Respiratory therapists save lives, but they can also make dreams come true – even seemingly impossible dreams.
As healthcare marketers, we are fortunate to partner with many organizations driven to save lives. The following article features our work with The National Board for Respiratory Care and the More RTs national public awareness campaign. The goal is to ensure respiratory care excellence is recognized and never in short supply – and the message is receiving acclaim. Here’s that story:
In 2020, a national collaborative of respiratory care organizations called on us to identify the most impactful pathway to solving the shortage of respiratory therapists (RTs). Knowing real impact would require nothing less than a national, long-term, multimedia public awareness campaign, we charted a new course for the collaborative. The concept of The World Needs More RTs was born – and with it, an extensive and highly integrated campaign that features many perspectives across a set of core goals:
- Elevating awareness and appreciation for the respiratory care profession
- Increasing the numbers of RT educators and students enrolled in RT programs
- Improving RT recruitment and retention
- Fostering professional growth among practicing RTs
The More RTs campaign, sponsored by The National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC), the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) and the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC), is now entering its fourth year. Through social media, advertising, media outreach, video production, TikTok contests and a host of other engagement platforms, More RTs amplifies all the right voices: practicing RTs and the physicians who work with them, as well as RT educators, students and, perhaps the most compelling of all, patients.
Few stories capture the value of respiratory therapy better than Brianna Collichio’s, making it a poignant narrative for television advertising. Recognizing that, The NBRC supported and funded our production and placement of Brianna’s story as a regional, 30-second TV spot. In a testament to the power of authentic storytelling, the judges at the international Telly Awards recently gave it one of the advertising industry’s top honors: a Gold Telly. With that achievement, Brianna’s story is now in the company of creative works from such notable brands as Disney, AstraZeneca, National Geographic Society, Netflix and many others. Watch Brianna’s spot here:
As the video shows, Brianna has cystic fibrosis. For many with CF, singing seems impossible – but that never stopped Brianna, who went from singing at church to performing for the NFL and auditioning for American Idol, all while requiring daily respiratory therapy. If not for the skills and dedication of her respiratory therapist, Brianna’s dreams might have seemed too far out of reach. Instead, she is soaring, and her story is one of triumph. (For a deeper look into Brianna’s story, view our companion video here.)
“Voices like Brianna’s tell the world what a foundational difference RTs make in the lives of their patients,” says Lori Tinkler, CEO of The NBRC. “By showcasing real experiences across the reach of respiratory care, we are working to elevate the profession, bolster recruitment and retention, and shape future leaders in this growing field of medicine for generations to come.”
Whether it’s achieving musical stardom or sustaining a long-term campaign that will ultimately save countless lives, big dreams take hard work. Brianna and the many voices of the More RTs campaign are proof of the magic that’s possible when you’re driven to make the world a healthier place.