@article {Armaghan972, author = {Rebecca Armaghan and Brittany Geesey and Jerin Juby and Javier Amador-Castaneda and Allison Bollinger and Karsten J Roberts and Rachel Newberry and Mandy Harshberger and Nathan Radabaugh and Margie Pierce and Natalie Napolitano}, editor = {,}, title = {Practice of Respiratory Therapists in Pennsylvania: A Statewide Survey}, volume = {65}, number = {7}, pages = {972--976}, year = {2020}, doi = {10.4187/respcare.07153}, publisher = {Respiratory Care}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The Pennsylvania Respiratory Research Collaborative formed in January 2017 for the purpose of providing mentorship and opportunities to participate in statewide research, quality improvement, and evidence-based practice projects. The inaugural project was designed to investigate and describe the practice of respiratory therapy in Pennsylvania.METHODS: A survey related to the practice and business of in-patient respiratory therapy departments was developed and sent to managers/directors of every hospital within the state of Pennsylvania. The survey period was October 2017 to April 2018. Pennsylvania hospitals were contacted to ask the respiratory therapy manager/director to complete the electronic survey. One hundred eighty-eight hospitals with in-patient respiratory therapy departments were contacted; direct information for the respiratory therapy manager/director was obtained for 159 hospitals.RESULTS: Of the 159 hospitals sent the survey, 101 (63.5\%) responded. Of the respondents, 52\% were academic medical centers. For staff positions, 50\% prefer a bachelor{\textquoteright}s degree, and 77.3\% prefer the Registered Respiratory Therapist certification. However, managers are only able to hire preferred candidates 50\% of the time. Clinical ladders are utilized in 29\% of the responding institution, and protocols are utilized in 74\% of hospitals, with the most common being ventilator (92\%), bronchodilator (79\%), airway clearance (56\%), hyperinflation (41\%), and disease-specific (23\%). Respiratory therapists in 84\% of the hospitals perform nontraditional procedures, with the most common being electrocardiography (35\%), advanced procedures including intubation (20\%), arterial line placement (14\%), blind bronchoalveolar lavage (14\%), and electroencephalography (12\%). Respiratory therapists are utilized in alternative roles in 42\% of hospitals. The most common alternative roles are patient educator (29\%), out-patient clinics (21\%), patient navigators (19\%), transport (14\%), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (6\%), case managers (5\%), research (5\%), and telehealth (2\%).CONCLUSIONS: The practice of respiratory therapy in the state of Pennsylvania varies greatly, with a small number of hospitals practicing at the top of their license. Additional research is needed to understand variations in practice.}, issn = {0020-1324}, URL = {https://rc.rcjournal.com/content/65/7/972}, eprint = {https://rc.rcjournal.com/content/65/7/972.full.pdf}, journal = {Respiratory Care} }