at Ashtabula received a new $5,000 respiratory therapy equipment grant from Hill-Rom, a manufacturer for medical devices, that will provide students with a new learning opportunity.
The MetaNeb system, which provides three therapies in one, allows respiratory therapists to give patients inhaled medication, deliver positive expiratory pressure to the lungs and distribute vibrations to loosen phlegm.
“The machine combines everything together to give better therapy than other individual pieces of equipment,” says Amy Rodenhausen, director of clinical education for the respiratory therapy program at Kent State Ashtabula.
The machine is new to many hospitals and clinics, says Mrs. Rodenhausen. Students will have the ability to learn on a new machine with which many professionals have not yet even had the chance to work.
“It is always exciting to have the opportunity to learn hands-on with new technology,” says Hayley Sichko, a freshman in the respiratory therapy program. “The medical field is constantly growing and on the rise, and it is so thrilling to be a part of that.”
Kent State Ashtabula offers an Associate of Applied Science in Respiratory Therapy degree where students are able to learn the skills to evaluate, treat and care for patients with breathing or other cardiopulmonary disorders. Graduates of the associate program have a 100-percent pass rate on national credentialing examinations administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC).
For more information about the respiratory therapy program, visit www.kent.edu/ashtabula/rt.