Introduction
A baby comes into the world too early and her lungs are not yet fully developed. An elderly man who has smoked for years now finds himself gasping for breath. A teenage boy who has always struggled with asthma wants to improve his ability to play team sports. A young woman pulled out of the water after a near drowning finds it painful to take in and expel air.
All of the patients described above need assistance getting sufficient amounts of oxygen into their lungs and out to their cells. When a patient has trouble breathing and utilizing the precious resource, oxygen, a specialist called a respiratory therapist is often called upon to provide treatment and support. Without …show more content…
oxygen, our bodies would shut down in a matter of minutes. This vital gas fuels our cells and provides a necessary raw material for the creation of energy. Respiratory therapists work to manage both short-term and long-term oxygen crises and to assure that this resource is readily available to our bodies.
In this activity, you will explore another biomedical career area by writing a resume for a fictional respiratory therapist.
A resume is a document that expresses a career objective as well as presents skills and experience to a potential employer. This resume will showcase the education, experience and skills of this highly trained biomedical professional and will highlight the goals of respiratory therapy. As you work on the resume for a respiratory therapist, reflect on your own career aspirations and think about how you would go about writing your own resume and marketing your skills to a potential employer.
Equipment
Computer with Internet access
Laboratory journal
Career journal
Procedure
1. Research all aspects of the training and day-to-day duties of a respiratory therapist. Begin compiling information you can use to compose a resume for a fictional respiratory therapist. Record notes in your career journal.
2. View the sample resumes shown on the Online Writing Lab site of Purdue University. Alternatively, your teacher may provide you with printed copies of these documents.
Sample 1 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20061128102341_564.pdf
Sample 2 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/200601131159_565.pdf
Sample 3 …show more content…
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/200511300133_547.pdf
3. With a partner, analyze the sample resumes. In your laboratory journal, describe the types of information that are included in a resume and list the major headings.
4.
Discuss your findings with the class.
5. View the presentation on resume writing produced by the Purdue University Writing Lab found at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/ppt/20071017040900_699.ppt#256,1,Resumes. Your teacher may choose to show this presentation to the class, but you can refer back to it later if you want to review key sections or obtain style and writing tips.
6. Visit the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University – Workplace Writers at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/681/01/.
7. Scroll down to “Employment Documents – The Resume and Curriculum Vitae (CV).”
8. Read the information presented in the “Resume Design” section as well as in the four resume building reference sections that follow.
9. Combine information from your research on respiratory therapy and on writing an effective resume to design a resume for a fictional respiratory therapist. Make sure to include a clear objective, information about education and work experience, as well as any other information you feel will be helpful in showcasing your skills to an employer. Think about the type of job your fictional therapist is trying to obtain and tailor the resume to really sell the experience and skills of this
professional.
10. Type your resume. Follow the formatting guidelines and options presented in the Internet tutorial and presentation. Make sure to proofread your final product.
11. Compare your resume to that of another student in the class. Discuss the format and overall effectiveness of each resume.
Conclusion
1. Describe the components of an effective resume.
2. Explain how the career area of respiratory therapy relates to our study of oxygen and lung volumes. Provide an example that illustrates your point.
3. Explain how a respiratory therapist might help a patient with chronic asthma.