Page 14 - BusinessWest April 27, 2020

COVID-19/EDUCATION >>
I’ve had many students reach out to say they want to find out what they can do now. I’ve been helping them get their limited permit licenses.”
“I was one of the first in my class to do it,” student Max La said. “It’s a good learning expe- rience because other respiratory therapists are there and you can learn from them.”
The limited permit license means he can perform certain tasks, but not everything a fully licensed respiratory care therapist would do. “We can’t touch the ventilators,” he said, referring to the devices that some seriously ill COVID-19 patients use in hospitals.
At Baystate, La does not work with COVID- 19 patients, but must wear a gown, mask, and other personal protective equipment (PPE), and he said Baystate takes precautions to protect him and others from contracting the coronavi- rus. “There’s always concern,
but Baystate has a good policy.
Everyone has masks, and they
do temperature checks when
everyone is walking in.”
STCC’s respiratory care program trains students skills in treatment, management, diagnosis and care of patients with breathing problems asso- ciated with diseases such as COVID-19.
According to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, respiratory therapists will continue to be in high demand at hospitals and medical facilities, with job growth of 21% projected between 2018 and 2028 — and that was before COVID-19 wrought what is essential- ly a respiratory crisis around the globe.
Seeds of Change
Demand should remain high in many health fields, said Brooke Hallowell, dean of
the School of Health Sciences at Springfield College, though it may be uneven in the short term. Take physical and occupational therapists — in emergency-care settings, they’re playing an important role in patient care. But those who work with post-surgical patients for, say, joint replacement may find work more inter- mittent as many elective procedures are being postponed.
One area of growth is in the realm of tele-
health, she added. “All of our health profession- als are going through a rapid transition in terms of telehealth access, and Medicare and insur- ance companies are adjusting their policies related to telehealth, and reimbursement for telehealth visits is being revamped.”
These efforts are intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but the lessons being learned may be long-term, Hallowell noted.
“Instead of waiting in a room full of sick people to be seen at the doctor’s office, we have mechanisms to do more triage and problem solving with patients before they come to a place where they’re exposing themselves to oth- ers. I think this is here to stay ... how we carry out our practices will be changing in big ways.”
Interest in some health programs may shift as well, she added. For example, cardiopulmo- nary rehabilitation, a specialty within physi-
not an in-demand profession.
“I’m not sure what we’re going to experience
over the next few months,” she said. “A lot has to do with how we come back as a country, as a state, and as a community, but I have no doubt that every single one of my graduates will land a position at some point. If this was a normal period of time, a normal spring, many of the graduates would be on the fringe of accepting a position. They would have had interviews and been called back. Right now, a lot of that is at a standstill.”
When they do land jobs, Scoble added, “they’ll have the knowledge and skills and com- petencies, but lack a great deal of experience. So my number-one concern is, will they enter a work environment where they have the kinds of orientation and support they need? It’s defi- nitely a concern.”
“As it gets busier at the hospital with fighting COVID-19, the registered respiratory therapists work around the clock to help fight the virus. My fellow classmates and I do our very best to be available and help out with treatments, floor therapies such as chest physical therapy, and much more. This is an amazing learning experience that I would recommend.
cal therapy, is getting more attention for the vital role it plays in COVID-19 treatment. And Springfield College is probably launching its new undergraduate program in public health this fall at the right time, too.
“We expect that will be a popular major, as people become more aware of what public health and epidemiology are,” Hallowell said. “That’s good timing for us.”
Christina Royal, president of Holyoke Com- munity College, told BusinessWest that a great deal of first responders, nurses, and other healthcare workers have taken classes at com- munity colleges like HCC at some point.
“When I think about our role in ensuring that we have the workforce talent we need in health- care, which is the primary sector in Western Mass., I think it’s important that we continue to think about the kind of training we’re doing and how to continue to support this community.”
Scoble doesn’t foresee a time when nursing is
”
Stefani Glukhova, one of STCC’s respiratory- care students who started working at Baystate in March, may put some of those concerns to bed.
“All the staff here are very kind and generous and are always willing to help you,” she said. “As it gets busier at the hospital with fighting COVID-19, the registered respiratory therapists work around the clock to help fight the virus. My fellow classmates and I do our very best to be available and help out with treatments, floor therapies such as chest physical therapy, and much more.
“This is an amazing learning experience that I would recommend,” she concluded — even if it comes during a pandemic that no one would ever recommend. u
Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]
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