NDSU/Sanford Respiratory Care Program

A few highlights from the 2026 North Dakota Society for Respiratory Care Convention:
✅scholarship awards!
✅catching up with former students!
✅Sputum Bowl Champs (including a new teammate/friend from University of Mary Respiratory Therapy Department
✅collaborating with colleagues from around the state!
✅learning from amazing experts to help us provide great patient care!

🩺💛🫁💚🩺💛🫁💚

Tic tac toe - 3 great things happened to us in a row this week

✨ Recognized our awesome preceptors and awarded Preceptor of the Year

✨ Celebrated our newest graduating class

✨ Moved to new offices with windows (IYKYK 😊)

Looking forward to more fun in 2026!🩺🫁

Well, that’s a wrap folks! Our very last finals week in our soon to be old location. Starting the new year in a new location!🩺💛💚💛

We celebrated our senior class graduating from our program last week! We are so proud of your accomplishments and can’t wait to see where this career takes you! We wish you all the best!💛💚💛💚

We had a VERY busy last week with a lot to celebrate! 🥳 Our seniors selected their Preceptor of the Year!

For the students, Morgan was the preceptor who was:
- kind and welcoming to students
- willing to teach
- calm in stressful situations

As one of our class officers summarized, “We know you’ll go on to inspire future Respiratory Therapists!”🩺

Whether they are studying for tests or completing clinical hours, our interns stay pretty busy during the 15 months they spend with us!

We asked our intern, Sophia - How do you keep a healthy school and life balance while completing our internship?

"During the RT program, it wasn’t always easy balancing school and clinicals with a social life. I learned a couple things along the way, including the importance in taking time to enjoy life and spending time with friends and family when I get the chance."

To read more advice from Sophia, continue on!

"I definitely was lucky enough to have a group of supportive people around me who motivated me to get school work done before taking time to have fun and forget about the stress for a while. When trying to hang out with friends during school, time management is key in order to get work done on time. I used time with friends as a reward for finishing my homework or a long week of clinical hours. I also believe being friends with people who make you laugh a lot can make life so much easier, especially during school. My friends often remind me to live life day by day and to enjoy the little things, like movie nights and painting together. It is very easy to get burnt out, but taking time to rest when you can definitely helps to recharge the social and school/work battery. Although school is very important to focus on, it is just as important to check up on yourself and make sure to keep up with mental and physical health. The healthcare field is a very stressful place, but the stress can be managed with the right resources and people to help, such as good friends and my 4 wonderful teachers!"

Tell me you spend a lot of time with your co-workers without telling me you spend a lot of time with your co-workers......I'll go first!

Some of our students further their education in the healthcare field after completing our internship. We asked our intern, Hussein, why respiratory care can be a great launchpad for those looking to continue their education with goals of becoming an advanced practice provider or physician?

Hussein's answer included three main points:
☑️Developing effective communication skills
☑️Clinical experiences in all areas of patient care
☑️Establishing time management skills

"I chose respiratory care because I wanted to gain meaningful patient contact and clinical experience. I wanted to be directly involved with the care of patients, as well as play a critical role in the clinical team."

To read more about Hussein's response, please continue reading!

Respiratory care not only provides me with this opportunity but it also teaches and challenges me to make sound clinical decisions and judgements about patient conditions. These clinical decisions may range anywhere from making or suggesting changes to ventilator settings, medications or other therapies, depending on how your patient is doing. Becoming really good at making sound clinical decisions and explaining why you’re making those decisions to your team as well as the patient and their family is a skill you will need very much when you become an APP.
As part of my clinical rotations, I also get to see and be a part of a lot interesting experiences with wide ranging emotions. For example, we get to see C-sections and live births which can be very exciting because you get witness the joy of welcoming a new human to world. We also get to be a part of a code blue where a patient’s heart stops beating and you have to revive them which is a very stressful environment. We also get to be a part of rounds, which gives you an idea of what you may end up doing when you become an APP. These experiences show you what roles different people in the healthcare team play especially advanced practice providers. Additionally, you become very confident and comfortable with taking care of critically ill patients in the hospital.
We also learn how to communicate effectively with physicians and other people in the healthcare team. Effective communication is also important when interacting with patients and their families. As a respiratory therapist, you get to work with a lot of physicians and providers which is an excellent way to make connections with them.
As a respiratory therapist, you also learn a lot about managing an assignment that consists of a number of patients that have different conditions. This is a very important skill because it teaches you how to effectively manage your time and prioritize your patients.
Respiratory therapy also offers a diverse range of specialties such as sleep medicine, Neonatal ICU, Pediatric ICU, Adult ICU, pulmonary rehab, home care, pulmonary function testing etc. After doing rotations in all these specialties during RT school, you will find something you love, which may provide you with an idea of what you want to specialize in once you become a provider.

Today was a great day to welcome 11 new interns to the program! Oddly enough, no one had anything to say about quiet new student sitting in the back left side of the classroom. 😏

“I chose respiratory care for my career because I knew I would never make it pro in golfing.”

We love Savana’s sense of humor and while we think she'd be a great golfer, we're so glad she's our intern! Here’s why she chose Respiratory Care for her career –

“[I]n all seriousness, I always wanted to work in the medical field. [With respiratory care], I loved the hands-on care, and how well the therapist interacted with the patient and the other hospital staff.”

“Respiratory care has such a wide range of fields within itself. There are so many opportunities, ranging from the clinic, to home care, to the hospital. I really like knowing that I'm not tied down to doing only one thing with my degree.”

To read more about Savana's career choice, please read below!

How did you choose Respiratory Care for your career?

I chose respiratory care for my career because I knew I would never make it pro in golfing.

No, in all seriousness, I always wanted to work in the medical field. I started out with a major in biological sciences with emphasis in pre-med. After a couple semesters, and a small break to really sit and think about what I wanted to do, I spoke with my advisor and switched to the Respiratory Care program. To get an idea of what respiratory therapy even entailed, and to make sure I was really where I wanted to be, I job shadowed a therapist. I absolutely loved it, and my decision was solidified. I loved the hands-on care, and how well the therapist interacted with the patient and the other hospital staff. I realized within the 4 quick hours that I was there, that respiratory therapists are such a fundamental piece of the medical foundation. I had my heart set on becoming a respiratory therapist.

Respiratory care has such a wide range of fields within itself. There are so many opportunities, ranging from the clinic, to home care, to the hospital. I really like knowing that I'm not tied down to doing only one thing with my degree. But the best part of it all is knowing we are there to help, and to give the best possible care. I always wanted to work in the medical field for the purpose of being able to help those in need. Of course, there are going to be difficult situations. But there are also always going to be those moments that remind you why you're going into the field of medicine to begin with. Being able to watch someone's health improve is so incredibly rewarding. Even just the simple acts of sharing a smile or a laugh can be so fulfilling. Those are the moments and memories I cling to. Those are the ones I take with me every time I clock in for my clinical shifts. They are the reason I chose Respiratory Care for my career.