Respiratory Therapy students at Kalamazoo Valley Community College gaining critical experience on the frontline of the pandemic
For the last year, KVCC students in the Repiratory Therapy program have been learning and applying the skills needed to treat respiratory issues, as well as learning the softer skills of working with patients during a pandemic.
The Respiratory Therapy program at Kalamazoo Valley Community College is a two-year associate degree program that provides both classroom learning and in-person patient care. Currently, there are 16 first-year students and 20 second-year students, none of whom knew when they signed up that they would be learning and working through a pandemic. COVID-19 attacks the respiratory system, requiring the skills of respiratory therapists in hospital settings. The field, which was already seeing a shortage of qualified candidates for jobs, is seeing even greater growth now, according to KVCC faculty. All current second-year students are on track to graduate in May, and have already been working on the frontlines to try to help patients survive the disease. They have gained valuable experience working on the equipment used by respiratory therapists along with other aspects of patient care, and self-care as well.
Upon attaining their associate degrees, graduates qualify to take the national board exam and earn state licensing to become certified respiratory therapists (RTs). They are then qualified for jobs as RTs and as KVCC's Respiratory Therapy Program Director Susan Pearson said in a recent news release, recent graduates will enjoy a 100-percent job placement rate. Pearson also spoke about the experiences of the soon-to-be grads over the last year, "Coronavirus is a respiratory pandemic. When people get sick with the virus, they have mostly respiratory symptoms. You're only hearing about doctors, nurses and first responders, but our respiratory students have been in the midst of the pandemic. They've been in the ICU, working with ventilators and working with the sickest of the sick patients. Our students are literally on the frontline. I am so proud of my students and the way they've maintained their professionalism."
Courtney Wall, Thomas Wierenga, and Theresa Devine, all second year students, talked about the path that brought them to the Respiratory Therapy program at KVCC before the pandemic. They also shared their thoughts about what the last year has taught them, both from a clinical and personal perspective. The three spent their first year of the program, pre-pandemic, in the classroom and have spent their second year primarily working at hospital ICUs. Devine, who came to the program with a 30-year background in healthcare, described the challenges in her final semester, including learning about how ventilators are different from hospital to hospital so there is something new to learn at each assignment.
Wall says she has enjoyed her internship experience at Bronson Hospital, although she acknowledges the difficulties faced in the past year, "It's been really hard. Probably the hardest thing I've ever done. I've seen patients passing away and there's nothing we can do about it." She also reflected on the long-term aspects of care for COVID patients, "COVID patients are developing long-term side effects like blood clots in their lungs and neurological issues. These are younger people who have bad side effects months and months later."
KVCC has provided both financial scholarships and mental health resources for its students throughout the pandemic. Wierenga, who began his path toward respiratory therapy when his son was born with breathing issues, expressed his gratitude to the college for the support, "We've learned coping mechanisms to help us get through this," he said, adding about a $1,000 scholarship he was awarded, "I can't even tell you how much that changed my life."