Pandemic highlights Importance of respiratory therapists

In-demand occupation saves lives, provides lucrative career path

While no one could prepare for the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, students at Houston Community College Coleman College for Health Sciences were training to enter the workforce in a field that was thrust into the spotlight.

For more than half a century, respiratory therapists (RTs) have played a vital part in health care teams. Nevertheless, the pandemic that shook the core of the nation lifted the significance of RTs to new heights. COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, can attack the respiratory system resulting in potentially life-threatening health conditions. Consequently, RTs around the world have become in demand as an integral part of the medical care team tailoring individualized patient treatment plans and providing vital procedures patients desperately need. This was most evident at the onset of the pandemic when many hospitals across the country struggled with the critical need for ventilators in extraordinarily high volumes.

Now, as the country begins to recover from the pandemic, RTs remain in the forefront battling diseases.

“Today, prospective students are more aware of what respiratory care is and the unique skills RTs play in patient care and how crucial the role can be in patient survival,” says Dr. Jeff Gricar, dean of Health Sciences at Coleman College for Health Sciences.

Coleman students learned this firsthand during the peak of the pandemic while conducting clinical rotations at various hospitals in the Texas Medical Center (TMC) as part of HCC’s rigorous Respiratory Therapy curriculum.

The Respiratory Therapy program covers a range of care including neonatal to geriatric care. As part of their curriculum, students learn to perform many life-saving procedures as he or she trains to enter the health care workforce.

“During the two-year program, our students are exposed to many scenarios. For instance, students may perform an intubation or extubation, or even perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on an adult or pediatric patient. Every breath counts,” said Teodoro Tovar, program director.

Unsurprisingly, the impact of COVID has increased the demand for RTs. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field should grow by 23 percent through 2030. Moreover, U.S. News & World Report ranks the occupation No. 6 in its Best Healthcare Career rankings.

“Hospitals are offering $10,000-$15,000 sign-on bonuses to new hires, regardless of work experience. Additionally, respiratory therapists are being highly recruited by temporary agencies to work 10- to 15-week contracts to travel and provide care for as much as $135-$165 an hour,” Tovar said.

The Respiratory Therapy program at Coleman College for Health Sciences currently accepts 25 students for the fall semester. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) and has received the distinguished Registered Respiratory Therapist Credentialing Success Award for nine consecutive years.

Visit hccs.edu/respiratorytherapist or email teddy.tovar@hccs.edu to learn more.