“Manitoba is an active and growing place for RT’s. Moving from the nation’s capital in 2013 to start a career in Winnipeg was not a small decision. With many dense areas of the country offering limited opportunities for new graduates, Manitoba’s growth offers many. Winnipeg is a hub for a large geographic region of the country which is served by two large tertiary facilities and a children’s hospital, with one of the hospitals representing the strong French community in central Canada.

Since I’ve started my journey, I’ve had the opportunity to work with adults and children in critical care but spent most of my career working with pediatrics and neonates. The opportunities in both these scopes of practice are growing. RT’s are advancing their skills with training to perform ultrasound and intubate patients at the bedside. I now find myself working as part of the transport team for pediatrics and neonates. A small group of RT’s with advanced training that travels as far as Nunavut to care for sick kids. I never would have thought that flying in helicopters and airplanes was an option for me going into the profession and I love every bit of it. There is an adult team of RT’s that transport as well for those that don’t have the interest in pediatrics.

With the University of Manitoba offering a bachelor’s degree of Respiratory Therapy, you can complete your degree on a part time basis, its definitively something I would recommend anyone to do. Several RT’s in the province are also pursuing graduate studies as well which is a great opportunity. Research is another exciting area for RT’s. I received a small grant in 2020 from the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba for a clinical study in the field of aerosols. The opportunities are really endless.

While Winnipeg may not be familiar to many, it is a surprisingly vibrant city with lots of festivals and culture. Food festivals are definitively high on my list with poutine week having over 100 restaurants competing. The winters are only cold if you don’t dress for them and the summers are hard to beat. The easiest thing anyone can do is reach out with questions. The ones that have I’m lucky to call my colleagues.”

Respiratory Therapist