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.