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Contact Information Joette F. Stokes Office Manager School of Allied Health Dept of Respiratory Therapy Medical College of Georgia Augusta, Georgia 30912-0850 706-721-3554 e-mail: jstokes@mcg.edu |
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Technical Standards
for Admission to and Graduation from
Department of Respiratory Therapy
Allied Health Science
Medical College of
Georgia
Respiratory Therapy is a profession requiring manual skills in concert with a broad range of cognitive capabilities. Collection, evaluation and synthesis of data are vital to this discipline.
The therapeutic modalities provided by respiratory care practitioners require technical skills involving manual dexterity and a mechanical aptitude to perform in a safe and acceptable manner. Respiratory Therapists must be mobile and have the ability to operate in relatively small spaces. These requirements are necessary because of the critical and accurate care that is often provided in crisis situations.
The respiratory care practitioner must possess auditory capabilities that will allow him/her to discriminate sounds in order to assess the proper functioning of life support equipment. The therapist must be capable of ascertaining breath sounds and pulse sounds through the use of a stethoscope and blood pressure equipment.
The respiratory care practitioner must possess adequate vision to assess the proper functioning of life support equipment and to collect and interpret patient physiological parameters in order to direct and guide a successful treatment plan.
The respiratory care practitioner must have manual dexterity to:
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Draw venous and arterial blood
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Perform endotracheal suctioning
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Provide percussion and postural drainage for bronchial hygiene
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Perform manual resuscitation (CPR) in the event of a cardiac emergency
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Maintain and modify equipment in routine emergency situations
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Be able to move life support equipment in a rapid manner during a crisis situation
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Be sensitive to changes in pressure when performing emergency breathing with a manual resuscitator in the newborn and small infant as compared to the adult victim
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Tactile sensitivity required to perform arterial puncture on the newborn and small infant
The respiratory care practitioners must have the ability to work under stress, manage time efficiently, exercise independent judgment and assume responsibility for their own work and actions. They must be able to read and interpret written and verbal instructions and take appropriate action. It is important that the respiratory care practitioner be able to communicate and maintain professional relationships with peers, patients, and physicians. It is also important that they think logically and process information quickly to solve clinical problems.
They must exercise ethical judgment, integrity, honesty, dependability and accountability in the classroom and clinical situations.
The Department of Respiratory Therapy, Medical College of Georgia makes every effort to provide the physically compromised student the opportunities to learn and develop into a safe, rational respiratory care practitioner. It is incumbent upon the student to realize that certain manual, technical, and professional tasks must be mastered in order to achieve passing grades and to successfully complete the respiratory therapy curriculum.