams and being a part of what I consider to be a ground-breaking program was one of the highest honors I’ve received in my professional career. In addition to learning so much, the fellowship among this group of therapists who have never met one another demonstrated to me the commitment to growth we all have to our profession. We all had a similar learning experience on this trip – how to have a great weekend while contributing to the greatest profession in healthcare.
