Important Membership Renewal Information

Dear RTSO members,

We are excited to announce that Membership Renewal for 2024-2025 is now open.

While RTs rely on the RTSO to advocate for the advancement and recognition of our profession, the RTSO relies on its members to ensure sustainability. We are looking forward to another year of opportunities, resources, and networking within our community.

Renewing your membership is not simply a transaction, it is a declaration of solidarity and a testament to your dedication to the betterment of your profession.

We acknowledge that at present, many of our members may be managing various professional obligations that exert financial strain. Considering this, we are pleased to introduce more flexible options to alleviate any burdens associated with membership dues.

We have implemented monthly payment plans and transitioning to a rolling anniversary membership model. Under this arrangement, membership commences upon purchase and remains valid for 365 days, aligning with the date of purchase.

As a token of our appreciation, the first 100 members to renew their membership, will receive a 20$ Starbucks gift card.

To proceed with your membership renewal, we kindly invite you to visit our website.

Congratulations to the 2023
RTSO Student Achievement Award recipients!

Thank you for your invaluable contributions and
active participation in the RTSO community!

Thank you for your support
@respiratory therapy program Conestoga College!

Celebrating a Remarkable Achievement and Milestone in Respiratory Therapy

Before January 2019, respiratory therapists (RTs) were allowed to use soundwaves for diagnostic ultrasound if they had a valid order and performed the procedure in a public hospital. However, in January 2019, the regulation changed, and specific professions were named, excluding RTs from performing ultrasound. This meant that RTs required delegation to use ultrasound in their practice.

Since the 2019 regulation change, the RTSO Board of Directors and Leadership Committee have been actively advocating for the inclusion of RTs in the list of professions that can apply ultrasound for diagnostic purposes without delegation.

Today, we are thrilled to announce that the advocacy efforts have been successful. The Ontario Ministry of Health has amended the Controlled Acts Regulation, allowing Respiratory Therapists to utilize diagnostic ultrasound in their practice under the order of a physician or nurse practitioner. Delegation is no longer required.

The RTSO is incredibly proud of this accomplishment for the respiratory therapy profession in Ontario and celebrates this significant milestone.

This is a testament to the tireless commitment of members to supporting the RTSO leadership committees’ advocacy efforts to advancing the profession in Ontario.

RTSO 50th Anniversary

As we celebrate 50 years of the Respiratory Therapy Society of Ontario (RTSO), we look at all that has been accomplished by both the RTSO and this young profession in our province since 1962. From a 6-week course focused on inhalation therapy, to formal respiratory therapy programs with common curriculum and clinical competencies all over the province, to the formation of the College of Respiratory Therapists of Ontario (CRTO) to regulate our professional license, we can see the advancement of our education. The RTSO was formed in 1972 to represent and advocate for this growing profession, and has since continued to develop relationships with the Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists (CSRT), the CRTO, other representative bodies and gained at voice and representation with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC), Ministry of Labour (MOL), Colation of Regulated Health Professions Associations (CORHPA), etc. Respiratory Therapists have pioneered through many changes, advancements and additions to our professional role and have become a valued and integral member of healthcare teams throughout the hospital and in the community. We have prevailed through various healthcare crisis, including the SARS outbreak in 2003/04 and most recently the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in 2020. The RTSO continues to advocate for this ever changing profession, supporting the needs of its members, advocating for our ever-evolving role in respiratory care and being a voice for the Respiratory Therapists of Ontario at the government level. Whether you’re a new graduate entering your career or an experienced RT near the end of their career, take a look at this time and remember where we come from!

NEW RTSO Job Posting

RTSO has a position open for President Elect. Click the link below for more information.

NEW Job Posting

William Osler Health System is looking for a Respiratory Therapist. Click the link below for more information.

NEW Job Posting

Latitude Air Ambulance is looking for a Flight Respiratory Therapist (NOC).  Click the link below for more information.

NEW Job Posting

Sharbot Lake Family Health Team is looking for a Registered Respiratory Therapist.  Click the link below for more information.

NEW RTSO Job Posting

RTSO is looking for a Community Director to join our team! Click the link below for more information.

Would you like to post a job opening on our website?

Joint Statement from the
OHA, OMA, RNAO, RPNAO and the RTSO

As New Modelling Confirms ICU Cases Climbing Toward Devastating Levels, Health Organizations Re-issue Plea for Tougher Government Restrictions and Help from each Ontarian

ATTENTION
Action required by all RRT’s
in Ontario!
Members and Non-members

The RTSO is lobbying and working behind the scenes to improve your ability to use ultrasound equipment when performing procedures to improve patient care.  We have been working with a government relations firm Stosic & Associates and we are now reaching out to you for some help.  Simply download and copy/paste the templated letter into an email and send it to your MPP. We have also included instructions on how to find your MPP.

The more RT’s across Ontario that send this letter the more support we will have moving forward with changing the authorization of the use of ultrasound. 

ICES Report on the Association Between the Availability of Registered Respiratory Therapists (RRT) and Healthcare Utilization of People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Dear Colleagues

On behalf of registered respiratory therapists (RRTs) practicing in Ontario and the Board of Directors of the Respiratory Therapy Society of Ontario (RTSO), I would like to share the attached ICES report on the Association Between the Availability of Registered Respiratory Therapists (RRT) and Healthcare Utilization of People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and the RRT Integrated Role Profile Across Multiple Practice Settings, aiming to contribute to health care system transformation as well as improvements on an ongoing basis.

The RRT Availability document helps identify gaps across practice settings in the 5 Ontario Health Interim and Transitional Regions as well as the 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) across Ontario. The Integrated Role Profile is intended to complement the RRT Availability document to help address those gaps effectively and efficiently. Both documents are available on the RTSO website at https://www.rtso.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ICES-Report-for-RTSO_2022-09.pdf and https://www.rtso.ca/registered-respiratory-therapist-role-profile-across-multiple-practice-setting-in-ontario/

Working as integral members of interprofessional teams, RRTs facilitate the delivery of comprehensive health care to achieve best health outcomes for neonatal, pediatric and adult patients with or at risk of developing cardio-respiratory disease across the continuum of care. As part of the team, we aim to support the Ontario Ministry of Health (MOH) vision for health care in Ontario, working with our colleagues to

• Improve the patient experience

• Focus on patients and specific local needs

• Help people more easily navigate the system and experience easy transitions from one health provider to another

• Reduce “hallway medicine” in acute care facilities.

RRTs make unique contributions to integrated patient care across the health care system by bringing specialized respiratory skills and knowledge to their patients’ care in all practice settings. The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of the RRT role in caring for the respiratory care needs of patients across the continuum with both preventive counselling to high risk patients and care for those affected by the disease.

We invite you to share this document widely.

Sincerely,

Renata Rea, RRT, CRE,

President, Respiratory Therapy Society of Ontario

In honour of RT Week, a message to Ontario’s Respiratory Therapists from Doug Ford, Premiere of Ontario.

When Covid-19 patients have been at their worst, Respiratory Therapists have been there.

We are asking the Provincial government to recognize RT’s as first responders and essential workers, and to give us access to the specialized and enhanced mental health supports that others have.

See our own Renata Rea advocating for you.

We hope that this information will be helpful in providing a safe pulmonary diagnostic testing process for both patients and staff. Any feedback should be forwarded to the RTSO Office at office@rtso.ca.

Thank you,
RTSO Board of Directors
RTSO Leadership Committee