Marking 50 years of respiratory care education, the College of Health Sciences is pleased to announce the new School of Respiratory Care Sciences.
School programming, formerly organized as a department within the School of Allied Health Sciences, has come into its own, as has the profession. And grads, supporters, faculty members and current students took the annual alumni and friends celebration as an opportunity to recognize the considerable progress, success and opportunity that the “school” designation signifies.
For Megan Koster, who has chaired the department and now will serve as divisional dean, the recognition is pivotal. She can reflect on both the history of what is now a much-needed, highly sought-after professional skillset, as well as the future of the field and the education that will prepare the respiratory therapists of tomorrow.
When Boise State launched what was then a certificate program,“inhalation therapists,” as they were then known, trundled oxygen between rooms in hospitals and clinics. As nursing and more modern medical practices evolved, the scope of practice for these clinical team members changed and evolved as well, over time encompassing learning and techniques having to do with breathing and a variety of therapeutics.
Respiratory therapists, who are specialists in their field with particularly deep knowledge of mechanical ventilation and pulmonary disease management, now must be licensed to practice. They are found in multiple inpatient and outpatient settings, working in cardiopulmonary care, intensive and critical care units, in clinics, on transport teams, with durable medical equipment and in home and specialty care for sleep and pulmonary functions.
The world learned just how critical respiratory care was during the COVID-19 pandemic. Koster would be the first to note that the “slight silver lining” during that prolonged public health crisis was an increased awareness of the profession, the value of a robust team of skilled and certified respiratory therapists — and the critical demand for more of them.
Boise State leads the way
Boise State’s programming has been out ahead in the field over the past five decades. Offering first a certificate, then an associate’s degree, then a bachelor’s degree focused on students entering the profession as the profession matured. The department of respiratory care was one of the first at Boise State to offer online programming, introducing a novel degree advancement program in 2007; an online master’s was added in 2018, expanding the program’s reach to working practitioners across the world.
“Boise State has really worked to become a leader across the profession,” Koster said.
The future is bright for students interested in respiratory care. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects demand and employment in respiratory care occupations to grow at a rate of 12% over the next 10 years, a much higher rate than the 3% average for all other occupations. Successful graduates will plenty of opportunity as older respiratory care therapists retire, aging Baby Boomers face additional health challenges and positions remain to be filled in the wake of COVID and ongoing workforce gaps.
Boise State, as Koster notes, offers the only baccalaureate program option for the profession in the state. She and the “GoBronchi” team work closely with partners in local health care to keep instruction current and relevant. But Boise State’s is also the largest respiratory care department in the world, largely because of its degree advancement program, which has about 400 enrollees at any given time. The master’s degree is one of the few graduate degrees in respiratory care in the country.
“We’re incredibly lucky here at Boise State to be supported and recognized the way we are,” Koster said.
Status as a “school,” she said, “allows us to pivot strategically in a way that is unprecedented. It positions us to make strides in research, interprofessional and interinstitutional collaboration, and to expand in many other areas.
“Boise State really has an unmatched reputation for student-centeredness,” Koster said. “Everything that we do is focused on the students, their experiences, and how they will move forward in the field.
“It’s easy to make decisions when you have the needs of the student to guide your mission.”
Hence the school rallying cry: Go Bronchi Graduates!