Respiratory therapist, valuable member of patient care teamAugust 25, 2021

“I’ve always wanted to work in a hospital and be involved in the process to save lives,” Jordan Weathermon said.  “However, I didn’t realize how truly rewarding this would feel until I was part of the NICU [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit] team while I was serving as a Respiratory Therapist intern.  I was able to help a human at the start of life.  I remember going home thinking that I played a part in ensuring this person will lead a normal life.”

Weathermon recently graduated from Midland College with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Respiratory Care this past May.  

“I didn’t immediately choose Respiratory Care as my career field when I graduated from Permian High School,” he explained.  “I first went to UTPB [University of Texas Permian Basin] for two years.  At the time, I thought I would major in kinesiology.  As I got older, I realized that I wanted to have a career that helped people in a more hands-on approach.  So, I spent 12 hours shadowing various medical personnel at Medical Center Hospital and observed how the respiratory therapists are experts in their field.  Nurses and doctors rely on them to be the experts in breathing therapeutics.  I did some research on schools that offered training to become a respiratory therapist, and fortunately, there was a program close to home at Midland College.”

Weathermon began taking classes at Midland College in August of 2019 while also working approximately 40 hours per week in the retail industry.  He also maintained a 3.7 GPA while attending school fulltime.  

“I had to stay focused on my schoolwork,” he said.  “Fortunately, I had great instructors.  The program chair during my first year at Midland College was Bob Weidmann.  He was great and had the program laid out well.  He retired in spring 2020, and I was a little worried about the future of the program  I just couldn’t see anyone as great as Bob stepping in to fill his shoes.  Bob was incredible and full of knowledge.  I remember being frightened and sad that I wouldn’t be able to spend my last year in the program ‘soaking in’ all of his knowledge.

“However, the new program chair Kally Eddison is every bit as good.  She does a phenomenal job and is full of energy.  She did everything she needed to do to get us up to speed during the pandemic and ready to assume professional careers.  She and the clinical director Stan Middleton make a great team.  

“All three of these people—Bob, Kally and Stan--are experts in the field of respiratory care.  They provide a lot of information and present it in an easy-to-understand way.  The program also provides great hands-on skills training.”

In November 2020, during his last year in the program, Weathermon was hired part-time as a paid respiratory therapist intern at Midland Memorial Hospital.  As such, he was able to assist with patient care in coordination with licensed therapists.  Weathermon has been able to work with several patients who were suffering from breathing-related issues resulting from COVID.

“As awful as COVID is, it presented a great learning experience for me,” he said.  “It also made me realize that I chose a career where I can be on the front lines and a valuable member of the patient care team.”

Weathermon is now a fully licensed respiratory therapist and is still working at Midland Memorial Hospital.  As such, he works 36 hours per week and prefers the 7:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m. shift.  

“There is a great team of professionals who work the night shift,” he explained.  “When I am called into a patient’s room in the evening, it is usually quieter; there aren’t as many people in the room.  Most of the time, it’s just the patient and me, and I can really work one-on-one with the patient.”

Weathermon said that another reason he enjoys the night shift is that his girlfriend Lili Tran, a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit, also works the same shift.  When the couple have time off, they enjoy traveling and hiking.  They have been on hiking trips throughout Texas and Colorado, and they especially enjoy the Northwest United States.  Weathermon said that one day they hope to travel to Japan, Korea and Singapore.