[Frank Zeczak]  One of the best things about being involved in respiratory care is you're in a dynamic profession that offers a variety of opportunities for you.

[James Bierl]  There's constantly new things that are coming up yearly, semester by semester.  New changes in technology, changes in therapies, protocols, a lot of research oriented, it's very interesting; it's not boring.

[Frank Zeczak]  The control panel is divided into 4 different sections.

[Susan Zor]  We really attract people who like science; we find they watched the health-care channels and a lot of them like equipment.  They like knowing about our breathing machines our ventilators.  For a student to succeed in our program we basically need someone that likes the sciences and did slightly average to above-average in their high school career.

[James Bierl] The prerequisites are making sure they have the minimal level of English and math and have the minimal level of some type of biology and chemistry science courses, whether not it is in high school or later on.

[Frank Zeczak]  They could have algebra that would be very good.  A lot of the things we do in ventilation we use math to predict what effects our ventilator will have on blood gases and things like that and it's all math.

[Susan Zorn]  The lungs are clear but they are almost too clear.  Now what that tells me is that...

[Susan Zorn]  I think students come into our program with no sense of how intense it is, and I like to tell them it's like a four-year school, four degree crammed into a two-year degree.  

[James Bierl]  Our program currently has its own pulmonary physiology course.  We have our own cardiac physiology course that goes very in depth into both of those physiologies our students need to know.  We have our own pulmonary disease course and cardiac disease course.   Our students have to become very good at interpreting, recognizing and treating diseases.  We also have some very intense laboratory courses that focus on the actual skills whether drawing bloods and doing some high level therapist duties.  We practice on mannequins and so one and eventually that carries over into clinical site.  

[Susan Zorn]  The real jewel of our program are our clinical sites because there they see the best at Strong Memorial Hospital, what Rochester General has, Women's and Children's Hospital.

[James Bierl]  Typical student will probably go through at least four or five different places for an extended period of time so by the time they graduate most all the students have seen the same things, and they've got a good feel for what's going on here in Western New York.

[Frank Zeczak]  Now when we are putting these on we want to put them on the patients right and left; not the way that we are looking at the person.

[James Bierl]  Upon graduation our graduates have several different areas that they can go to in terms of work.  Probably about 75 percent of the graduates go to work in hospitals and right now respiratory care is like the 15th fastest growing profession.  So the amount of jobs that are going to be available in the next five and 10 years is going to be phenomenal.  

[Frank Zeczak]  Hospitals are actively recruiting graduates.  There are sign-on bonuses, there's relocation money being given.  

[Susan Zorn]  Right now our graduates are looking at $19-$20 an hour, if not more.  So it's really common for some of our students to start out after their two year program at$ 40,000 a year.  What augments that is that they can work nights, evenings, weekends and they all pay more because of the unpopular hours.

[Student]  Ok, I'm in.

[James Bierl]  Ok, don't let go.
 
[James Bierl]  What I hope the student leaves this program with is a sense of understanding that they've learned a lot, yet they don't know everything.  We want to set them on the road to understanding that there’s so much more to learn and it takes time and experience; it's a lifelong learning process.