Let's Get Ethical ™

Is the next pandemic already here, or is it just social media noise? In this episode of Let's Get Ethical, Rob and Mike welcome back Mindy Conklin to discuss the ethical implications of healthcare professionals venting on social media while in uniform. We break down the reality of the Hantavirus "scare," address the toxic culture of negativity facing students and new grads, and discuss what it truly means to uphold the oath in a po...

Recorded live at the Missouri Society Respiratory Care Conference with RT Sidebar, this episode features respiratory therapist, educator, and provost Dr. Aaron Light. He opens up about failing algebra twice, landing on academic probation, and ultimately graduating as class valedictorian.

But the real heart of this conversation is legacy. Dr. Light reflects on what it means to train students who go on to care for thousands of patient...

In this special, collaborative episode of Let's Get Ethical , Mike and Rob are joined by the team from RT Sidebar—Matt, JJ, and Mindy—to tackle a pressing and controversial issue in the healthcare industry: the recent announcement by the Mayo Clinic to eliminate overnight respiratory therapist (RT) coverage at three of its smaller facilities.

Coming together to unpack the complex, emotional, and systemic implications of ...

In this podcast episode of Let's Get Ethical, hosts Rob and Mike interview Dr. William Croft, the Executive Director of the North Carolina Respiratory Care Board, to discuss the intersection of professional ethics and licensing. Dr. Croft details his multifaceted role, which includes overseeing background checks, lobbying for legislation, and conducting investigations into practitioner misconduct. The conversation focuses on the ce...

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 clini...

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 pr...

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 ...

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 hum...

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 beds...

In this thought-provoking episode, Mike and Rob dive deep into one of the most ethically charged medical cases to make headlines in recent memory: the story of Adriana Smith, a brain-dead pregnant woman in Georgia whose family was stripped of their right to make medical decisions due to the state's 2019 Life Act.

Drawing on the four pillars of bioethics — autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice — the host...

In this follow-up to Episode 2, GR returns with deeper insights on how healthcare providers can better serve veterans and their caregivers. After reflecting on their previous conversation, GR introduces the powerful concept of the "Triangle of Care"—a collaborative model where the medical provider, veteran, and caregiver work together as equal partners in healthcare decisions.

GR discusses the "shadow file"—the crit...

It’s a Snow Day! On this episode we’re joined by our friends Matt, JJ, and Mindy from RT Sidebar to tackle a topic every hospital and respiratory therapist knows all too well—snow days.

From staffing challenges and patient safety to communication breakdowns and ethical decision-making, we dig into how hospitals and RT departments can better prepare, respond, and lead when the weather turns wild. Practical insights,...

The episode examines what happens when deeply held patient autonomy conflicts with a clinician's desire to fight for more time with someone they love.

This deeply personal episode features JJ Valdez, a.k.a. JJ The RT, sharing the emotional journey of his father's battle with mantle cell lymphoma, a rare form of cancer diagnosed in late 2018, early 2019. The conversation explores the challenging intersection of being both a healthcar...

In this powerful episode of "Let's Get Ethical," hosts Rob and Mike tackle an often-overlooked crisis in American healthcare: the 14.3 million military and veteran caregivers who serve as unpaid advocates navigating complex medical systems for those who served our country. They're joined by G.R. Zuniga, COO of Operation Sick Care and caregiver to his brother Doc Ziggy Zuniga, a U.S. Army infantry medic with the 101st Airborne who s...

Welcome to Let's Get Ethical with Rob and Mike!

In this episode, we tackle one of the most heart-wrenching cases you can imagine: a 27-year-old pregnant woman, brain dead after a catastrophic brain hemorrhage, with a 17-week fetus that's still viable. Her husband must make an impossible choice—remove life support, knowing both mother and unborn child will die, or keep her body functioning as a vessel for the developing baby, ...