Database of Health Workforce Innovations

In late March, five weeks before the end of their clinical placement, Respiratory Therapy students in their last
year of the program received an email from Michener: they were being accelerated to complete the program
early, and would need to appy to the College of Respiratory Therapists of Ontario (CRTO) so they could enter
the workforce immediately to care for patients with COVID-19.
Hospitals needed Respiratory Therapists as quickly as possible to stay ahead of the COVID-19 surge, and new
grads were already familiar with hospital policies and had completed most of their clinical rotations. Their
skills and knowledge were as current as possible.

Michener’s role was to ensure that all of the new Respiratory Therapy grads had the appropriate Ontario entry-
to-practice competencies by looking at their clinical experience and their skill level in the simulation

components of the program. Once the grads entered the ICU, they had tremendous support from the
practicing Respiratory Therapists already working in the units.