Mission & Goals

Mission

The mission of the Respiratory Therapy program at West Virginia University is to educate passionate care givers dedicated to improving the lives of those they serve. Graduates of the program will demonstrate the skills and expertise needed to become valued, knowledgeable, and capable members of the interprofessional patient management team.

The Respiratory Therapy program recognizes the needs of the state of West Virginia and reflects the land-grant missions of West Virginia University and the West Virginia University School of Medicine.

Goals

The Respiratory Therapy program seeks to prepare respiratory therapists who care for patients across the lifespan who have pulmonary impairments and difficulties breathing. The program will educate and prepare knowledgeable graduates who utilize state-of-the-art respiratory therapy techniques and sophisticated contemporary technology to deliver exceptional patient care at all levels and complexities, including with patients suffering from respiratory failure, heart failure, trauma, neonatal/pediatric disorders and others. More information on the educational philosophy and approach of the program can be found on our curriculum page.

Through attainment of these goals, the Respiratory Therapy program will produce a competent employable respiratory therapy workforce that addresses the ongoing

Learning Outcomes

The proposed program in respiratory therapy will prepare graduates who:

• Deliver high quality respiratory therapy services to individuals and across a continuum of care and in a variety of settings.
• Demonstrate the ability to make evidence-based clinical decisions utilizing information literacy, critical thinking skills, and scientific evidence.
• Collaborate as members of interprofessional teams.
• Provide care that is characterized by cultural respect.
• Demonstrate competence in the recall, application, and analysis of respiratory therapy in all aspects of care and practice.
• Practice respiratory therapy in accordance with recognized professional and ethical standards.

Programmatic Goal

All six of the Learning Outcomes target meeting the stated programmatic goal: 

• To prepare graduates with demonstrated competence and mastery in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs). Additionally, the program will prepare leaders for the field of respiratory care by including curricular content with objectives related to the acquisition of skills in one or more of the following: the management, education, research, and advanced clinical practice (which may include an area of clinical specialization).