A Leap of Faith?

Guest Blogger: Stephen Shitara

For many of us the pursuit of higher education has become a leap of faith. The discussion on the pros and cons of higher education is not a new one, but with costs skyrocketing, the discussion is not just one of semantics, but one that truly must be wrestled with, hand to hand combat style. My perspective may not be unique, but recent events have made this a personal struggle. A little background here, I am a respiratory therapist. For those of you that don’t know what that is, we are lung specialists. We work side by side with physicians, to treat lung disease, perform CPR, and we manage ventilators (you know, the funny looking machines keeping people alive on your favorite TV show). I am also a college instructor, and lastly, a parent of a newly graduated high school senior, so as you can see I have a vested interest on many levels. The entry level degree for a respiratory therapist (RT) is currently an associate’s degree, but over the last few years, our profession has made an effort to push towards a bachelor’s degree minimum. The American Association for Respiratory Care, or AARC, is our professional organization that represents over 120,000 (US Dept. of Labor 2015) RT’s nationwide. The AARC created a task force and held a number of conferences over the years to address the changing roles of RT in the rapidly change world of healthcare. The results of the task force were published in The Respiratory Care Journal in 2011. The main outcome of these conferences was the recommendation to “the need for a baccalaureate degree as the minimum entry education level and the RRT as the credential for beginning respiratory care practice” (Barnes, Kacmarek, Kaegler, Morris, Durbin Jr, 2011). Being an RT is for me is no doubt a great job choice. Providing patient care, saving lives, and serving the community is truly a rewarding experience. That along with a medium salary of $57,790, and a better that average projected job growth of 12% (US Dept. of Labor 2015) makes respiratory therapy a good choice for many seeking a degree in healthcare.

Now the scary part. Costs. Cost vary greatly depending on institution, but the cost of an associate degree in RT can be as high as $50K and then potentially tack on thousands more for a bachelor’s degree, and choice does not now seem so clear cut. Nationwide students are struggling to pay back what seems to be never ending student loan payments. As costs grow, so do the loan amounts, and likewise the time to pay them back. A recent article in US News (Oct 2014) suggests the average pay off time at 21 years, yes that right, 21 years. As a college instructor who teaches bachelor level courses in respiratory therapy, I know doubt see the benefit of pursuing higher education. Many of my students are long time RT’s who are returning to college as either an employer requirement or for potential career advancement. They regularly offer testimonials on how their advanced degree helped them grow personally, professionally, an ultimately helped them to provide better patient care, so indeed the benefits are tangible. I personally have no regrets, having bought and paid for 2 degrees in respiratory therapy (sort of, as I too am still paying off a student loan).

Ultimately it will be a personal choice for the aspiring student, or the returning RT seeking an advanced degree. We as a family, have taken the leap as well, signing on to support our son attending a fine private university. No doubt rising costs have muddied what at one time was a clear choice and part of the American dream instilled in us, of attending of college and having more opportunity that our parents. I do have my concerns, but I still hope that dream stills hold true for my children and yours. I’d be interested to hear your comments on this topic.

About the author

Stephen Shitara BS RRT is an experienced respiratory therapist who specializes in acute critical care. Stephen has also taught respiratory therapy for a number of years as a clinical instructor and to associate and bachelor level students in a large nationally accredited respiratory therapy program. He resides with his wife and three children in Idaho.