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Curriculum

The Respiratory Care Program at your affiliated college or university provides you with the necessary knowledge and skills to begin clinical practice. A comprehensive curriculum prepares you to give professional respiratory care in health-care settings ranging from the emergency room to a patient's home.

As part of your final year of study, you will participate in clinical rotations at Mayo Clinic hospital, part of Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. These rotations may include:

  • General floor patient care
  • Critical care
  • Level II neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
  • Emergency care
  • Pulmonary diagnostics (pulmonary function testing and bronchoscopy assisting)
  • Arterial blood analysis
  • Electrocardiograms and exercise stress testing
  • Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation

During the rotations, you will observe and assist with:

  • Administering bronchodilator therapy for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and asthma
  • Performing percussive therapy and administering positive experatory pressure (PEP) therapy to patients with pneumonia
  • Providing mechanical ventilation to postsurgical patients (including those who have had coronary artery bypass graft and heart, lung, and liver transplants), patients resuscitated by emergency medical staff and long-term ventilator patients
  • Providing supplemental oxygen to patients
  • Assisting physicians with diagnostic procedures, such as bronchoscopy and pulmonary exercise stress testing
  • Providing pulmonary function testing to diagnose respiratory-related disease processes
  • Performing EKGs on cardiac patients in both the emergency department and other patient care areas
  • Harvesting and analyzing arterial blood to provide laboratory feedback to physician
  • Participating on the resuscitation team and attending patient emergencies

As part of these procedures, respiratory therapists educate the patient and their families regarding therapy.

Grading or Evaluation
As you move through the respiratory care rotations, you will be evaluated in each clinical area by the supervising therapists, the program director and the clinical supervisor. Clinical performance is evaluated using a competency-based evaluation system and performance appraisals.

Mayo School of Health Sciences uses evaluative tools that include:

  • Demonstration of skills
  • Self-assessment exercises
  • Faculty reviews

Our system of evaluation provides students and faculty with a comprehensive look at individual performance.

Curriculum Enhancements
Mayo School of Health Sciences is committed to developing and maintaining the very best education programs. Changes may be made to the curriculum and other aspects of this program as necessary to assure the highest-quality training.

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