ETSU Respiratory Therapy Program Helping To Meet Workforce Needs

From East Tennessee State University:

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Donna Lilly looks no farther than her email inbox for a daily reminder of the impact of COVID-19 on the respiratory therapy profession.

As the director of East Tennessee State University’s Respiratory Therapy Program, Lilly has received an unprecedented number of recruitment emails from health care systems and hospitals from many different states.

“Respiratory therapy is a very rewarding career, but right now there just aren’t enough of us due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Lilly said. “I get emails all the time looking to recruit our graduates. Now that the pandemic has hit, hospitals are swamped with patients. Some employers are giving $10,000-$15,000 sign-on bonuses, and they have increased the starting wage by $4-6 per hour.”

According to the American Association for Respiratory Care, the average projected salary for respiratory therapists (RTs) working in the United States is more than $62,000 per year, and the demand for RTs is expected to grow by up to 21%.

Respiratory therapists provide care for patients with heart and lung problems, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, cystic fibrosis and sleep apnea. They also help those who are experiencing heart attack or stroke.

Their work ranges from diagnostic testing for lung capacity, administering breathing treatments, intubation, electrocardiograms (EKGs) for the heart, and electroencephalograms (EEGs) for brainwave studies.

They also perform extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which is the process of pumping and oxygenating a patient’s blood outside the body. In the past, ECMO was used more on newborns with heart conditions not allowing the lungs to oxygenate the baby’s blood and during open-heart surgery. Now with COVID-19, RTs are using ECMO on adult mechanically-ventilated patients to oxygenate their blood when it cannot be done with conventional methods.

During the pandemic, the role of the RT in managing ventilators has come to the forefront of public attention, as this has been a widespread need due to the effects of COVID-19 on some patients.

“During COVID and under normal, everyday circumstances, we do such a range of procedures for our patients,” said Wendy Wright, director of clinical education. “For example, when our patients are declining, we intervene on their behalf to make changes to the ventilator and manage their care. We are standing in there, toe to toe with nurses and physicians.”

ETSU’s RT program began in 1977 as a certificate program. Today, ETSU offers a bachelor of science degree in respiratory therapy. It also offers an online B.S. completion program in RT, designed to allow students with an associate’s degree the opportunity to obtain their bachelor’s degree by using more of their credit hours than normally transfer to a four-year institution.

Since the program’s inception, ETSU has prepared more than 650 RTs for the workforce, and will typically graduate 12-20 students per year.

“Of course, we want to recognize the work of these amazing professionals during Respiratory Care Week, Oct. 24-30,” Lilly said. “But here at ETSU, we celebrate our amazing RT clinical partners, faculty and students every week. These professionals and our program are needed now more than ever before.”

To learn more about ETSU’s Respiratory Therapy Program, visit etsu.edu/crhs/allied-health/cpsc/.

This press release was produced by East Tennessee State University. The views expressed are the author's own.