WVU School of Medicine to start enrolling students in respiratory therapy program

The West Virginia University School of Medicine’s Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy (BSRT) program has earned provisional accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care, making it one of two BSRT programs in West Virginia.

“In my 29 years as a respiratory therapist and educator I have never seen a greater need for respiratory therapists,” Michael Mehall, M.Ed., BSRT, RRT, RRT-NPS, RRT-ACCS, CPFT the program’s founding director, explained. “One of the reasons we are launching this program is the extensive need to produce highly skilled, knowledgeable, credentialed respiratory therapists for the West Virginia region and beyond.”

The program, which is the only one of its kind in the northern part of West Virginia, plans to enroll a cohort of 16 students this fall.

Students will learn in a dedicated respiratory therapy laboratory space that includes full medical gases and 20 state-of-the-art ventilators, which ensure hands-on learning opportunities to prepare them to work under the direction of doctors to treat a wide range of patients who have difficulties breathing in a variety of inpatient or outpatient settings.

“Our lab is one of the most technologically advanced respiratory labs in the nation,” Mehall explained. “Students within this program will develop expansive knowledge to integrate into clinical rotations in critical care, neonatal/pediatrics, sleep medicine, outpatient diagnostics, general patient care and additional areas.”

They will also work side-by-side with providers from WVU Medicine, the University’s academic medical center partner, for their training and clinical rotations.

In addition to Mehall, program faculty include Sunil Sharma, M.D., and Keleigh Pershina, MEd, BSRT, RRT, RRT-ACCS, RRT-NPS, RRT-SDS. Dr. Sharma, director of the MICU and Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Program Development and the BSRT medical director, will add his professional expertise through specialized lectures for students in the program. Pershina, the clinical director for the program, will teach several RT courses as well as schedule and manage clinical rotations for students. She brings extensive critical care experience as a registered respiratory therapist.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that employment of respiratory therapists is projected to grow 14% within the next 10 years, creating a positive employment outlook for graduating students. Mehall hopes that the program will meet the increased demand for respiratory therapists in the area – helping to create a talent pipeline from the program.

“This new dynamic program is perfectly aligned to provide dedicated students with a strong, highly versatile, in-demand career path,” Mehall said. “WVU Medicine continues to expand to provide enhanced services for the West Virginia community and this is accelerating the employment demand for highly educated respiratory therapists.”

Not only does the newly granted provisional accreditation enable the WVU Respiratory Therapy program to begin enrolling students, but it also allows graduates of the program to sit for the National Board for Respiratory Care credentialing examinations, a mandatory step to enter clinical practice as registered respiratory therapists.

Students interested in applying to the program should contact Julie Day by email or at 304-293-0440.

For more information on the Respiratory Therapy program, visit https://medicine.wvu.edu/respiratory-therapy/.

-WVU-

ak/3/18/24

CONTACT: Ally Kennedy
Communications Specialist
WVU School of Medicine
allyson.kennedy1@wvumedicine.org