During the pandemic, the public learned about the critical role respiratory therapists play in hospitals.
As practitioners treating people with sudden or chronic breathing problems, they were on the frontlines, helping people breathe and survive COVID-19.
While the pandemic may have driven awareness about the field, the demand for more practitioners was growing well before the appearance of COVID-19 and is forecasted to continue through the next decade.
Aging baby boomers increasingly suffer from medical conditions that affect breathing, like COPD and pneumonia, making respiratory therapy one of the fastest-growing fields in healthcare.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 13 percent employment growth for respiratory therapists between 2022 and 2032. In that period, an estimated 16,700 jobs will likely become available.
农夫导航, a private liberal arts school in Louisville, Ky., is meeting this workforce demand with one of the nation鈥檚 top-ranked respiratory therapy programs.
and both rank 农夫导航鈥檚 Respiratory Therapy undergraduate degree as the
best in the nation.
Bellarmine offers a Bachelor of Health Science in Respiratory Therapy degree and a
Master of Health Science in Respiratory Therapy degree. The entry-level Respiratory
Therapy graduate program is one of only nine in the nation. As an entry-to-practice
program, no prior healthcare experience is required for admission to the master鈥檚
program.
Dr. Christy Kane, Program Director and Chair of the program said there are a number
of reasons why Bellarmine鈥檚 program has risen to national prominence.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a smaller program, so professors are able to focus on students鈥� needs,鈥� she
said. 鈥淭hey get to know the students very well, along with how individual students
learn and what works for them. Professors keep an open-door policy, so students always
feel comfortable approaching them. Faculty and staff are attentive to details and
dedicated to students鈥� success.鈥�
Bellarmine鈥檚 undergraduate program was awarded the Committee on Accreditation for
Respiratory Care (COARC)鈥檚 Distinguished RRT Credentialing Success for five consecutive years,
from 2013 through 2017, and also for 2020. Both undergraduate and graduate students
exhibit credentialing success higher than the national average.
Dr. Christy Kane, Director and Chair of the program and a respiratory therapist, said the program also has outstanding clinical experiences. Students complete more than 750 hours of clinical experience across varying patient populations in Louisville, a regional healthcare hub.
All students, undergraduate and graduate, complete a capstone project. Students connect
with a hospital leader to examine a hospital problem and propose a solution. Several
student proposals have even been implemented.
鈥淭he Louisville area has such strong hospitals and other healthcare settings,鈥� Kane said. 鈥淲e have a strong alumni base, too; many of our alumni serve as preceptors or clinical instructors.鈥�
Kane said respiratory therapy is a highly rewarding career, especially now.
Respiratory therapists earn above the median income in the United States, with a median salary of $72,441 a year in the Louisville area, according to salary.com. Opportunities to be a traveling practitioner are plentiful, as well.
鈥淓veryone comes into healthcare wanting to make a difference,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e take care of the airway and breathing for patients. You can only live a few minutes without breathing and oxygen. Every day we know we make a difference because if you鈥檙e not breathing, nothing else matters.鈥�
Carolyn Wallace, a Bellarmine respiratory therapy alumna who has worked at Cincinnati Children鈥檚 Hospital since 2010, said Bellarmine鈥檚 program set her up for a career she loves.
鈥淚鈥檇 do it all over again. I鈥檓 happy in the profession, and I don鈥檛 worry about its future,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ellarmine鈥檚 professors made me the respiratory therapist I am today. I don鈥檛 think I would have done as well at a bigger school. I only have positive things to say about Bellarmine and the path I chose.鈥�
Click here to learn more about what respiratory therapists do and click here to learn more about Bellarmine鈥檚 respiratory therapy program.