The clinical program consists of seven clinical courses which allow students to gain hands on experiences at a variety of clinical sites. These sites offer experience in general respiratory care, acute and sub-acute care, neonatal-pediatric care, home respiratory care, pulmonary rehabilitation, and sleep diagnostics. Clinical courses during the junior year of the program are directly supervised by the MU program faculty. This, combined with the externship clinical semester, prepares MU RT students to be some of the most sought after practitioners after graduation. MU RT program has 100% job placement and higher than national average scores on all three board exams.

Junior Clinical Courses

• 3941RT Clinical Practice I (2 Credit Hours)
  
  Involves one, four hour day of clinical experience per week in the local affiliate hospitals. These experiences are designed to expose students to a variety of patient care settings. Students are given the opportunity to practice specific skills as they are presented in the program. This course includes a conference each week. During this hour, special topics pertinent to clinical experiences will be presented and discussed by the class. This class will incorporate many guest lecturers.
  
  
• 3942RT Clinical Practice II (4 Credit Hours)
  
  Primary objectives of this semester are to allow students continued patient contact and to expand skills in evaluation, design and implementation of Respiratory Care plans. Students will continue to integrate didactic and laboratory experiences through practice in the patient care setting. This course includes a conference each week. During this hour, special topics pertinent to clinical experiences will be presented and discussed by the class.
  
  
• 3943RT Clinical Practice III (2 Credit Hours)
  
  This rotation, which occurs in the Summer Intersession, is approximately 72 hours with emphasis is on adult critical care exposure. Students will have written presentations and reading assignments for discussion as part of this clinical rotation.

Clinical Sites used:

MU Healthcare
Columbia Regional Hospital
Boone Hospital Center
Harry S. Truman Veterans Hospital
St. John's Mercy Medical Center
St. Anthony's Medical Center

Senior Clinical Courses

• 4940RT Clinical Practice IV (6 Credit Hours)
  

  Meets three days per week during the Summer & Fall Semester of the senior year. These are supervised specialty rotations which include: PFT lab, ABG lab, Intubation, EKG/Stress Testing, NICU, Hyperbaric, Sleep Diagnostics, General Pediatrics/PICU, Child Health, Pulmonary Rounds, Research, and Adult Critical Care.

Clinical Sites used:

MU Healthcare
Cardinal Glennon
Columbia Regional Hospital
Boone Hospital Center
Harry S. Truman Veterans Hospital
St. John's Mercy Medical Center
St. Anthony's Medical Center
Barnes-Jewish Hospital

Externship Experience

The clinical externships are offered during the winter semester of the senior year and consist of three five week blocks which receive a total of 15 credit hours. At this point in the program, most didactic coursework has been completed.

For these experiences, students will choose assignments from a variety of hospitals that have affiliation agreements with the University of Missouri. Rotations may be completed outside Missouri. Students are able and encouraged to integrate all didactic, laboratory, and previous clinical experiences through practice in patient care settings. In this way, students are fully prepared to take an active role in the profession of Respiratory Care upon graduation.

During these clinical education experiences students not only cultivate and refine their evaluation, decision making, and treatment skills but also develop the peripheral skills required to become a professional. Emphasis is placed on the student's communication skills, interpersonal relationships, personal and professional behaviors, ethical and professional responsibilities, and administrative skills. Student's problem solving abilities are focused upon and emphasized in all areas.

• 4973RT Clinical Practice V (5 Credit Hours)

Adult Critical Care - Rotation through the various adult ICU's under the direction of the designated team leader. During these five weeks the student should be ready to function with minimal supervision of the team leader. Refinement of the skills developed during the summer/ fall semesters including participation of specialty procedures (arterial lines, bronchoscopies, chest tubes, trach care, etc.) and decision making skills should be emphasized these five weeks. Bedside rounds and interactive reporting with physicians and staff is expected.

• 4983RT Clinical Practice VI (5 Credit Hours)

NICU - A rotation through the neonatal intensive care unit, under the direction of a designated preceptor. During this rotation the students will continue to refine those skills they developed in Clinical Practice IV. Continued development of decision making skills as well as ventilator care, airway management, and infant therapeutic procedures.
Pediatrics/PICU - A rotation through the general pediatric and pediatric intensive care area under the direction of the team leader. The RT student is ready to make critical care decisions as well as perform routine therapeutic procedures, ventilator care and airway management skills. The student should be ready to function somewhat independently from the team leader, at the discretion of the team leader.

• 4993RT Clinical Practice VII (5 credit Hours)
  
  Management Rotation - The students will work closely with the manager/supervisor to observe the role of the manager/supervisor in a variety of situations. The student should gain an appreciation for the people skills and communication skills a manager/supervisor needs to get work done through others. The student will assist the manager/supervisor in all daily activities, including projects in performance improvement, budgeting issues, and interdisciplinary team meetings. The student may function independently at the direction of the manager/supervisor.
  Home Care - Students will learn how Respiratory Care is incorporated in the patient's home and outpatient settings. Areas emphasized during this block include: 1) equipment used in home setting; 2) assessment of patients in outpatient clinics/home settings; 3) patient education; 4) communication skills with patient and patient's family; and 5) Medicare requirements and funding issues.
  Sub Acute Care - Emphasis with long term, or ventilatory dependant patients. Unique problems associated with this patient population will be addressed. This rotation could occur in a hospital/rehab center/nursing home environment.
  Rehab - This rotation will focus on rehabilitation of patients with cardiopulmonary disease. Emphasis will be on patient exercise and education.
  Service Learning Requirement - This project is designed to integrate community service activities into the respiratory therapy externship experience. The goals of the Service Learning Project are to place students in safe and structured community service projects and promote a lifelong commitment to social responsibility and public service.

Clinical Sites used:

Externship Affiliate List