Respiratory Care

The Respiratory Care pathway was established to continue building opportunities into this evolving and important career track. The Pathway team consisted of Bergen County Community College and Union College of Union County, NJ.

A Healthcare Explorer Program was developed to introduce high school students to various healthcare careers. A Health Professions Smart Start Program was also created for high school graduates entering in to various healthcare programs post-graduation as a career readiness tool built for retention and student success. Additionally, there is an ongoing effort to expand the Dual Enrollment partnerships with high schools throughout the state, particularly in the areas of general education and science courses that will help to prepare students for healthcare occupations.

Extensive research was conducted with the intent of establishing healthcare specific badges for students as they complete their programs of study. Programs offered by WinLearning, National Health Career Association, BadgeCert and Credly were among those considered. While it was determined that Credly would be the best option, it requires full development of courses and badges. This deliverable will continue into phase 2 of this initiative.

A review of current Respiratory Care articulation agreements took place to determine ways to strengthen these affiliation agreements into more established Pathway opportunities for students. The intent is to have these agreements mirror the more robust Pathway partnerships that exist between Rowan College of South Jersey and Rowan University as well as Brookdale Community College and Boise State University. This will be ongoing. In the interim, additional agreements have been initiated with Rowan University, the University of Cincinnati, University of North Carolina Charlotte, and Saint Peter’s University. Additional partnerships for 2+2 articulation agreements were identified between Bergen County Community College, Brookdale Community College, Morris County College, Union County College and Rowan University. These 2+2 agreements are currently pending the Rowan University program accreditation.

The CliftonStrengths Champion Program was introduced to Respiratory Care, Nursing and Medical Office Assistant students at Bergen County Community College. This program empowers students to identify what makes them work at their best and prepares them for job readiness. Faculties and leadership were involved in the implementation of this which has increased involvement and will lead to the engagement of more Health Professions students in the future.

New employer agreements were created with Atlantic Health Systems and Care One. In addition, several clinical affiliates have established Respiratory Therapist positions in partnership with the Pathways team. This helps to ensure that graduates of the Respiratory Care programs, throughout the state, will have viable career opportunities upon completion of their training. The Pathways team has worked with several employers to establish Respiratory Tech positions for students who are still in training. While not guaranteed that all students will have this opportunity for employment, the early exposure into what to expect as a Respiratory Therapist post-graduation is invaluable. Additionally, partnerships with various employers have been established to provide a student preceptorship program to aid students in gaining career experience. Employer engagement and advisory committees are a continuous process and these partnerships are critical for next generation respiratory care practitioners.