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As a respiratory therapist, you'll be at the forefront of patient care, utilizing cutting-edge technology. Your responsibilities include operating critical life-support devices such as ventilators and delivering diverse therapeutic treatments to patients across all age groups, ensuring improved respiratory function.
These healthcare professionals collaborate with medical teams to address various health conditions and disorders. Their expertise is applied in diverse settings including hospitals, sleep centers, specialized clinics, and pulmonology practices. Their role encompasses physician consultations, conducting diagnostic procedures, delivering treatments, tracking patient recovery, and educating patients on medication usage and medical equipment operation.
Zach Isenberg, an alumnus of IUP's 2011 Respiratory Care program, appreciates the daily challenges and opportunities to assist new individuals in his profession. Working in UPMC Presbyterian's cardiothoracic department, he guides transplant recipients through the unfamiliar process of breathing with donor lungs while administering respiratory therapies and other interventions to maintain patient stability and comfort.