A group of Conestoga’s Health Sciences students celebrated Respiratory Therapy week at the Doon campus with an event that gave them hands-on practice and skills training.
In celebration of Respiratory Therapy Week, Health Sciences students practised their skills at the 5th annual Airway Olympics.
Respiratory Therapy Week is celebrated throughout North America -- the Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists (CSRT) recognizes the week annually at the end of October to educate the public about the varied roles of respiratory care and responsibilities of RTs, who are specialists in airway management and the treatment of respiratory related conditions.
At Conestoga, RT students participated in the college’s 5th annual Airway Olympics in the Health Sciences wing of the Doon campus. The peer mentoring event involved second-year students guiding first-year students through the skill of intubation and demonstrating the different adjuncts to safely place a breathing tube in a patient’s airway.
"The RT Airway Olympics were definitely one of the highlights of RT Week and something I had looked forward to since September,” said first-year student Stephanie Lyon. “The opportunity to gain hands-on experience and learn from second-year students without the pressures of a formal classroom has made an invaluable impact on my learning."
Another first-year student, Willum Kelly, said he’s already looking forward to next year’s event. “It was a lot of fun, but it also gave us a taste of real-world practice: the stress of trying to intubate for the first time and trying to communicate with your teammates, all while the adrenaline is pumping.”
Other activities included a poster board display where first and second -year RT students shared information with the Conestoga community about the profession and disease processes they will help treat. Faculty poster boards provided information about the profession and the program.
Conestoga’s three-year Respiratory Therapy advanced diploma program is designed to satisfy the educational requirements for registration as a Registered Respiratory Therapist based on the National Competency Profile for Respiratory Therapy. The program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Respiratory Therapy Education and provides a diverse learning environment that utilizes classroom education, laboratory sessions, clinically immersive simulation, e-learning, and early clinical exposure with continuous role modeling of the profession.
Visit the program page for more information.