The Respiratory Care Program at Jackson State Community College will host information sessions in March and April. The sessions will be held on the first floor of the Jim and Janet Ayers Center for Health Sciences on the college's main campus at 2046 North Parkway.

There are many opportunities for licensed respiratory therapists. Nationally, employment for respiratory therapists is expected to grow by 12 percent from 2014 to 2024, which is faster than the average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Respiratory therapists focus on patients with breathing difficulties, from newborns with underdeveloped lungs to elderly patients with a chronic disease like emphysema. There are many specialties respiratory therapists can pursue, such as critical care, home care, case management, pulmonary rehabilitation, pulmonary diagnostics, sleep medicine, and surface and air transport. The work environment is often fast and fluid, Garner said.

Respiratory therapists work with mechanical ventilators and artificial airways, respond to code-blue resuscitative efforts and can be found treating patients from the front door of the hospital to the back, Garner said. Students who want to pursue a medical career but want an alternative to nursing should consider the program.

“If they are someone who is interested in bedside patient care but doesn't want to be a nurse, this is the field they should really investigate.”

For questions or more information, contact Cathy Garner at cgarner@jscc.edu or call 731-424-3520 ext. 50372 or click on the “Learn More” link.