Respiratory Care Student Readiness for the Clinical Phase of the Program

In a baccalaureate degree program in respiratory care, the first 2 years of the program are spent completing liberal arts and elective requirements. The last 2 years are comprised of respiratory care core courses and the clinical phase of the program. The purpose of this investigation was two-fold: Did students truly understand what the major entailed during the first 2 years of the curriculum, and secondly, did the preclinical math and science courses prepare them to be successful in completing the clinical phase of the curriculum during the last 2 years? The primary goal of this project was to identify if these two factors, combined or separately, can be linked to attrition in the program.

Third- and fourth-year respiratory care students in the university answered a 10-question survey via SurveyMonkey. Fifty-seven students from 2018-2019 were surveyed with a return rate of 63% (n=36).

Survey results revealed that 75% of students felt prepared entering the clinical phase of the program. Moreover, 78% felt, specifically, that the required math and science courses prepared them for the core courses involving a basic understanding of medical physics and computation of formulas. Only 36% admitted they knew exactly what the profession entailed as a freshman and sophomore.

Results indicate the math and science courses required during the first 2 years do prepare students for the clinical phase of the program. However, students need more exposure to the major, and it is important to require an introduction course during the freshman and sophomore year to introduce the respiratory care profession and provide an overview of the major and the curriculum. Increased knowledge of the profession of respiratory care, during the early stages of having enrolled in this major, could reduce student attrition.