Galvin William F
Respiratory Care Program, School of Allied Health Professions, Gwynedd Mercy College, 1325 Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd Valley, PA 10437, USA.
Respir Care Clin N Am. 2005 Sep;11(3):383-400. doi: 10.1016/j.rcc.2005.04.009.
After years of discussion, debate, and study, the respiratory care curriculum has evolved to a minimum of an associate degree for entry into practice. Although programs are at liberty to offer the entry-level or advanced level associate degree, most are at the advanced level. The most popular site for sponsorship of the associate degree in respiratory care is the community college. The basis for community college sponsorship seems to be its comprehensive curriculum, which focuses on a strong academic foundation in writing, communication, and the basic sciences as well as supporting a career-directed focus in respiratory care. Issues facing the community college are tied to literacy, outcomes, assessment, placement,cooperation with the community, partnerships with industry, and articulation arrangements with granting institutions granting baccalaureate degrees. Community colleges must produce a literate graduate capable of thriving in an information-saturated society. Assessment and placement will intensify as the laissez-faire attitudes toward attendance and allowing students to select courses without any accountability and evaluation of outcome become less acceptable. Students will be required to demonstrate steady progress toward established outcomes. Maintaining relations and cooperation with the local community and the health care industry will continue to be a prominent role for the community college. The challenge facing associate degree education in respiratory care at the community college level is the ability to continue to meet the needs of an expanding professional scope of practice and to provide a strong liberal arts or general education core curriculum. The needs for a more demanding and expanding respiratory care curriculum and for a rich general education core curriculum have led to increased interest in baccalaureate and graduate degree education. The value of associate degree education at the community college level is well established. It is affordable, accessible, and responsive to the local health care industry it serves. It is likely to enjoy acceptance and popularity until its curricular limitations and time constraints no longer allow it to meet the needs of the respiratory care profession.
经过多年的讨论、辩论和研究，呼吸治疗课程已发展到进入该行业至少需要副学士学位。虽然各课程可以自主提供入门级或高级副学士学位，但大多数都是高级别的。社区学院是呼吸治疗副学士学位最常见的授予机构。社区学院能成为授予机构的基础似乎在于其全面的课程设置，该课程既注重写作、沟通和基础科学方面坚实的学术基础，又支持以呼吸治疗为导向的职业发展重点。社区学院面临的问题与读写能力、学习成果、评估、入学安置、与社区的合作、与行业的伙伴关系以及与授予学士学位的机构的衔接安排有关。社区学院必须培养出有读写能力的毕业生，使其能够在信息饱和的社会中蓬勃发展。随着对出勤采取放任态度以及允许学生随意选课而不进行任何结果问责和评估的做法越来越难以接受，评估和入学安置将会加强。学生将被要求朝着既定的学习成果稳步进步。与当地社区和医疗保健行业保持关系与合作，仍将是社区学院的一项重要职责。社区学院层面的呼吸治疗副学士学位教育面临的挑战是，能否继续满足不断扩大的专业实践范围的需求，并提供强大的文科或通识教育核心课程。对要求更高、不断扩展的呼吸治疗课程以及丰富的通识教育核心课程的需求，引发了人们对学士学位和研究生学位教育的更大兴趣。社区学院层面的副学士学位教育的价值已得到充分确立。它价格实惠、易于获得，并且能够响应其服务的当地医疗保健行业的需求。在其课程限制和时间限制不再允许它满足呼吸治疗行业的需求之前，它可能会一直受到认可和欢迎。
