Let's Get Ethical

Episode 10 - Mindy Conklin "The Taylor Swift of Respiratory Therapy"

In this live episode recorded at the California Society for Respiratory Care (CSRC) 2026 conference in Temecula, hosts Rob and Mike sit down with a trailblazing guest — Mindy Conklin! One of the first seven Advanced Practice Respiratory Therapists (APRTs) in the country. Mindy shares her remarkable journey from a non-traditional student at 31 who stumbled into respiratory therapy, to becoming a pioneer in an entirely new clinical profession. She opens up about the moment a chance encounter sparked a vision that would reshape her entire career — and eventually lead her to pack up her life and move to Baltimore for the very first APRT job posting. The conversation dives into what APRTs actually are — think nurse practitioners or physician assistants, but exclusively in the cardiopulmonary space — and why the profession is poised to transform how patients with COPD, asthma, and critical illness receive care. Mindy also discusses the very real challenges of building a new profession from scratch: skepticism from colleagues, lack of legislation, and the long road to CMS reimbursement. Beyond the professional, listeners get a glimpse of the person behind the pioneer — a proud Swifty, Peloton enthusiast, new grandmother, and self-described loud singer whose husband has reluctantly become a Taylor Swift fan. A must-listen for anyone in respiratory care who wants to understand where the profession is headed and how to get involved.

Episode 9 - Burned Out and Stepping Up: How Jake Miller Found His Spark in Respiratory Leadership

In this episode, hosts Mike and Rob sit down with Jake Miller, RRT-ACCS, MBA, just before the California Society for Respiratory Care (CSRC) annual conference. Jake is the Manager of Respiratory and Interventional Pulmonary at Keck USC Medical Center and the current president of the CSRC. Jake shares his 13+ year journey in respiratory care, starting out in EMS doing Orange County 911 work before transitioning into hospital-based practice. He opens up about how the burnout and exhaustion of working six to seven days a week during COVID pushed him to seek something more — leading him to get involved with the CSRC, where he found renewed purpose through committees, advocacy, and leadership. The conversation digs into the real challenges facing state respiratory societies, including member burnout, retention struggles, and the push to grow initiatives like the Advanced Practice Respiratory Therapist (APRT) designation in California. The hosts also tackle the big question of why more of California's estimated 30,000 licensed respiratory therapists aren't engaged with their state society — and why they should be, given the legislative and professional issues directly affecting their licenses and patient care. Jake's message is welcoming and low-pressure: show up to one committee meeting, give some feedback, and see what happens. A great listen for any respiratory therapist thinking about getting more involved in their profession.

Episode 8 - The Accidental Therapist

What happens when an accidental Google search completely derails your life plan — in the best possible way? Ask Rachel Jenkins. In this episode, Rob and Mike sit down with the MSRC Vice President and Ozarks Technical Community College faculty member ahead of the Missouri Society for Respiratory Care conference, and things get real fast. Rachel went from psychology and criminology student to respiratory therapist in the middle of a global pandemic, then pivoted to education, landed a spot in the AARC Emerging Leaders Program, and somehow still found time to plan a conference around Renaissance Fairs and dragon-themed ventilators. Yes, really. But underneath the fun, Rachel pulls no punches about the state of the profession — calling out the therapists who want higher pay and a bigger scope of practice without doing the work to earn it, breaking down what it actually costs to get legislation moving, and making the case for why the next generation of RTs needs to be as comfortable talking to a physician as they are sending a text. If you care about where respiratory care is headed and who's going to take it there, this is the episode for you.

Episode 7 - The Why Behind the Work - Part 2

Some lessons can't be taught in a classroom. They come from the bedside of a dying grandmother, from the weight of holding someone's hand when there's nothing left to do medically, from years of fighting to save lives and slowly learning that sometimes the most compassionate thing you can offer is peace. In this deeply personal episode, Mike sits down with co-host Rob to trace the journey that shaped not just his career, but his humanity. From 14 years serving in the United States Navy — carrying skills that the civilian world didn't know what to do with — to becoming a pioneer in neonatal flight care, Rob's path has always been driven by a profound desire to help people in their most vulnerable moments. But it was the quiet, painful moments outside of the clinical setting that taught him the most. Rob opens up about the experience of becoming his grandmother's healthcare decision maker, and how that deeply human moment forced him to confront the very questions he now dedicates himself to exploring — what does it really mean to do right by someone? When does fighting for a life become prolonging suffering? And how do we sit with families in their grief without losing ourselves in the process? Together, Rob and Mike reflect on why ethics isn't just a policy or a licensure requirement — it's the thread that connects every difficult conversation, every family meeting, every moment a clinician chooses to pull up a chair, get to eye level, and truly listen. They also shine a light on a striking gap in the profession — only 11 states currently require ethics as part of licensure renewal — and make the case that checking a box is not the same as having the conversation that actually needs to happen. Because at the end of the day, our patients and their families don't need our sympathy. They need to know that someone genuinely sees them.

Episode 6 - The Why Behind the Work - Part 1

In this heartfelt and candid episode, hosts Rob and Mike getpersonal, stepping back from case discussions to share the "whys" behind their passion for healthcare ethics. Mike, a 30-year respiratory therapy veteran and expert witness on over 26 medical malpractice cases, opens up about what drives his commitment to ethical patient care — from seeing every patient as someone's family member to recognizing that even routine bedside tasks carry life-or-death consequences. The two dig into questions that don't have easy answers — when should instinct override protocol? How do you hold colleagues accountable without losing compassion? And what separates a genuine ethical decision from simply following the rules? Rob reflects on his own defining moments, including a harrowing triage decision involving a child that tested the limits of ethical instinct. Together, they explore why ethical thinking needs to become"muscle memory" for healthcare professionals, and how ethics extends far beyond medicine into our laws, relationships, and everyday choices. At the core of it all is a simple but powerful belief: that respectful disagreement and genuine compassion are the foundation of any meaningful ethical conversation. Honest, unscripted, and occasionally interrupted by a barking dog, this episode captures exactly why these two started the podcast in the first place.