Hello, my name is Rhonda Wahl. I moved to this community in April from the Black Hills of SD. I was born and raised “right next door” in Sioux Falls. I have five nieces and nephews plus a very spoiled cat. Since 1996, I have been a Respiratory Therapist and I have worked in a large variety of different clinical settings such as Acute Care In-Patient, Out-Patient Diagnostic Testing and Long Term Acute Care. In addition, in the past, I worked for a Medical Travel Company for 10 years doing contract work for Healthcare facilities.
Over the years, I have gained experience working in small rural hospitals, large medical centers and university teaching hospitals. I have had the opportunity to work with all age populations including neonatal, pediatric, adolescent, adult and geriatric patients. In addition, I have experience in critical care and have worked in Neonatal ICU, Pediatric ICUs, both Cardiac and Medical/Surgical, Adult Cardiac and Medical/Surgical ICUs, Burn Units and the Emergency Department.
Respiratory equipment that I have had the opportunity to work with include a variety of Invasive and Non-Invasive Mechanical Ventilators. Some procedures and teams I have had experience with include Intubations, being involved in OB emergencies, Rapid Response Teams, Code Blue Teams and Trauma Teams. On the diagnostic level, I have done complete PFTs, EEGs, EKGs, Holter and Event cardiac monitors, cardiac stress testing, Arterial Blood Gas drawing and analysis, Pulmonary Rehab and home sleep studies.
At Windom Area Health, patients will now be able to get their testing done locally. The new Respiratory Therapy space has a new Pulmonary Function Machine, which allows for noninvasive tests that show how well the lungs are working. The tests measure lung volume, capacity, rates of flow and gas exchange. Your healthcare provider can use this information to diagnose and treat certain lung disorders. Patients will also have the ability to do Home Sleep Testing. I look forward to serving this communities’ respiratory care needs. For more information on our new Respiratory Care, click HERE.
Blog Written By: Rhonda Wahl, Respiratory Therapy Coordinator