Oct. 23 through Oct. 29 is designated nationally as Respiratory Care Week. At Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Mrs. Vicki Smith and her Respiratory Therapy juniors and seniors will host multiple activities each day during lunch to celebrate the event. Some activities will encourage involvement from the student body to learn different respiratory skills.

“We are doing this to raise awareness of Respiratory Therapist’s job to perform different skills and that they must educate others. I am involving other students that are not within the program because I want them to realize what we do and as well hopefully consider it as a post secondary career,” explains Smith.

On Monday, the junior and seniors will measure height and weight of volunteer students students and take their blood pressure. Tuesday, seniors will perform intubation on mannequins, while another station will allow students to suture chicken thighs. On Wednesday, Halloween themed cookies will be on sale as the upperclassmen teach and demonstrate how to perform proper Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation on adult, child, and infant mannequins. At the stations, which will be dispersed throughout the front of and outside of the cafeteria, students will receive hands-on CPR training.

“I believe Respiratory Care Week will be a lot of fun for us RT students as well as the rest of the school. We get to use the skills we have learned the past few years and show everyone how much we have learned,” shares junior Brianna Yee.

All proceeds of the holiday themed cookies will benefit the Respiratory Club to fund the cost of respiratory equipment.