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News from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Mount St. Mary Students Learn Respiratory Care at UAMS
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SEPT. 4, 2002 | College has already begun for three Mount Saint Mary students who completed a class on respiratory care at UAMS this summer. The one-week course was designed to introduce qualified high school students to the respiratory care profession as a career path. The students earned one semester-credit hour that can be transferred to any college or university in Arkansas to meet elective requirements.
The three Mount Saint Mary students - seniors Gema Vargas and Jamie Tribo and spring 2002 graduate Michelle McKenzie - learned about the course through a school career counselor. The course interested Vargas because "I am really into science. Since it was science-related, I was very eager to try it."
Prior to taking the course, none of the three students fully understood the role
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Gema Vargas, a senior at Mount Saint Mary, and Michelle McKenzie, a 2002 graduate, practice respiratory therapy during a summer class at UAMS.
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and responsibilities of a respiratory care therapist. That's no surprise to Erna Boone, M.Ed.,
RRT, chair of the Department of Respiratory Care in the UAMS College of Health Related
Professions. "Most of the students in our B.S. degree program did not learn about this niche in the health-care field until they were in college," she said. "This summer course was specifically designed to give high school students the opportunity to experience the diversity within the profession, get hands-on experience with respiratory procedures and equipment, and experience college-level academic course work at UAMS. I believe the course increased their awareness of the profession as a viable and rewarding medical career opportunity."
Respiratory therapists are specialized allied health professionals who work in hospitals, clinics, med-flight rescue, clinical laboratories, and home-based health-care settings. They make assessments, help diagnose, and then treat patients with cardio-pulmonary illnesses such as asthma, pneumonia and emphysema. They are also essential to the care of critically ill patients who require intensive care because of life-threatening trauma, heart disease, and other illnesses. There is a shortage of respiratory therapists in central Arkansas, across the state, and throughout the nation. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the profession will grow by nearly 50 percent within the next decade.
According to Vargas, "My most memorable experience was inserting an endotracheal (breathing) tube into a 'practice head.' In doing it, I experienced how it would feel to do it to a real person. I also learned how difficult the task can be, depending on the size of the person, from a newborn to a senior."
"High school students are generally unaware of the many diverse and well-paying career opportunities in allied health fields," Boone said. "That's a challenge to me and my colleagues in the college to tell our story effectively to teenagers in high schools and to the career counselors who advise them."
The course will be repeated next summer, according to Boone. "Student evaluations at the conclusion of the course encouraged us to add more time, so there may be some changes in the format next year," she added.
The College of Health Related Professions at UAMS offers programs in 15 different allied health professions with educational opportunities at the certificate, associate's degree, bachelor's degree, and master's degree levels.
Links on This Page
College of Health Related Professions: http://www.uams.edu/chrp
UAMS Helping: http://www.uams.edu/today/2002/020702/sonographers.htm
(c) 2002 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "UAMS," "UAMS Medical Center," "UAMS Online," "UAMS Today," "UAMS Update,"
"uams.edu," and "Here's to Your Health" are marks of UAMS.
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09/04/02 |
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