October 27, 2021
Celebrating the annual Respiratory Care Week, the Shawnee State University Respiratory Therapy Program recently put together care packages for local respiratory therapists working in area nursing homes, hospitals, and care centers.
Respiratory Therapists have played a vital role in hospitals throughout the world during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Working in critical care areas with the more serious respiratory-impaired patients, respiratory therapists manage advanced and life-sustaining ventilator care.
President of the SSU Respiratory Therapy Program, Grace Brown, is a senior in the program and will be graduating in May 2022. Throughout her time in the program, her and her classmates have strived to be involved on campus and in the local community.
“The Respiratory Therapy Program is always trying to make a difference in our community,” said Brown. “We will be involved with Delta Phi Epsilon’s upcoming Deepher Dude pageant on campus where all proceeds will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In the past we’ve been a part of a local walk for cystic fibrosis. We also try to bring awareness to our field of work through tabling at the Career Fair on campus.”
As a senior in the program, Brown wants to set an example for future students entering this field. She is passionate about her future work and looks forward to making a difference with her career.
“Respiratory Therapists do more than people realize,” she said. “They often go unnoticed. They play one of the most vital roles in hospitals, especially in the ongoing pandemic. That is why celebrating them this week was so important to us. I am so thankful I will be able to work directly with patients and leave a lasting impact on their care and treatment.”
To learn more about Shawnee State University’s Respiratory Therapy program, visit shawnee.edu/respiratory-therapy.