“Have you ever heard of Respiratory Therapy?” I was asked this by an elderly woman while in line at a till, waiting to pay for groceries.Earlier that morning, I was given the results of my evaluations with the career counsellor I had been working with. After many tests and personality assessments the counsellor placed two compatible careers in front of me. The first, was Zoology. (See Education)The second, was Respiratory Therapy.Despite being an obscure profession, suddenly there were multiple encounters pointing me towards it. The lady in the grocery store was the final checkmate in my decision to pursue schooling at SAIT.Three years of study and a very competitive job market later, I landed my dream position at the Alberta Children’s Hospital as an RRT.During my time at ACH I learned exactly which connections I needed to start a High Flow Oscillator with Nitric Oxide in line. In the PICU I learned how to recognize and stabilize an obstructed or dislodged endotracheal tube. In the equipment storage room I learned to precept students and engage competency discussions.While involving myself in every opportunity to finesse my skills and improve as an RRT: I also learned that for me, the acute environment was highly taxing on my emotions. Three years later, I sat in my managers office staring at a candy wrapper from the ‘soothe your soul’ jar. After a few of these meetings we came to a difficult decision.I needed to pivot.And pivot I did.Connect Care. A project underway at AHS to allow charting and documentation to be consistent across the province. An opportunity for me to showcase skills that had been dormant and under-utilized as an RT.As the RT Specialist on my team, my experience in Respiratory now allows me to think critically and offer solutions that are in alignment with the needs of our end-users. I am familiar with workflows, procedures, and verbiage used in our industry and this has been instrumental in my ability to generate impactful change for my team.My skills in relationship building, business analysis, and mentorship have flourished in the past few years since finding my place in IT. Acute Care Respiratory Therapy may not be my final destination, but I am privileged to have had it as my launch pad. My sincere hope is to continue supporting the profession to the best of my ability- above the bedside, rather than next to it.