About Off Duty RT

Off Duty RT is a calm, supportive space created by a respiratory therapist to explore breathing, lived experience, and the human side of care. It exists to bridge the space between patients, caregivers, and healthcare workers — recognizing that while our roles may differ, our fears, limits, and need for care are often the same.

 

This space was created from the understanding that care does not only happen in exam rooms or hospital hallways. It happens at home, in quiet moments of worry, in the pauses between breaths, and in the exhaustion that follows both giving and receiving care. Whether you are living with a lung condition, supporting someone who is, or working in healthcare yourself, there are shared experiences that connect us — even when our roles look different on the surface.

 

Off Duty RT is rooted in lived experience and the quieter moments of care. It acknowledges the vulnerability that comes with not being able to breathe the way you once did, the fatigue that settles into bodies and nervous systems over time, and the emotional weight that often goes unspoken. These experiences exist on both sides of care — in patients and in those who show up to help them.

 

Here, the focus is not on fixing or optimizing, but on understanding. On slowing down enough to notice what breathing feels like in real life. On recognizing how fear, stress, and exhaustion shape our bodies just as much as physiology does. On making space for compassion — not only for others, but for ourselves.

 

Off Duty RT exists to soften the divide between “patient” and “provider.” To remind us that behind every diagnosis, every role, and every title is a human nervous system doing its best to stay steady. That caring for ourselves is not separate from caring for others — it is what allows care to continue.

 

This is not a place for medical advice or clinical instruction. It is a space for reflection, shared understanding, and gentle support. A place to feel seen before being explained to. A reminder that none of us are meant to carry the weight of care alone.