Casey Johnston, BSN

At West Valley, our RRT team is made up of the House Supervisor and a designated ED nurse, as we don’t have a Respiratory Therapist here. Casey is great to have in this role. The last RRT call I saw, Casey respond too, he quickly assisted the patient with obtaining vital signs, sent pertinent priority lab draws, and assisted with setting up a CPAP machine. He was a great mentor and collaborator who paid close attention to details.

Casey is a true team player, a jack of all trades. Known to us as the onsite Respiratory Resource. Our in-house expert in all respiratory. He is there when anyone needs a hand. Whether it be someone to man triage all day in the Emergency Department, start a difficult IV, troubleshoot equipment, or sweet-talk a demented old lady. He may be a manly man, an outdoor enthusiast, but he is also full of compassionate care, kindness, and determination.

He is frequently asked to precept and is often part of the Rapid Response Team. He not only has a great attitude, but he is one of our primary educators. He is also someone who always seems open to learning whenever he can. That same shift, Casey had a “stop the line” kind of moment. He was showing our new hire around our RT equipment and doing all of the daily checks. He noticed that our equipment had changed, and we didn’t have the return flow sensor tubing that goes to our ventilator.

The flow sensor is a vital part of the ventilator as it tells us how the patient is responding to the breathing therapy we are providing for them. Without this piece, we have no vent. We would have to bag the patient until EMS arrived to transfer to Salem. As you can imagine, if this were to have happened, it would have been pure chaos. Casey took charge and quickly notified the House supervisor, and we were able to figure out the gaps and quickly get the supplies we needed for safe patient care and efficient nursing practice.