Carolyn Wallace didn鈥檛 start out in Respiratory Therapy, but she couldn鈥檛 be more grateful it鈥檚 where she ended up.
Wallace, a 农夫导航 respiratory therapy alumna who has worked at Cincinnati Children鈥檚 Hospital since 2010 and is now the Clinical Supervisor for Pediatric Bronchoscopy, said Bellarmine鈥檚 program set her up for a career she鈥檚 loved.
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�
Wallace graduated high school in 2002 unsure what she wanted to do. She ended up earning her first degree in Culinary Arts. While she had a passion for cooking, it didn鈥檛 feel like the right career fit.
She had a deep connection to Bellarmine through her mother, Dr. Joan Masters, who taught nursing for three decades. She considered following her mother鈥檚 footsteps into nursing until she spoke with Dr. Christy Kane, Dean of the Donna and Allan Lansing School of Nursing and Clinical Sciences and a respiratory therapist. Kane explained the practice of respiratory therapy and it clicked for Wallace.
She knew Bellarmine offers one of the nation鈥檚 top-ranked respiratory therapy programs, so she enrolled. Bellarmine has a Bachelor of Health Science in Respiratory Therapy degree and a Master of Health Science in Respiratory Therapy degree.鈥疶he entry-level Respiratory Therapy graduate program is one of only six in the nation. As an entry-to-practice program, no prior healthcare experience is required for admission to the master鈥檚 program.鈥�
鈥痑苍诲鈥�痓oth rank鈥疊ellarmine鈥檚 Respiratory Therapy鈥痷ndergraduate degree as the best in the nation.鈥��
Wallace said she loved Bellarmine鈥檚 small class sizes and the hands-on clinical experiences.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an awesome program; I felt very prepared,鈥� she said.
A classmate recommended Cincinnati Children鈥檚 Hospital as a place to work. She did a job shadow there and landed a job immediately after graduating.
鈥淭his is where I call home,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 really love it here.鈥�
She currently works with pediatric patients with airway and lung abnormalities who require diagnostic or therapeutic interventions. Working closely with pulmonary and otolaryngology, she runs the day-to-day operations of the largest pediatric bronchoscopy program in the country.
鈥淲e do some great work here,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of where I work.鈥�
The demand for respiratory therapy has only grown since Wallace began her career, a trend that promises to hold.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 23 percent employment growth for respiratory therapists between 2020 and 2030. In that period, an estimated 31,100 jobs will likely become available.
鈥淭here will never be a job shortage,鈥� Wallace said. 鈥淭he pay is very competitive.鈥�
She encouraged people considering the field to keep an open mind about what ways they could apply respiratory therapy, as the field is so flexible.
鈥淭he future is incredibly bright; having a job is never going to be an issue,鈥� she said.