The School of Nursing and Allied Health is always hard at work, preparing students to contribute to the ever-growing and ever-needed field of medicine.
Within this school is the Respiratory Care Program, headed by Program Director Margo Wagner and Director of Clinical Education and Respiratory Care Timothy Cho.
The program was recently acknowledged for meeting the criteria to receive the Distinguished Registered Respiratory Therapy (RRT) Credentialing Success Award. The award is bestowed by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).
As outlined in CoARC’s official statement, “In selecting programs for this recognition, the CoARC board used objective criteria based on key accreditation metrics documented in the 2019 Annual Report of Current Status (RCS). These programs were required to: have three or more years of outcomes data; hold accreditation without a progress report; document RRT credentialing success of 90% or above and meet or exceed established CoARC thresholds for Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) credentialing success and retention.”
Given these rigorous and extensive requirements, the program’s team is honored to receive this prestigious acknowledgment.
“We continue to strive for excellence and produce graduates who make a positive impact in our community through their work as registered respiratory therapists,” said Wagner.
Cho emphasized the importance of collaboration in the context of the program’s progress.
“Our program’s success can be directly attributed to our clinical affiliates in the community. Without their support and the breadth of experience provided to our students, we would not be able to graduate top-quality clinicians.”
In regards to collaborative efforts, Wagner also wished to acknowledge the hard work of the adjunct staff — Allan Thomas and Stacie Fox — both of whom are RRTs at Ascension Via Christi.
All cohorts will graduate in December with an Associate of Science in Health Science degree, as well as the skills and knowledge to earn their RRT credential upon graduation.
“Graduates may complete their credentialing exams within a few weeks of graduation,” Wagner explained. “They typically start their jobs as therapists in mid- to late-January. We encourage them to work toward additional specialty credentials as well as a bachelor’s degree after beginning employment. The Newman University Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Science degree is designed for working healthcare professionals who want to further their education.”
She said there is a genuine need for respiratory therapists and the need is only growing.
“According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment of respiratory therapists is expected to increase by 19% through the year 2029. Nationally, respiratory therapists earn a median annual salary of $61,330.”
To learn more about the Newman University Respiratory Care Program, contact Wagner at (316) 942-4291, ext. 2297 or at [email protected]
Wagner added, “Another great resource for information on the various career paths for respiratory therapists is an AARC website that talks about becoming a respiratory therapist.”
