Saskatchewan has launched its first-ever respiratory therapy program, with the hope of addressing the province’s ongoing need for respiratory therapists. The program’s first round of 25 students has been accepted, and training is underway at Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Regina campus. “This is our ultimate goal,” Minister of Advanced Education Ken Cheveldayoff told reporters Monday. “We had an inter-provincial agreement; we knew we needed the respiratory therapists here in Saskatchewan and one way to do it is to have agreements outside the province. But our ultimate goal is to bring those classrooms and the studies here to Saskatchewan.” The province invested $8 million to develop the diploma program. Spanning two and a half years of hands-on training, students will complete their clinical placements across Saskatchewan. Respiratory Therapists (RTs) evaluate, treat and care for those who have breathing and cardiopulmonary challenges and disorders. According to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), most RTs work under the direct supervision of a doctor and can work in hospital, clinical care and community care settings. Minister of Health Jeremy Cockrill says demand for RTs has continued to increase, and their impact is felt across the healthcare sector. “These are professionals that are in so many different contexts in our health care system,” he said. “There’s an RT in the operating room, right; it’s not just in those emergent settings. It’s an in demand profession right across the country. We know we need more respiratory therapists right here in Saskatchewan.” It is that demand which got Jolly interested in becoming an RT. She moved from India in 2019 with a desire to become a healthcare professional. However, she did not know which discipline to choose. During the pandemic, she saw the need for RTs in Saskatchewan. “[Being an RT] is a thing I can go grow,” Jolly described. “But at that time, Saskatchewan did not have an RT program.” Through the launch of Sask Polytech’s program, Jolly was finally able to take the leap. “I waited and waited and luckily they got this program introduced and I applied for it,” she said. The province hopes students completing their placements in Saskatchewan health care settings will translate to job opportunities for them in the province after graduation.
