2006 OPEN FORUM Abstracts
VARIABLES PREDICTING SUCCESSFUL RESPIRATORY CARE EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Arzu Ari, Ph.D, MS, CRT, CPFT Georgia State
University, Atlanta, GA
Background: Due
to increasing demand for program accountability, program outcomes have become
important for quality assessment in higher education. This is a critical issue
for Respiratory Care Education (RCE) programs; therefore, RCE programs must
assure their constituents that programs have the resources necessary to provide
quality preparation for program graduates. Therefore, this study investigated
the following research questions as they relate to the organizational
effectiveness of RCE programs: (1) What is the relationship between RCE program
resources and program performance on the Written Registry Respiratory Therapy
Examination (WRRTE)?, and (2) To what extent can the components of program
resources such as financial, personnel, and clinical resources predict program
success on the WRRTE test performance?
Method: The unit analysis of this study was BS degree
RCE programs in the United States. After utilizing a mailed survey
research method, the number of surveys returned was 36 with a 70.5 percent
response rate. Pearson correlations and multiple regression analysis were used
for data analysis.
Results: While
Pearson correlation did not show any relationships between clinical resources
and the WRRTE score, it indicated that financial and personnel resources had a
statistically significant positive relationship with program performance on the
WRRTE. Multiple regression analysis identified that the ratio of financial
resources to students was the only single predictor of program success on the
WRRTE and was responsible for 40 percent of the variance in program performance
on the WRRTE. RCE programs spending more money per student and utilizing more
personnel in the program have higher mean performance on the WRRTE.
Conclusion: This
study indicated that relationship existed between program resources and program
performance on the WRRTE. By the application of the findings of this study,
increases in organizational effectiveness of RCE programs will be observable as
organizational growth, organizational survival, and organizational control of
RCE programs. Then, the outcome will be students who have acquired the appropriate
skills and knowledge that will enable them to contribute as members of the
allied health care professions in the United States.