Respiratory therapy students' perception toward their career and level of satisfaction with the learning resources: A cross-sectional survey result from India

Abstract

Background: A structured respiratory care (RC) program has a greater impact on student's critical thinking and problem-solving. Across India, the RC curricula differ in structure and duration. With the exception of a few well-established central universities and autonomous institutions, many required appropriate educational resources and qualified faculty. The objective of the current study is to determine RT students' perception toward their careers and level of satisfaction with the available learning resources. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional survey, 904 respiratory therapy students participated from medical universities and educational institutions across India. Institutional Ethics clearance was obtained from the host institution and students were given basic information regarding the survey. A validated, structured questionnaire was used which consists of 26 questions that cover four domains: Perception (4 items), satisfaction (13 items), curriculum (5 items), and suggestion (4 items). The questions were answered as per the five-point Likert scale. Data analysis was descriptive, and logistic regression was performed to evaluate factors associated with students' satisfaction with the learning resources. Results: The majority of the respondents were female (59%) and belonged (48%) to the age group of <22 years. 92% of them are pursuing bachelor's degree in RC. Most respondents are satisfied with the practical and theoretical training (69%), quality of teaching (70%), the infrastructure available (69%), and the skill level of the faculties (80%) at their institutions. Most respondents (83%) believed that there is no adequate recognition for respiratory therapists (RTs) in India and 90% of the respondents were in fact planning to move overseas to seek job opportunities. Moreover, 86% of respondents believed that there is an urgent need for establishing a regulatory body for the RT profession. Conclusion: The respiratory therapy students believe that there is no adequate recognition for RTs in India and a vast majority of them want to go abroad to seek job opportunities. A proper regulatory body for RT would help in standardizing both the academic and clinical aspects of the RT profession, along with improving job opportunities for RTs in the future.

Keywords

• learning resources
• respiratory therapy
• student's perception
• survey