Hannah Nagler
“I am very grateful to be able to experience working in multiple different hospitals of all different sizes and atmospheres during clinicals.”
When Hannah Nagler’s uncle told her that respiratory therapists saved his life during his battle with severe asthma, he wasn’t just sharing a personal story. He was helping her write her first chapter in her professional story.
At the West Virginia University School of Medicine, Nagler hasn’t only found that path, she’s helped pave the way for others.
This May, Nagler and eight of her peers will become the first graduates of the School of Medicine’s Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy (BSRT) program, entering a high-demand and rapidly growing healthcare field.
Originally starting her healthcare journey in another major, Nagler realized she was looking for a more focused clinical niche. While researching alternative majors, she discovered respiratory therapy, a specialized field focused on helping patients breathe. Her discovery was well timed, as it coincided with the WVU School of Medicine announcing plans to launch a new respiratory therapy program, one of only two such bachelor’s programs in the state.
The timing, combined with her uncle’s encouragement, made the WVU RT program feel like the right fit.
“I was already a student at WVU, and I loved the school so I wanted to stay here,” Nagler explained. “I liked that WVU offered the opportunity to study the specialized aspect of respiratory therapy.”
As a member of the inaugural cohort, Nagler quickly experienced one of the program’s strengths: its close-knit, student-centered environment.
“I love the individualized aspect of our program. Since our cohort is so small, it allows for personalized teaching, and it is very easy to be able to voice our questions and uncertainty about certain topics,” Nagler said. “It has also allowed me to become very close with both my classmates and professors.
The BSRT program is designed to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world patient care. According to Mike Mehall, M.Ed., RRT, RRT-NPS, RRT-ACCS, CPFT, founding director of the WVU Respiratory Therapy program, this rigorous preparation is a direct response to a growing need for respiratory therapists across West Virginia and beyond.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment of respiratory therapists will grow 14% over the next decade, creating strong demand and opportunities for graduates entering the field.
Inside the classroom, students train in a dedicated respiratory therapy laboratory equipped with full medical gas systems and 20 state-of-the-art ventilators, which provide critical, hands-on experience before entering clinical settings.
They also utilize the David and Jo Ann Shaw Center for Simulation Training and Education for Patient Safety (STEPS) Center, a state-of-the-art simulation facility featuring ICU setups, patient exam rooms, surgical spaces and advanced technology such as augmented and virtual reality.
“The program has done an excellent job of providing both real-world clinical experience, hands-on learning and numerous tools to help us pass our upcoming board exams,” Nagler said. “We’ve had a great balance of what we need to know for boards and how it’s actually done in real life.”
The “real-life” experience is emphasized by the 765 clinical hours students need to graduate. Nagler’s rotations included cardiac rehabilitation, pulmonary function testing, sleep labs and even flight and transport teams.
These rotations ensure graduates are well prepared to work under the direction of physicians to treat patients with a wide range of respiratory conditions across both inpatient and outpatient settings.
To further support their transition into the workforce, Nagler and her peers participated in the Excel Student Employment Program, gaining paid, hands-on experience at WVU Medicine hospitals while working under a student license from the West Virginia Board of Respiratory Care.
“I am very grateful to be able to experience working in multiple different hospitals of all different sizes and atmospheres during clinicals,” she said. “It was invaluable to work alongside respiratory therapists in a variety of healthcare settings and gain exposure to different patient populations and specialties.”
It was during her time at WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital, though, that she had that same feeling she did when hearing her uncle talk about his journey.
“It just clicked that this is what I was meant to do,” she said. “Seeing the impact a respiratory therapist can have on the most vulnerable patients confirmed my passion for working in the NICU. Making a difference in the lives of babies and helping them get home faster to their families is amazing.”
The success of the inaugural class is already evident. All nine BSRT graduates have secured jobs after graduation.
They’ll be working at various locations across the country, including CHOP Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina; the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, Vermont; and WVU Medicine in Wheeling, West Virginia, just to name a few.
Nagler will return to her home state of Pennsylvania to begin her career at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where she has accepted a full-time position working exclusively in the neonatal intensive care unit.
She hopes to build on that experience in the years ahead, with plans to eventually pursue certification as a registered cardiovascular invasive specialist and transition into cardiac catheterization lab work.
“It is an honor to be a part of the first RT cohort at such a big school like WVU,” Nagler said. “We are extremely lucky to have the amount of resources and learning opportunities that we do. I think it’s really set us up for success as we go into our careers, and it’s exciting to know we’ve been part of building something that will continue to grow.”
For more information on Respiratory Therapy at WVU, visit medicine.wvu.edu/respiratory-therapy.
ak/05/12/2026
CONTACT: Ally Kennedy
Senior Communications Specialist
WVU School of Medicine and Health Sciences
allyson.kennedy1@wvumedicine.org