advice

Career Advice for RTs

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Greg Langstaff is a Certified Resume Strategist and Job Search Coach.  For the past 10 years, he has worked in North America as a recruiter and hiring manager.  Since 2014 he has helped applicants enhance their resumes and improve their job search and hiring process.

A friend on Instagram had shared his post and that’s how I learned about his work.  I have greatly enjoyed his content and have purchased almost all his online products.   I reached out to Greg to get some answers to some of the most asked questions my audience asks me, and he was kind enough to reply.   I strongly encourage you to spend the time to learn from his knowledge and experience at www.GregLangstaff.com .

1. What advice do you have for new graduate respiratory therapists who don’t have much experience?

Don’t be afraid to add bullet points under your education just like you would in a job. You can describe major projects, relevant courses completed, and other things you covered during your education to showcase the skills you developed before starting your career as a professional.

2. What advice do you have for experienced RTs who have worked only at one place for a long time but now are considering a change?

Firstly, don’t feel like this is a bad thing. Your history of loyalty will make you a desirable candidate. Also, it’s totally normal to make a change like this after a long time with one company. In your resume, just be sure to focus some content on the changes you helped to facilitate at your current job employer so that the potential employer knows you’re willing and able to adapt to change.

Thank you Greg for your time and for sharing your expertise with RTs!

Bullet point ideas, cover letter and resume templates, LinkedIn optimization, and much more is discussed in his eBooks and his educational platform (https://greglangstaff.com). Also, check out his content on TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@greglangstaff), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/langstaff.greg/), and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbqOFQ5u-ZiT6kgwo9viP2Q)! 

Happy learning,

Farzad Refahi
April 11th, 2023

Cannabis

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Recreational marijuana use is becoming legal in Canada in just few days. With the political, legal and financial debates aside, there are health concerns that the public, users and healthcare providers need to be aware of. I have attended few talks on this topic and have read few articles that cover this issue in details. While I did not become an expert, I have noticed a common message:

Inhalation of marijuana can lead to temporary and permanent damage of respiratory system.

  • Review and share this collection of Questions and Answers by CBC: ok https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4856021
  • Avoid and limit your inhalation of airway irritants.
  • Please do not drive under the influence!

Presenting At CSRT

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In 2016, I gave a talk at the annual Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists, CSRT, Conference.   At that time I was working six days a week, running a blog, and was trying my best to prepare for the presentation.  I was excited, nervous and driven.  My presentation was far from perfect, however, I learned a lot in the process and from the self-reflection after it was completed.

Here are my top three pieces of advice for first time presenters at CSRT:

  1. Quality.
    Know more about the topic than most people in the room. Do your research but don’t invest all your time on the research component.  There will always be individuals who would know more about the topic than you would, however gather enough information so your talk would be beneficial to most people in the room.  Presenting at CSRT requires quality and professionalism.  Do your research, deliver the quality, but don’t spend the whole time sharing your research.
  2. Keep It Simple.
    Collect all the relevant information, process it and present it in few key points.  A 45 minutes long talk is a short time to discuss all your findings.  It is best to summarize or select only 3 to 5 key ideas/points, and then focus on the delivery of those points.  Keep it simple.  Present the key points without relying too much on technology.  There seems to be always some technical issue during talks (happened during mine).
  3. Practice… Practice… Practice.
    Get to know your material. I would encourage practicing enough to memorize. Practice in front of friends and individuals in the field.   Use the feedback from the practice runs and modify your presentation until it is smooth and simple while delivering the main ideas.  I videotaped my practice runs so I would identify areas that required more attention.  Don’t be afraid to connect with your audience. Get to the room that your will be presenting early or during breaks. Stand where you will be presenting, look around and get to know the room.  During your presentation don’t forget to breathe.

  Here is the link to CSRT’s  Call For Presenter’s page: 

http://conference.csrt.com/call-for-presenters

Good luck!

Farzad ‘Raffi’ Refahi HBSc RRT CRE

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