Blog

Provocholine®

Aridol®

Partnerships

Training

Clinical Research Consultation

CRCE Courses

Blogs / Podcast

Guidelines / Publications

Speaking Engagements

Author: Holy Wilson, RPFT

When I was asked if I would like to write for this blog I had just moved from the U.S. to southern Portugal. It was the perfect time to put my journey into words of how I transitioned from working as a Pulmonary Function Technologist in hospitals to working remotely on the industry side of respiratory diagnostics from my home in Portugal. This is my story.

At the age of 16 I got a job working weekends in a Respiratory Therapy Department as an Equipment Tech.  My long-term plan was to become a veterinarian. I was hopeful this would prepare me for veterinary school, and it paid higher than minimum wage. Veterinary school didn’t happen, but the Equipment Tech job quickly led me to the bedside. I learned how to perform pulse oximetry, peak flow, and titrate oxygen. In the 1980’s pulse oximeters were too large and costly to have in each room and the Wright peak flow meters were not disposable, so I went from room to room doing spot checks and charting the results. By 1990 the director of the PFT Lab asked if I wanted to learn how to perform PFT’s, and that’s how it all began. In the years that followed my mentors took me under their wings and taught me everything they knew (which was a lot) about pulmonary function studies.

By 1992 I had received the CPFT credential and in 1994 I was offered a job at Washington University School of Medicine. This was a large PFT Lab with a broad scope of service.  I learned too many things to list here, but this opportunity was pivotal for what was to come. In 1998, I moved to Sydney, Australia with my husband who had taken a job with IBM Global Services.  Soon, I found a job in a Respiratory Investigation Unit at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, working under the guidance of Dr. Sandra Anderson. Dr. Anderson is a world-renowned scientist in the field of asthma, whose research and expertise brought us the mannitol challenge test.

In 2001 we adventured to Dublin, Ireland where I worked for a pediatric pulmonologist, and in 2002 made my way into Gregg Ruppel’s lab at St Louis University Hospital.  Working with Gregg Ruppel, the author of The Manual of Pulmonary Function Testing and dozens of other publications, was a dream come true. In 2013 Gregg retired and I filled the leadership role that was left vacant.  I started doing more teaching and learned that every time I taught someone about PFT’s, I would learn something new! I managed a good-sized lab, a few employees and kept things afloat, but the biggest challenge was the Covid-19 outbreak.  Learning how to effectively manage a PFT lab during the onset of Covid-19 was one of the most difficult things I had ever done. I was ready for a different kind of work.

Prior to the pandemic, my husband and I visited Panama to learn more about early retirement abroad. When we returned, I decided to explore the possibility of becoming a digital nomad. I enjoyed being productive and didn’t feel ready to hang up my PFT credentials just yet. But how in the world does a PFT technologist leave the clinical setting to work remotely?

I visited the AARConnect Diagnostics forum to ask the question. I got several helpful responses, mostly about the option of Over-Reading PFT data for Clinical Research Trials. Little did I know that within 8 months I would have an unexpected job offer and would make the transition to the industry side of respiratory diagnostics and clinical research trials.

This opportunity brought a brand-new perspective. I had performed testing for research purposes, worked with monitors, and research site coordinators, but now I was in a whole new environment. I needed to learn the language of clinical research, new standard operating procedures, best practices, and how to work within project management teams. It was difficult and I had a lot of self-doubt.  I had to learn that it was okay to be a beginner all over again.  I had to build my confidence and be patient with myself, just like those many years before, when I was learning how to coach patients and navigate PFT software.

In my current role I help to maintain the integrity of PFT data for clinical research from hundreds of clinical sites all over the world.  I Over-Read the PFT data for quality assurance and give feedback when a site needs to improve or do something different to meet the requirements of the study. This requires patience and good communication. There can be language barriers, but with a little persistence and patience I can give someone what so many others have given to me. The knowledge of pulmonary functions.

And the rewards are great! Where else can a Pulmonary Function Technologist start the day on a call with Italy and end the day with a training presentation for a site in Australia? Today I can share what I have learned on a global scale. When you are open to endless possibilities, there is no limit to what you can do.

Author: Holy Wilson, RPFT
H&E Consulting contracted by Vitalograph

Recent Posts

Reflections from 2024

Reflections from 2024

November is the ideal month to highlight and center our focus on what we are grateful for in our lives. Gratitude is the “state of being grateful: thankfulness.”  Research on gratitude supports that expressing and feeling grateful is healing and increases happiness....

COPD & Emphysema

COPD & Emphysema

Emphysema is a chronic progressive disease of the airways, specifically the alveoli. Emphysema is the destruction and enlargement of the alveoli. The alveoli are the air sacks located at the ends of the bronchioles (alveolus is the singular or one air sac). The number...

Exercise and Lung Health

Exercise and Lung Health

I received a video of my grandnephew taking his first steps this week, a significant milestone considering he was one month premature. As he transitions to a toddler, still finding his balance, it is a reminder that our muscles, like his, need regular conditioning as...

Asthma Peak Week

Asthma Peak Week

  Summer is rapidly coming to a close. Children, and parents, are preparing to return to school. There is the excitement of shoe shopping, buying supplies, learning who their teacher will be, getting their class schedule and new books. As school resumes and the...

Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) in Clinical Practice

Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) in Clinical Practice

Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) testing has emerged as a valuable tool in both the diagnosis and management of asthma. It is a non-invasive, quick, and easy test that measures the concentration of nitric oxide in exhaled breath.  This helps provide insights...

Test Before Diagnosing

Test Before Diagnosing

  262 million people world-wide have asthma. Twenty-five million Americans have asthma. Ten people die each day in the United States from an asthma exacerbation. It is a heterogenous disease that can be difficult to diagnose and manage. There are objective tests...