NSU Horizons Spring 2014

18 HORIZONS Already, several practicing respi- ratory therapists are working online toward their Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy degree in the new completion program. One of them is Maureen Lintner, a working mother of three who lives in Miami-Dade County and fits her online class work in between her full-time job and caring for her family. She is so busy that she jokes that she should do well in her class on sleep disorders. Lintner earned her associate’s degree in respiratory therapy in 1991, and she is currently a senior respiratory therapist at South Miami Hospital. As soon as she heard that NSU was offering a bachelor’s degree, she signed up for the online program. “I jumped on the opportunity,” said Lintner. “I went back for the depth of knowledge and to improve my skills in technology.” Lintner, who says she loves working with patients, is also leaving the door open for postgraduate degrees or teaching in the future. The biggest challenge for Lintner, who has been away from academic life for nearly two decades, has been learning how to navigate computer- ized learning. But she found a ready support system. “Everyone at the college has been extremely helpful, and all the pro- fessors are encouraging,” she said. “It was a tough transition for me, but they made it very comforting. It has been a wonderful experience.” About half of the respiratory therapy students’ credits are devoted to hands-on practice. Later, they are placed as interns in health facilities all over the state, with NSU paying the cost of their housing, an attrac- tive bonus. Both the interns and those overseeing their work get a chance to see if they are a good fit, and many students receive job offers. Faculty members who run both the online completion program and the upcoming on-campus respira- tory therapy program bring exten- sive clinical experience with them. Jankowski is highly knowledgeable in all aspects of the field, including hyperbaric treatment and intensive care. Lisa Farach, M.S., director of clinical education, has worked in adult, pediatric, and neonatal intensive care units and is pursu- ing a Doctor of Health Science degree. Assistant professor Jennifer Bencsik, M.H.A., RRT, has prac- ticed in surgical intensive care units, trauma, and pediatric home care. Guy Nehrenz, Ed.D., M.A, RRT, executive associate dean of the Col- lege of Health Care Sciences, has extensive pediatric and medical flight experience. With its new bachelor’s degree in respiratory therapy, NSU is ahead of the professional curve, putting its new program in place just as the American Association of Respira- tory Care has declared the bache- lor’s degree one of the priorities for a 2015 initiative to broaden exper- tise in the profession. Respiratory therapists treat patients with cardiopulmonary abnormalities and conditions, from newborns to the elderly, including people with neuromuscular disease, chronic lung disease, genetic abnor- malities, and trauma. Like many medical professions, respiratory therapy is growing. The field is expected to add jobs at a rate of 19 percent a year from 2012 to 2022 and pays an average of $55,000 a year, according to 2012 figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There are career opportunities not only in Florida, but all over the country, in settings from hospitals to home care. The new, $2-million, third-floor unit impressed a group of evalua- tors during their January 2014 visit, the last major step before accreditation of the program. “One of them said that in 100 site visits he had never seen one like ours,” said Jankowski. What the evaluators saw, in part, was a 10-bed, intensive-care train- ing facility as well equipped as some hospitals. This included 12 types of ventilators; a glass chamber to mea- sure a patient’s lung function; and a simulation center where students work with adult, pediatric, and infant computerized mannequins. The adult simulators are pro- grammed with 150 adult diseases, the child simulators with 18, and the infants with 15, more than some therapists might encounter in years of practice. The mannequins can speak and describe their symp- toms to students. Marianne Jankowski, chair of the Department of Cardiopulmonary Sciences at the Palm Beach campus, demon- strates how to evaluate a respiratory problem on a child simulator.