Respiratory Therapy program honoured with national gold award

Fanshawe College is proud to announce that its Respiratory Therapy program has been awarded the Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) Gold Program Excellence Award. The CICan Excellence Awards recognizes and showcases extraordinary contributions and success in advancing the College, the community and post-secondary education in Canada.

The Respiratory Therapy advanced diploma program, offered through the School of Health Sciences, is in-demand across Canada and graduates are vital to the health of our communities. Students learn in the classroom, simulation labs and clinical placements and are taught by skilled and dedicated professors who ensure they learn the tools and techniques to be successful in their careers. Respiratory therapists work with patients to assist with their breathing through oxygen and/or intubation and ventilation, putting them in high demand and at the centre of treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Faculty in the Respiratory Therapy program always go the extra mile, looking for opportunities to engage students in unique experiences to enhance their education, ensuring each becomes a good global citizen and is prepared to make a difference in their community,” says Fanshawe President Peter Devlin. “I am immensely proud of the program team and thank CICan for this recognition.”

The need for skilled respiratory therapists became very clear when the COVID-19 pandemic reached our region. In March 2020, Fanshawe’s Respiratory Therapy faculty and the College of Respiratory Therapists of Ontario (CRTO) worked together to provide the College’s 43 third-year students with early licensing so they could begin putting their skills to work immediately in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Fanshawe faculty entered the workforce and took weekend clinical shifts.

Last year, two Fanshawe faculty members designed and built a ventilator with engineers from Toyota and placed in the top nine out of more than 2,600 teams from around the world during the Montreal General Hospital’s Code Life Ventilator Challenge.

“I am so proud of my amazing Respiratory Therapy team for their hard work and dedication not only this past year during the pandemic but continuously,” says Julie Brown, co-ordinator of the Respiratory Therapy program. “Our team never stops and is always thinking of new ways to improve our program through International medical missions, community partnerships, innovation and our longstanding clinical sites. Congratulations to the whole team of full-time and part-time faculty, clinical and community partners.”

The Respiratory Therapy faculty team includes Julie Brown, coordinator; Paul Williams; Greg Donde; Yvonne Drasovean; David Wall; Gary Sullivan, as well as numerous part-time faculty, clinical instructors and preceptors.

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The team received their award at CICan’s virtual conference on Monday, April 26, 2021.

For more information, please visit Fanshawe's media contact page.