Respiratory Care program at BGSU Firelands pivots to hybrid model starting in Fall 2023

Bachelor's degree program reinvented to improve flexibility for students, produce in-demand healthcare professionals

With demand for respiratory therapists at an all-time high, Bowling Green State University is adapting to best meet the needs of students, healthcare partners and the public at large.

The Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care (BSRC) program at BGSU Firelands is going hybrid — blending traditional synchronous classes that cannot be replicated online with asynchronous learning that fits neatly into students’ lives and allows them to work in the field while they are attaining their degree.

Beginning with the 2023-24 academic year, BSRC students will be on campus at BGSU Firelands just one day per week — a significant program change that will enable more students to maintain a balance between their professional and academic lives. 

“BGSU Firelands is evolving to meet student needs by expanding the paths to earn a degree,” BGSU Firelands Dean Dr. Andrew Kurtz said. “Adopting a hybrid model for the respiratory care program offers the best of both worlds: invaluable in-person labs and convenient online instruction. The hybrid model reduces travel and maintains the excellent student experience expected from a BGSU Firelands program.”

Respiratory Care Program Director Carol Puder said the changes were spurred in large part by the demand for more respiratory care professionals in the healthcare field.

“I’ve been in the profession for over 30 years, and the need is higher right now than it has ever been,” Puder said. “Pretty much every hospital that I’m aware of has multiple full-time openings on both day and night shifts, and there are a lot of part-time openings.”

Knowing the public need is great, the BSRC program is changing with the times: Each hybrid course will meet for one hour per week in person, while the remainder of the instruction will be completed online.

All of the in-person classes are scheduled for the same day each week between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. with a lunch break.

The final semester of the program will be delivered entirely online, which will allow BSRC students to work for a healthcare organization while they earn credentials and complete their degree.

BSRC’s adaptations work several ways: By limiting in-person classes to one day, students still receive critical lab instruction while maintaining pre-existing roles with healthcare organizations, many of which offer tuition assistance to employees.

Additionally, the changes will allow students living in northwestern or northeastern Ohio to attend classes without relocating, as travel is limited to once per week.

“A lot of our students are already working part-time or even full-time jobs, and the hybrid system makes it a lot easier for them to attend classes,” Puder said. “Our current students are already working for hospitals, so it opens up their flexibility to work in the profession as student respiratory therapists without having to be on campus two or three days a week.”

Prospective students may apply to the base program at BGSU Firelands or the satellite program at Lorain County Community College.

By switching to a hybrid model, future students — especially those already working in healthcare — can build a schedule that works for them, Puder said. 

“When you take it down to being in-person just one day per week, you can plan on that the entire year,” Puder said. “For those who work, they know the school schedule doesn’t change. This allows us to partner with other healthcare organizations and also opens up classes to people who live a little farther away.”

The hybrid model can be a solution for all stakeholders, including local healthcare providers and the general public that relies upon them for medical care.

“The BGSU Firelands respiratory care program is well-respected across northern Ohio, and healthcare facilities actively recruit our students for employment,” Kurtz said. “The hybrid model opens the door for more students to benefit from our program — increasing the potential for new respiratory therapists to enter the workforce.”