Respiratory Therapy

Fast Facts

• Practicums will include shifts during weekdays, weekends, and evening or overnight hours
• Based on the availability of the practicum sites, students may have to travel or re-locate to anywhere in Alberta (and in some circumstances outside of Alberta) in order to complete their practica
• The program will strive to assign practicum rotations according to students’ regional preferences, however, placement at preferred sites is not guaranteed
• Students are responsible for any additional expenses related to their practicum, including pre-practicum requirements as outlined by the program, and relocation costs to practicum sites outside of Calgary
• During the program’s third year practicum rotations, students will be required to return to SAIT for 1-2 weeks per semester for on-campus learning activities
• Students will participate in learning a number of skills that are usually practiced on other students. All skills are performed in a safe setting and supervised. Typically, students take turns acting as patient and the Respiratory Therapist, however, students have the option to opt out of role-playing as the patient. Students may still be required to perform these skills on their classmates
• Students require a personal computer with Internet in order to complete the required courses

Your Career

Graduates find employment as respiratory therapists in acute care hospitals, community and home care programs, diagnostic laboratories, educational institutions, research facilities, pharmaceutical companies, medical sales and services, and private companies. Future career opportunities may also exist in research, education, administration, and management. Learn more about the respiratory therapy profession at careercruising.com. The login is: SAIT and the password is: Polytechnic.

Student Success

Job expectations for success in this profession include:

• Fine motor skills
• Critical thinking
• Communication (speaking, reading, writing, and listening)
• Able to work independently
• Able to participate in classroom, lab, and practicum activities as scheduled by the program
• Adaptable
• Able to work well under stress
• Able to use technology
• Attention to detail
• Able to maintain professional behaviour; emotional self-regulation
• Able to wear Personal Protective Equipment for extended periods of time
• Able to work extended hours, including nights and/or weekends and shift work
• Able to tolerate the sight of human blood and tissue
• Able to assist in transporting, lifting, and positioning of patients and/or equipment
• Able to meet the physical demands of the job (e.g. spend most hours working on your feet, walking, repetitive bending, repetitive tasks)
• Able to tolerate latex and disinfection chemicals
• Comfortable with performing patient care procedures which may be sensitive or performed in close proximity

Prospective students are strongly encouraged to refer to the ALIS website for career, learning, and employment information for Respiratory Therapy, as well as the National Competency Framework for the profession, to ensure that they are able to successfully demonstrate the skills required to achieve all the competency-based objectives for the program and profession.

Credentials

Upon successful completion of this program, graduates will be awarded a SAIT Respiratory Therapy diploma.

Graduates from the SAIT program must successfully challenge the Canadian Board of Respiratory Care (CBRC) examination to earn the right to practice Respiratory Therapy in Canada. Any graduate wishing to work in Alberta must be a member of the College and Association of Respiratory Therapists of Alberta (CARTA) and pay the membership fee. If English is an additional language, they must also provide proof of meeting a benchmark score of nine in all of the Enhanced Language Training Placement Assessment’s categories.

Graduates wishing to work outside of Alberta need to be registered with that province’s provincial regulatory body for respiratory therapy.  All graduates may become members of the Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists (CSRT) by paying the membership fee, and this is a requirement in an unregulated province.

After graduates become members of a professional organization, they may register with the CBRC by paying the national examination fee, which will then allow them to challenge the national exam.

Accreditation

The Respiratory Therapy program delivered by SAIT is accredited by Accreditation Canada. The program also works closely with our Advisory Committee to ensure that our curriculum continues to exceed provincial and national accreditation standards.

First Year

Second Year

Third Year