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ASHTABULA, OHIO (MARCH 28, 2022) -- ����Թ� at Ashtabula and Cleveland Clinic are partnering to offer an associate degree program in respiratory therapy at the hospital’s main campus  in Cleveland later this year.

The program provides access for participants to train for the in-demand profession of respiratory care. It also supports career growth for program graduates and practicing respiratory therapists with a path to admission for the online Bachelor of Science degree in respiratory care offered by ����Թ� State Ashtabula.

“We are very excited for this opportunity to partner with Cleveland Clinic to offer our program on its main campus,” said Yvonne George, D. Min., M.Ed., RRT, academic program director, Respiratory Therapy at ����Թ� State Ashtabula. “The pandemic emphasized the already existing need for more respiratory therapists — the “ventilator experts.” We hope this partnership will provide easier access to education for individuals looking to start their professional life or who have decided to make a career change.”

Courses in the respiratory therapy program will be delivered live and remotely through online instruction by ����Թ� State Ashtabula faculty. Laboratory instruction and clinical rotations will be completed at Cleveland Clinic, where students will learn alongside experienced respiratory therapists.  Prerequisite coursework can be completed through a combination of online and in-person classes through the ����Թ� State system, or credits can be transferred from another institution.

Students can begin prerequisite coursework beginning in summer or fall 2022. The first respiratory courses will be offered in spring 2023.

“We are pleased to collaborate with ����Թ� at Ashtabula to offer a respiratory therapy training program at our Cleveland Clinic main campus location,” said Umur Hatipoğlu, M.D., MBA, enterprise medical director of Respiratory Therapy, and the section head of Respiratory Therapy, Department of Critical Care Medicine. “This program will contribute to our mission of educating those who serve by providing our local community with an opportunity to enter a high-demand licensed healthcare profession after completing two years of training.”

“����Թ� State Ashtabula is thrilled to partner with this world-renowned healthcare organization to meet its healthcare provider needs,” added Julie Senita, Ph.D., MSN, RN, ����Թ� State Ashtabula senior program director, Nursing and Allied Health. “These types of partnerships are essential to prepare ����Թ� State students in an outstanding healthcare environment leading them to employment in well-paid, professional positions upon graduation.”

����Թ� State Ashtabula respiratory therapy graduates have excelled at professional placement, with each member of the most recent graduating classes landing a registered respiratory therapy position prior to graduation. Those positions are in great demand for the foreseeable future, with 19 percent expected job growth between now and 2029. Median pay for registered respiratory therapists is $62,810 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For more information about enrolling in the program, contact Yvonne George at ygeorge@kent.edu or visit www.kent.edu/ashtabula/rt. 

����Թ� Cleveland Clinic
 is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many , including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals in its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 72,500 employees worldwide are more than 5,050 salaried physicians and researchers, and 17,800 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,500-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 21 hospitals, more than 220 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; southeast Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2021, there were 10.2 million total outpatient visits, 304,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 259,000 surgical cases throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 185 countries. Visit us at . Follow us at . News and resources available at 

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����Թ� ����Թ� at Ashtabula
Home to Ashtabula County’s only accredited registered nursing degree program and Ohio’s first wine degree program, ����Թ� at Ashtabula offers over 30 combined certificate, associate degree and bachelor’s degree programs in an advanced, modern environment. Part of one of the largest university systems in Ohio, ����Թ� State Ashtabula has all the resources of a major university with a hometown feel, including the look and feel of a small, private college - all along the shores of Lake Erie. Here, our students fulfill a nearly 60-year tradition when they become nurses, business owners, computer technologists, respiratory therapists, educators, entrepreneurs, innovators, dreamers and leaders.

����Թ� the Respiratory Therapy Program
The ����Թ� at Ashtabula Associate of Applied Science in Respiratory Therapy degree program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) and has received the accrediting body’s Distinguished Registered Respiratory Therapist Credentialing Success Award for three consecutive years. The program’s job placement rate, retention rate, employer satisfaction rate and student satisfaction rate all rank above the national averages.

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Media Contacts:
����Թ� State Ashtabula - Jason Tirotta, jtirotta@kent.edu, 440-964-4567
Cleveland Clinic - Alana Wyche, wychea@ccf.org, 216-346-0363