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Technical Standards

Respiratory Care Program Technical Standards

The UNMC Respiratory Care Program is dedicated to the education of students who possess the rigor and stamina to become competent and empathetic practitioners of respiratory care. As a student, you must achieve certain technical standards of first knowledge than skill to successfully complete an advanced degree in respiratory care. The student must achieve satisfactory performance in all academic and clinical courses, as well as outside “non-academic,” studies to provide a well-rounded education. The continuous evaluation process includes a curriculum involving physical, cognitive, and behavioral factors that are essential for the practicing respiratory professional.

Observational

The act of using senses and visually observing a person to gain valuable information from a distance and at the bedside to integrate collected information for assessment and diagnosis and treatment planning.

Clinical Examples

Didactic Examples

Communication / Professionalism

The ability to engage in respectful and non-judgmental conversation with the patient, family, and interdisciplinary team. Professional communication occurs both verbally and non-verbally, and in written records.

Clinical Examples

Didactic Examples

Provide a clear hand-off report at end of a clinical daily rotation. Attend interdisciplinary care rounding and provide objective information about your patient in a group setting. Receive critical information and be able to clearly respond to the appropriate medical team member in a constructive manner, to develop enduring relationships with patients, families, and the medical care team.

Cognitive / Critical Thinking

The student will use critical thinking to process, conceptualize theory, evaluate, apply, analyze, and synthesize gathered information to guide engagement with patient care and academic studies.

Clinical Examples

Didactic Examples

Affective

The student follows the AARC Statement of Ethics and Professional Conduct at clinical and in the classroom. The student should be able to cope in high-stress situations within the classroom and at a clinical site. The student demonstrates integrity, trust, honesty, and ethical behavior, at all times.

Clinical Examples

Didactic Examples

Reflects UNMC with appropriate behavior and attitudes while attending clinical. Illustrates compassion, interest, and motivation as a health care professional, which will be assessed during the admission process, along with preceptor evaluation during clinical. A student must be flexible and able to adapt to changing situations in clinical settings, as they can be unpredictable at times.

Physical and Sensory Function

The student must have sufficient motor and sensory function to perform a patient assessment including palpation, auscultation, percussion, breath sounds both gross and fine muscular movements, and functional senses such as vision, hearing, and touch.

Clinical Examples

Didactic Examples

The physical ability and rigor to perform cardiac compressions (CPR) and using an ambu bag for manual resuscitation, fine motor skills to draw blood out of the radial artery, at the appropriate angle, ability to provide therapeutic treatment, push equipment, and hear efficiently to listen to breath sounds. The student must have the physical ability to transport themselves with speed for medical codes and emergencies in a quick manner. The respiratory care profession typically works at the bedside and may require 12-hour shifts of standing, bending, and lifting at various periods during a workday. However, may include noticeably light work at a desk/counter with data entry/charting, writing care plans, providing education, and various administration compliance.

Laboratory classes may require hand/eye coordination for drawing blood gases, intubation, turning knobs on equipment, lifting/pushing equipment, reaching over your head with plugging in equipment or adjusting settings, attending simulation training, application, usage of medication syringes vials blood gas syringes and other tools used for examination and therapy.