CECILIA ANDRADE

I am a member of the California Air National Guard where I am a tradition guardsmen. I report to base were I perform Spirometry on other service members. I am the only respiratory therapist at this base and it is my duty to develop and maintain the respiratory procedures and protocols. In July 2024 I will be attending flight school where I will learn to perform my Respiratory skills on an aircraft.

Critical Care

As a student I worked with a preceptor in all adult ICU areas including Burn, Cardio-thoracic, Trauma/Surgical, and Neurosurgical. I also rotated through the Emergency Department, pediatric floors, Neonatal ICU and adult step down areas. I would review patient charts daily and recommend ventilator changes and different pulmonary hygiene therapies based on the pathways and protocols. I am proficient with high flow and BIPAP, High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation, IPV, Cough Assist, Positive Airway Pressure devices and Positive Expiratory devices.

Pulmonary service Lab

During my rotation in the pulmonary service lab department, I assisted in performing pulmonary function tests (spirometry, lung volumes, diffusing capacities), CPET, and 6-minute walks according to ATS and department standards. Every morning I calibrated equipment and performed quality control tests. I successfully replaced electrodes and worked through troubleshooting with my preceptor.

As a health service technician in the California Air Guard I was responsible for records managements. I successfully managed the transition all the medical records to digital software. My duty was also to prepare packages of medical documents for physicians to evaluate with the service member. During the 2020 Pandemic my skills assisted thousands of service members who were activated to support the mission against COVID.

During my active duty enlistment I work as a radiology and ultrasound technologist. The military training and expectations taught me to be proficient in producing diagnostic quality images for accurate diagnoses in a short time frame. I worked very closely with Radiologist and learned to effectively communicate with other providers and member of our medical team.