Respiratory therapy is a specialized area of healthcare that focuses on the care of patients with difficulty breathing. Patients may have chronic illnesses such as asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, or they may be in recovery from surgery or trauma or a number of illnesses such as pneumonia. Respiratory therapy involves technical knowledge and hands-on skills, as well as coordination of care with other health care professionals. For the serious minded individual looking for a career in respiratory therapy, it begins with finding a school or program that is right for them.Respiratory therapy programs have a proven format of lectures and hands-on education and procedures. Clinical rotations, to allow the student to gain experience, complement the didactic education. Many types of colleges and institutions offer respiratory therapy education. Community colleges, vocational colleges, some universities and some schools of medicine.
Types of Schools That Offer Respiratory Therapy
Respiratory Therapy programs are available at several different types of educational institutions. Junior colleges, or community colleges, are probably the most common source of respiratory therapy education and will often offer an associate degree program in respiratory therapy that takes about two years to finish. Universities offer bachelor’s and some may offer master’s degrees in respiratory therapy. Most university programs will take a deeper dive into materials related to research, advanced patient intervention techniques, and healthcare management. Vocational and technical schools may offer respiratory programs as well. Although these programs are fewer options compared to junior or community colleges or universities, a vocational or technical school may be a good choice for students who want to enter this career as quickly as possible through a fast paced hands-on experience! Regardless of the institution, almost all respiratory therapy programs offer a combination of classroom education and supervised clinical experience that gives students sufficient medical knowledge and hands-on skills to feel competent in working directly with patients.
Program levels and their benefits
The program level a student selects affects how long they will be in training and their future career options. An associate’s degree is the minimum accepted by many agencies if they are going to hire a person in respiratory therapy work, as well as a large proportion of their study in clinical skills. The bachelor’s degree programs offer more content than a two-year program’s (e.g. advanced critical care content, pulmonary rehabilitation, health care leadership). While it is not an absolute guarantee, bachelor’s degree graduates have had more possibilities for supervisory positions, specialty practice areas, or for someone who can teach and mentor other future hospital-based respiratory therapists. Often college and universities have established bridge programs that allow a person who earned an associate degree to bridge to earning their bachelor’s degree with minimal duplication of work. Some of these bridge options are also flexible and partially online to accommodate people who are working. An additional option, but a lesser known option, is a graduate degree that focuses on areas of research, education, and advanced clinical knowledge, while also providing leadership and administrative areas encompassing preparation.
What to expect in the curriculum
Respiratory therapy programs combine science, technical and patient care skills. Students commonly study human anatomy and physiology; therapeutic modalities in respiratory care; pharmacology; microbiology; and cardiopulmonary diagnostics. Understanding semantics, ethics, and patient interaction are also important in the field of respiratory therapy because respiratory therapists interact with people from all walks of life and often in stressful situations. Clinical training is another necessary component of the curriculum and practice education, provided through an internship or clinical placement at a hospital, clinic or other medical facility while under the supervision of a registered respiratory therapist. These experiences allow students to take their classroom knowledge and apply it to the clinical environment, enable students to practice new techniques on equipment commonly seen in practice and create a setting for students to become confident in their abilities.
Career outlook after graduation
As new graduates, respiratory therapists have a number of places they can be employed including hospitals, rehabilitation services, home health care agencies, sleep disorder clinics, and specialty pulmonary facilities. The growing demand for employment has contributed to the aging of the population, the rising number of chronic respiratory conditions (asthma, COPD, etc.), and subsequently more individuals than ever before seeking healthcare in critical and emergency situations that require highly trained health care professionals. Graduates should consider how the type of program and school selected may impact career opportunities. An associate degree may be sufficient to secure an entry-level position as a respiratory therapist, but a bachelor’s degree (or higher) may justify advanced practice, leadership, or educational and research opportunities.
Lifelong learning and advancement
Many respiratory therapists seek continuing education (CE) after completing their degree and being employed. Increasingly many respiratory therapists go back to university completing degrees or credentials in specialty topics like neonatal care, sleep medicine, or critical care respiratory therapy. Others may remain a clinician in the specialty area, but plan to perhaps want to move into an administrative role that includes oversight over a respiratory care department, or look to leave the clinical role in another healthcare organization through policy-related activities. Regardless, respiratory therapy must engage in continuing education activities so they help know how to practice while maintaining knowledge, skills and currency.
Conclusion
Respiratory therapy degree programs exist in small community colleges, huge research universities, and everything in between, and each type of program can represent key strengths and focus areas. Students can select to earn an associate degree to quickly enter the workforce or if they prefer, select to pursue a baccalaureate degree to open up a plethora of career options. Regardless of path, prospective students must select an accredited program with a rigorous academic and clinical curriculum. Respiratory therapy is a high-tech and scientific profession grounded in the delivery of compassion to patients, and sufficient educational and clinical foundation will drive a fulfilling career and successful entry into the profession. Respiratory care professionals are in increasingly high demand, and the skills developed in these programs will likely be in demand for many years to come.