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Respiratory Care Practitioner Diploma Program RCP SCHOOL LECTURE DOWNLOADS
Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital
Mission Statement
This program has been designed to Educate and train knowledgeable, ethical, skillful and compassionate Respiratory Care Practitioners who are dedicated to care for others and to provide high quality respiratory care to the greater Saudi Arabian population.
Main Objective
To establish a Centre for Allied Health Intensive Care Medicine education to prepare Saudi Arabian citizens to provide the highest quality of care and treatment for sick patients, and in accordance with international practice and standards.
Introduction
The current shortage of critical care nursing and other health care professionals is a global problem. Because of a severe shortage of Allied Health Professionals in Saudi Arabia, hospitals have to rely on expatriate Allied Health Professionals. It is the goal of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in general and Riyadh Military Hospital in particular, to educate and train Saudi Arabian citizens to provide quality health care to their fellow citizens and not rely on expatriate professionals. Therefore, Critical Care Department at Riyadh Military Hospital is proposing to establish a Centre for Allied Health Studies in Intensive Care Medicine that would provide specialized training in Intensive Care nursing to post-graduate Saudi Arabian nurses and train Respiratory Care Practitioners to work in all areas of the Hospital.
Description of the Respiratory Care Practitioner Profession
Respiratory Care Practitioners (RCP) are healthcare professionals taking care of patients with cardiopulmonary diseases and disorders, and other related ailments. RCPs administer therapies and care for patients under medical direction and apply evidence-based independent action when necessary. They are active in a variety of processes, including diagnostics, therapies and nursing. As a profession with founding roots in North America (simultaneously in Canada and the United States of America) over 50 years ago, it has spread and continues to do so to other countries. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, expatriates RCPs currently dominate the scene in most hospitals, and have done so since the mid-seventies.
Respiratory Care educational programs are designed to train students to help patients with breathing problems and other related ailments. Students learn to develop respiratory care plans and administer treatments and medicines. They work with other members of the healthcare team, and with patients and family members. They keep records and instruct patients. With the help of RCPs, many people with conditions ranging from asthma to cystic fibrosis can do activities many of us take for granted: We breathe thousands of times per day without ever thinking about it. Yet many people have conditions that make breathing difficult and at times even painful.
Respiratory Care Practitioners help people of all ages, from premature infants to the elderly. RCPs measure oxygen levels in blood, lung capacity, and stress levels. They also administer medications and monitor breathing using special monitors and performed sophisticated medical tests. Most RCPs work in hospitals, some in outpatient clinics, and doctors' offices, and research labs. They also work for home health companies or nursing homes. The one feature that differentiates the RCP professional from all other health care providers, is the specialized training they received in the use of lung ventilators and the expertise they develop in caring for patients that require artificial ventilation –often for extend periods of time. The lung ventilator as a tool and its application truly define the profession.
According to American and Canadian statistics, the need for respiratory care professionals is expected to grow in the coming years due to the large increase in the elderly population; the impact of environmental problems that have already contributed to the yearly rise in number of reported asthma cases; the technological advances in the treatment of various ailments and disorders, as well as the increasing number of premature babies. Another important factor is that a large number of RCPs based in North America are fast approaching retirement age. Together these factors confirm a growing market for RCPs in North America, and since other countries are experiencing similar health related problems, the need for RCPs around the world will increase beyond present levels. Another reason why the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can no longer rely on RCP expatriates.
As mentioned above, it our wish to educate and train young Saudi Arabian citizens to provide high quality Respiratory Care to the greater Saudi Arabian population. Other countries have already taken that step. It is now up to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to show that it wishes to provide the means and resources that will allow Saudi Arabian RCPs to care for its own citizens and do so while applying the highest level of care possible. In summary, we offer the following rational specific to RKH
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RCP School
