Is a Bachelor's Degree in Respiratory Care Worth it?

Is a Bachelor's Degree in Respiratory Care Worth it? Should the Minimum Entry into the Field Be Changed from an Associate to Bachelor’s Degree? Name Institution Is a Bachelor's Degree in Respiratory Care Worth it? Should the Minimum Entry into the Field Be Changed from an Associate to Bachelor’s Degree? The minimum entry level to a respiratory therapy profession is an associate degree. However, this has raised concerns as to whether professionals with associate degrees deliver quality services to patients. The same concern has raised questions as to whether the minimum entry level should be changed from an associate degree to a bachelor degree. Answering the question requires a research on the topic to determine the current status of the workforce, advantages and disadvantages of an advanced degree, and the overall impact on the workforce. An associate degree provides the necessary knowledge for respiratory care delivery which is in contrary to bachelor’s degree that allows the respiratory therapist greater financial stability, opportunities for career advancement, academic achievements, and medical competence. Advanced Degree Achievement in RT and the Current Status of the Workforce The minimum qualification for a career in respiratory therapy was initially an associate degree. On 5th of January 2016, the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) revised its position statement which requires every program that applies for accreditation to award at least a baccalaureate degree upon students’ completion of the degree and programmatic requirements. The emphasis of this position statement is to allow the AARC to continue with the accreditation of existing associate degree programs which meets the standards of the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC). As a result, educational programs and the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) have called for higher educational standards to improve the quality of services offered to patients and to retain the profession (‘’Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care,’’ 2019). The minimum requirement of an associate degree lowers the safety and effectiveness of patient care as there are new illnesses which are emerging and needs greater levels of knowledge regarding the illnesses to develop a better and effective treatment approach. The increase in the quality of medical services and an effective treatment approach require improved knowledge and skills which can only be achieved through additional avenues of professional growth (Zimmerman, Woolf & Haley, N.d). At this time, Respiratory Therapists (RTs) remain at the same level after obtaining employment with the minimum requirement of an associate degree. In response to the increased demand for quality healthcare, the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) works to ensures quality educational programs which will guarantee competent respiratory therapists (McHenry, 2017). Qualified individuals should be able to conduct enough research and provide quality services to patients. The CoARC has developed accredited programs which prepare students to effectively complete the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) examinations. The CoARC supports the existing members to continue with their educations to meet the standards required. The object will only be achieved if the associate and baccalaureate degrees programs work together to ensure advanced education requirement serve every phase of their career (Kacmarek & Walsh, 2017). Health institutions which provide respiratory therapies prefer using the cheap labor of people with associate degrees. The number of people with an associate degree is large as the course is easy to complete because it takes two to three years. Every person will, therefore, prefer doing an associate degree in the career and start looking for employment. However, the profession is very sensitive as it deals with people’s lives and requires less error to be made and better treatment approaches to be developed in line with new illnesses (Mousing et al., 2018). Protecting patients is another motivation for professional bodies to raise academic qualifications from an associate to bachelor degree to ensure quality services to people (Aiken et al., 2017). According to Zimmerman, Woolf & Haley (N.d), education is strongly related to the ‘’Big Five’’ personality traits such as openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and extraversion. Mortality is stronger than socioeconomic status and is compared to IQ which is improved by educational interventions. The article describes that education improves personal control which determines the degree of confidence and problem-solving skills (Zimmerman, Woolf & Haley, N.d). Professionals who are less educated are likely to provide healthcare services which are less participatory and more directed because they cannot effectively communicate and understand patients’ problems and this is considered ineffective. Advantages of Advanced Degrees Advanced degrees are associated with several benefits such as offering opportunities for promotion to higher job ranks which cannot be achieved by people with lower qualifications. The high job ranks come with improved salaries which increases the level of income earned from employment. Another benefit of advanced degrees is a flexible career path. A flexible career path is seen in the opportunity that it offers to students to advance their careers or change to other professions. A person having an advanced degree qualifies for jobs in other fields which are completely different from that of the undergraduate degree (Johnson et al., 2016). As a result, people who believe in having taken a wrong career path may change their profession by pursuing an advanced degree which will create opportunities to get employment in a different field. The change in career saves a person from mental torture that originates from forcing themselves to the wrong profession. An advanced degree may also help a person grow intellectually. Students will have the opportunity to improve their knowledge by continuing with their education. Ideally, education provides a better understanding of the concepts and theories used in a given profession. Improved knowledge will increase the cognitive ability of a person which is essential in making quick decisions. There are also students who love education and always want to stay around the academic environment. An advanced degree will offer such students great satisfaction by giving them a chance to prolong their learning experience and provide them with deeper levels of knowledge. Obtaining an advanced degree will enable a person to obtain the job position they want. There are some job positions which are very competitive and only require people who have certain levels of academic qualifications. However, the qualifications can be achieved by obtaining advanced degrees which will give a person a better chance to secure such job positions. The positions majorly come with better salary packages and other benefits which make them more competitive. The person chosen to hold such a position must be fully qualified academically as this proves their ability to perform better if granted the chance (Reese, & Gilmartin, 2017). An advanced degree also proves that a person can provide original work and make a rapid adjustment in dynamic work situations. As part of the requirements of attaining the degree, students are required to do an internship and complete a thesis. A thesis is a final project of a student which means that such a person can produce original work at the job place. Also, an internship provides a real-world experience which proves that such a person can adjust quickly at work. Finally, an advanced degree proves that a person can work under strict deadlines and a great deal of pressure. People pursue advanced degrees when they are working and this presents a tough real-life situation where they must balance work and attending lessons. The challenge will help a person to know how to plan their time effectively which is an essential skill at the workplace as they will be working under pressure and strict deadlines. Every institution requires people who are hard-working and can perform their roles effectively within the time limit allowed. Sometimes the work may be too much and needs to be completed within a short time which renders more academically qualified persons to be better preferred for such tasks. Disadvantages of Advanced Degrees Obtaining an advanced degree requires substantial financial and time commitment. Although the degree will offer an opportunity to receive improved salaries, the cost of obtaining it might outweigh the benefits expected after its completion (Smith et al., 2017). The degrees are expensive which requires a person to consider the amount they can afford in student loans and their financial stability. Majority of people who earn less money may not get the opportunity to pursue such a degree despite their interest (Mertler, & Reinhart, 2016). Several students have interest in continuing with their studies but they are constrained by their financial status. Employees who earn less income at work will be most likely to be unable to advance their education as the amount ...