UVM Medical Center RT Named Respiratory Therapist of the Year by Vermont-New Hampshire Society for Respiratory Care

Burlington, VT – Respiratory Therapist (RT) Darcey Lafreniere of University of Vermont Medical Center is always looking for a challenge.

Fighting through motion sickness in the back of an ambulance while monitoring neonatal patients on their way to critical care at UVM Medical Center; jumping in as an educator for the region’s only training pipeline for respiratory therapists; or quarterbacking RT night shifts at the hospital and serving as a mentor and patient care resource for colleagues in real time. Lafreniere does all of that and more.

“I like to challenge myself,” said Lafreniere, MBA, BA, BSRC, RRT, who has been an RT at the hospital for nearly 12 years. “I need to know how everything works and be ready to help anyone at any time.”

That laser focus on meeting the moment, whatever it may require, is why Lafreniere was recently honored as the 2024 Respiratory Therapist of the Year by the Vermont-New Hampshire Society for Respiratory Care.

“What we look for is someone who impacts their patients, and she’s one of the best – not just at that, but also at helping her peers and colleagues,” said Chris Chambers, BSRC, RRT, RRT-NPS, supervisor of Respiratory Therapy at UVM Medical Center and a Society board member.

“Darcey’s dedication and excellence over her eleven-year career have earned her the prestigious Respiratory Therapist of the Year award, highlighting her exceptional contributions to patient care, teamwork and professional development,” said Brad Holcomb, manager of Respiratory Care, Pulmonary Function Lab and Pulmonary Rehabilitation at UVM Medical Center and UVM Children’s Hospital.

Prioritizing Patients and Colleagues

Lafreniere’s work spans a wide gamut of impacts, but her first passion is patient care – especially of the hospital’s youngest and most at-risk patients: those in need of neonatal (NICU) or pediatric (PICU) intensive care. Those are the cases that stick with her, said Lafreniere, and she closely follows their process from critical care to return visits after being discharged.

As health care organizations nationwide struggle to respond to a shortage of RTs, a lack of training programs and low student awareness of the profession and its importance, Chambers said the impact on RTs like Lafreniere continues to grow.

“If we’re going on an external transport, whether that’s coming here or going to a higher level of care, Darcey is often going,” said Chambers. “For the last two years, she’s often the only respiratory therapist on her shift who could go.”

RTs play a key role in transporting newborns in need of NICU care to UVM Medical Center, as well as to higher levels of care in places like Boston. Despite suffering from motion sickness while traveling in ambulances – a fairly common occurrence – Lafreniere said not going has never been an option for her.

“I love the care of newborns and have always maintained that I will continue to do transports, even though it makes me motion sick,” said Lafreniere. “I just focus on my job and push through.”

For colleagues in the hospital, said Chambers, Lafreniere is a steadying presence and trusted resource on every shift she works – as well as those she organizes while serving as the overnight charge respiratory therapist.

“She always thinks of her colleagues first,” he said. “She’s one of the resources staff go to first. Especially in an environment that has required us to use a lot of travelers in recent years, the impact she has is huge.”

Diving Headfirst into RT Education

When an instructor in the Respiratory Therapy program at Vermont State University unexpectedly stepped away earlier this year, leaving the vital pipeline program in need of a new educator, Holcomb and Chambers immediately knew where to look.

“When the school reached out to us, Darcey was the first person who came to mind,” said Chambers. “She dove in headfirst and started teaching classes.”

University of Vermont Health Network has invested heavily in the program, which Chambers called a vital pipeline for respiratory therapists in training, since 2023. The health system crafted a partnership with Vermont State University that allows employees to continue earning full-time wages and benefits while studying to complete an associates degree and earn credentialing as a registered respiratory therapist (RRT). The system’s investments, which saved the program from being shuttered amid low interest and awareness about the career, total hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Chambers said nearly all the respiratory therapists employed at UVM Medical Center come from Vermont State University’s program.

“It’s our bloodline. Ninety percent, if not more, of our respiratory therapists have a direct link to the school,” he said. “Their importance is huge.”

Lafreniere, who is a graduate of the program, said she jumped at the chance to help develop the next generation of respiratory therapists.

“I figured it would definitely be a challenge. I was more than willing to help,” she said. “I also need colleagues.”

Making an International Impact through Research

Lafreniere’s impact on patients and colleagues goes beyond day-to-day bedside care and patient transports. Several years ago, she helped to write clinical RT guidelines that are now used worldwide.

The guidelines, which focus on how to properly remove patients from ventilators, have been cited in clinical research, safety and best practices publications across the globe, said Chambers.

“It wasn’t just a nominal bedside study,” he said. “It has international impact.”

For Lafreniere, taking on a wide scope of clinical practice, education and research work showcases her strong love for the career – and her desire to make a positive impact on the lives around her.

“I just love being a respiratory therapist. I love caring for my patients and helping them understand what’s going on; I love teaching, precepting at the hospital and helping my RTs at work be the best they can be,” she said. “The award means a lot; it means I’m valued in all the efforts that I put forth.”