Advancing your education is always a good thing. It expands your knowledge and depth in the field you pursue and can open many doors for you. Respiratory therapists (RTs) are in an industry that places an importance on educational achievement and advancing your degree means more opportunities.
It is strongly recommended that current RTs and new students pursuing their associate degree, continue on to earn their bachelor’s degree to be competitive in the job market. It will advance patient care skills and open career advancement roles such as manager, clinical director, instructor and more. Not to mention, many RTs feel a sense of empowerment and confidence when they’ve earned a more advanced degree.
Respiratory therapists are needed in leadership positions and with the current strain on the healthcare industry as a result of Covid, they are needed now more than ever. Fewer RTs in higher roles, means less people in the RT field at the decision-making table.
Another benefit to expanding your education is the ability to go into education, or tackle a larger role within your current organization. Once you’ve been in the field for a number of years and a supervisor or educator position opens up, you will have the education and experience to apply for it.
Because the needs of patients with cardiopulmonary diseases are evolving, patient advocacy and provider groups asked respiratory therapists “to step up and close the identified gaps in the efficient delivery of safe and effective patient care.” The AARC emphasizes that improvement in critical thinking skills is necessary for the respiratory care healthcare field and a bachelor’s degree will help with that.
You might even find that earning your bachelor’s degree, while still a challenge, won’t be as difficult as your associate degree program since you will already have knowledge and experience in the field. We recommend reaching out to coworkers interested in obtaining their bachelor’s and taking the program together. It’s much more helpful to have someone to work and study with. Also, reach out to your Human Resources department as some companies will pay for some, if not, all of your additional schooling. In addition, seek out scholarship opportunities at the American Respiratory Care Foundation.
If you’re able to advance your associate degree to a bachelor’s, are a current respiratory therapy student or are wanting to become one in the near future, we highly recommend speaking to your program director or a medical career specialist at Pima Medical Institute on your options with our Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy program. It’s 100% online and can be completed in 16 months.
Contact us to learn how you can stay ahead of the game in the respiratory therapy field with a bachelor’s degree from Pima Medical Institute.
