On March 23 and 24, 2024 members of the New Jersey Society for Respiratory Care, as along with educators, and students from several NJ RT programs attended the New Jersey HOSA event held at the Burlington County Institute of Technology in Westhampton, NJ.
Between and after competitions, as many as 700 junior and senior New Jersey high school students learned about the respiratory care profession and the education required to become a respiratory therapist on both days.
On Saturday, March 23, Fernando Echeverria, delegate and former president of the NJSRC, William Jackson, NJSRC Secretary, Jodie Schoch, program director for the Respiratory Therapy program at Union College of New Jersey, Mitchell O’Shea, NJSRC President-elect and program director for the BS in Respiratory Therapy Degree Advancement program at Rowan University, Tyra Babb and Vianna Palmieri, both students in Rowan University’s BSRT Entry into Professional Practice program provided demonstrations and education, and answered questions about what it’s like to be a respiratory therapist and life as a student in an RT program.
On Sunday, March 24, Fernando Echeverria, Grace Fong, NJSRC Director at Large and program director for the Respiratory Care program at the County College of Morris, Salma Monaco, director of clinical education for the CCM respiratory program, and Barry Ransom, current NJSRC President and program director for the BS in Respiratory Therapy Entry into Practice program at Rowan University gave demonstrations and provided education about the profession and programs in NJ to additional students.
The event was a success, and the combined delegation were well received each day. We look forward to attending the HOSA event next year and plan to discuss opportunities to increase our participation.
