Attributes of Socio-Academic Culture in Successful Entry-to-Practice Respiratory Therapy Programs

Abstract

Background:

Competencies desired of respiratory therapy (RT) graduates entering the workforce have been clearly defined. RT educators are strategic and purposeful when designing curriculum, securing program resources, and ensuring clinical rotations to aid students in achieving these competencies. Nonacademic factors, including academic culture, influence student engagement, learning readiness, motivation, and success. Research describing socio-academic culture in health professions programs is extremely limited. The attributes of socio-academic culture in successful respiratory therapy programs are unknown. The study’s purpose was to discover the attributes that contribute to the socio-academic culture of successful entry-to-practice respiratory therapy programs as perceived by faculty.

Methods:

A qualitative, multiple-site, case-based inquiry of 6 successful entry-to-practice respiratory therapy programs from diverse academic and geographic settings was undertaken. Program data were obtained from public sources. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key program personnel and full-time faculty members. Content saturation was assessed across all cases. Inductive analysis was used to code transcripts into individual characteristics and broader socio-academic themes.

Results:

Nineteen distinct characteristics and 8 defining themes related to socio-academic culture were identified. Successful programs were perceived to (1) build community, (2) create supportive environments, (3) establish expectations of excellence, (4) cultivate professionalism, (5) ensure meaningful clinical experiences, (6) emphasize reflection, (7) promote critical thinking, and (8) pursue continuous improvement.

Conclusions:

The defining themes describe the attributes of learning culture in successful respiratory therapy programs. Attributes of socio-academic culture in successful respiratory therapy programs align with predefined, essential RT professional competencies that support student development of the professional characteristics desired of entry-level respiratory therapists.

Keywords

health professions respiratory therapy socio-academic culture education student curriculum accreditation

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

American Association for Respiratory Care. Entry to respiratory therapy practice 2030. https://www.aarc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/issue-paper-entry-to-respiratory-therapy-practice-2030.pdf [Last accessed: Apr 15, 2025].

American Association for Respiratory Care. Competency requirements for the provision of respiratory therapy services [issue paper]. https://www.aarc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/statement-of-competency-requirements.pdf [Last accessed: Apr 15, 2025].

Barnes

, Gale

, Kacmarek

, et al. Competencies needed by graduate respiratory therapists in 2015 and beyond. Respir Care, 2010; 55(5):601–616

Barnes

, Kacmarek

, Durbin

. Survey of respiratory therapy education program directors in the United States. Respir Care, 2011; 56(12):1906–1915; doi: 10.4187/respcare.01259

Barnes

, Kacmarek

, Kageler

, et al. Transitioning the respiratory therapy workforce for 2015 and beyond. Respir Care, 2011; 56(5):681–690; doi: 10.4187/respcare.01169

O’Daniel

, Cullen

, Douce

, et al. The future educational needs of respiratory care practitioners: A Delphi study. Respir Care, 1992; 37(1):65–78

American Association for Respiratory Care. Statement of cultural diversity and inclusion. https://www.aarc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/statement-of-cultural-diversity.pdf [Last accessed: Apr 15, 2025].

Grace

, Innes

, Joffe

, et al. Identifying common values among seven health professions: An interprofessional analysis. J Interprof Care, 2017; 31(3):325–334; doi: 10.1080/13561820.2017.1288091

Jensen

, Hack

, Nordstrom

, et al. National study of excellence and innovation in physical therapist education: part 2—A call to reform. Phys Ther, 2017; 97(9):875–888; doi: 10.1093/ptj/pzx062

10.

Farruggia

, Han

, Watson

, et al. Noncognitive factors and college student success. J Coll Stud Retent Res Theory Pract, 2018; 20(3):308–327; doi: 10.1177/1521025116666539

11.

Jackson

. Developing pre-professional identity in undergraduates through work-integrated learning. High Educ, 2017; 74(5):833–853; doi: 10.1007/s10734-016-0080-2

12.

Moore

, Clark

, Haught

, et al. Factors associated with academic performance in physician assistant graduate programs and national certification examination scores. a literature review. Health Prof Educ, 2019; 5(2):103–110; doi: 10.1016/j.hpe.2018.06.003

13.

Sanderson

, Brewer

. What do we know about student resilience in health professional education? A scoping review of the literature. Nurse Educ Today, 2017; 58:65–71; doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2017.07.018

14.

Jorgenson

, Farrell

, Fudge

, et al. College connectedness: the student perspective. J Scholarsh Teach Learn, 2018; 18(1):75–95.

15.

Vivekananda-Schmidt

, Sandars

. Belongingness and its implications for undergraduate health professions education: a scoping review. Educ Prim Care, 2018; 29(5):268–275; doi: 10.1080/14739879.2018.1478677

16.

Willems

, Coertjens

, Donche

. Entering higher professional education: unveiling first-year students’ key academic experiences and their occurrence over time. Front Psychol, 2021; 12:577388; doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.577388

17.

Bradley

, Blanco

. Promoting a culture of student success: how colleges and universities are improving degree completion. Southern Regional Education Board. https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/98995 [Last accessed: Jan 7, 2023].

18.

Yorke

. Developing a quality culture in higher education. Tert Educ Manag, 2000; 6(1):19–36; doi: 10.1080/13583883.2000.9967008

19.

Kahu

, Nelson

. Student engagement in the educational interface: understanding the mechanisms of student success. High Educ Res Dev, 2018; 37(1):58–71; doi: 10.1080/07294360.2017.1344197

20.

Lei

, Cui

, Zhou

. Relationships between student engagement and academic achievement: a meta-analysis. Soc Behav Pers, 2018; 46(3):517–528; doi: 10.2224/sbp.7054

21.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health literacy tools for cross-cultural communication. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/culture.html [Last accessed: Jan 27, 2024].

22.

Diep

, Zhu

, Cocquyt

, et al. Adult learners’ needs in online and blended learning. Aust J Adult Learn, 2019; 59(2):223–253.

23.

Frisby

, Hosek

, Beck

. The role of classroom relationships as sources of academic resilience and hope. Commun Q, 2020; 68(3):289–305; doi: 10.1080/01463373.2020.1779099

24.

Tisdell

, Palmer

. Adult development in health professions education: the need for self-care. New Dir Adult Contin Educ, 2018; 2018(157):17–26; doi: 10.1002/ace.20265

25.

Furness

, Tynan

, Ostini

. What supports allied health students to think, feel and act as a health professional in a rural setting? Perceptions of allied health staff. Aust J Rural Health, 2019; 27(6):489–496; doi: 10.1111/ajr.12557

26.

Asunka

, Freeman

. Students’ access, use and perceptions of learner support services provided in a higher education blended learning environment: an exploratory case study. In: 2019 International Conference on Communications, Signal Processing and Networks (ICCSPN). IEEE: Accra, Ghana; 2019, pp. 1–6.

27.

Burk

, Bender

. Use and perceived effectiveness of student support services in a first-year dental student population. J Dent Educ, 2005; 69(10):1148–1160; doi: 10.1002/j.0022-0337.2005.69.10.tb04016.x

28.

Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care. Accreditation standards for entry into respiratory care professional practice. https://coarc.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/CoARC-Entry-Standards-7.1.2020-clarif-3.21.pdf [Last accessed: Jan 27, 2024].

29.

Behr

, O’Neal

, Maldonado

, et al. Faculty perspective on interprofessional education competencies: respiratory therapy compared to other allied health professions. Respir Care, 2022; 67(10):1246–1253; doi: 10.4187/respcare.09791

30.

Clark

. Interprofessional education: Making our way out of the silos. Respir Care, 2018; 63(5):637–639; doi: 10.4187/respcare.06234

31.

Joynes

VCT

. Defining and understanding the relationship between professional identity and interprofessional responsibility: implications for educating health and social care students. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract, 2018; 23(1):133–149; doi: 10.1007/s10459-017-9778-x

32.

Brottman

, Char

, Hattori

, et al. Toward cultural competency in health care: a scoping review of the diversity and inclusion education literature. Acad Med, 2020; 95(5):803–813; doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000002995

33.

Kalinoski

, Steele‐Johnson

, Peyton

, et al. A meta-analytic evaluation of diversity training outcomes. J Organ Behavior, 2013; 34(8):1076–1104; doi: 10.1002/job.1839

34.

Santhosh

, Babik

. Trends in racial and ethnic diversity in internal medicine subspecialty fellowships from 2006 to 2018. JAMA Netw Open, 2020; 3(2):e1920482; doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.20482

35.

Rye

KJ-B

. Critical thinking in respiratory therapy. Respir Care, 2011; 56(3):364–365; doi: 10.4187/respcare.01245

36.

Alghamdi

, Siraj

, Ari

. Evaluation of the clinical learning environment in respiratory therapy education: student perceptions. Respir Care, 2019; 64(2):161–168; doi: 10.4187/respcare.05055

37.

Martin

, Bolliger

. Engagement matters: student perceptions on the importance of engagement strategies in the online learning environment. Olj, 2018; 22(1):205–222; doi: 10.24059/olj.v22i1.1092

38.

Räisänen

, Postareff

, Mattsson

, et al. Study-related exhaustion: First-year students’ use of self-regulation of learning and peer learning and perceived value of peer support. Act Learn High Educ, 2020; 21(3):173–188; doi: 10.1177/1469787418798517

39.

Zimmerman

. Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory Pract, 2002; 41(2):64–70; doi: 10.1207/s15430421tip4102_2

40.

Kacmarek

, Barnes

, Durbin

. Survey of directors of respiratory therapy departments regarding the future education and credentialing of respiratory care students and staff. Respir Care, 2012; 57(5):710–720; doi: 10.4187/respcare.01360

41.

Mishoe

. Critical thinking in respiratory care practice: a qualitative research study. Respir Care, 2003; 48(5):500–516.

42.

Chisholm-Burns

, Berg-Poppe

, Spivey

, et al. Systematic review of noncognitive factors influence on health professions students’ academic performance. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract, 2021; 26(4):1373–1445; doi: 10.1007/s10459-021-10042-1

43.

Davis

, Groom

, Friesner

. Predictors of academic success in health professions programs. J High Educ Theory Pract, 2018; 18(6):22–43.

44.

Hill

. The relationship between critical thinking and decision-making in respiratory care students. Respir Care, 2002; 47(5):571–577

45.

Mishoe

, Hernlen

. Teaching and evaluating critical thinking in respiratory care. Respir Care Clin N Am, 2005; 11(3):477–488; doi: 10.1016/j.rcc.2005.04.012

46.

Goodfellow

. Respiratory therapists and critical-thinking behaviors: a self-assessment. J Allied Health, 2001; 30(1):20–25

47.

DeLapp

. The systems approach for administration of respiratory therapy education programs. Respir Care, 1979; 24(6):514–520.