玛丽亚·洛佩兹

Respiratory Care

After spending five years not knowing what she wanted to do for a career, 玛丽亚·洛佩兹 is now on course to become a respiratory therapist.

Lopez became interested in Delaware Tech’s respiratory care program after working as an anesthesia technician and patient care technician and shadowing respiratory therapists.

“I liked how a respiratory therapist has a narrow focus on pulmonary and cardiac systems,洛佩兹说. “I’ve also had chronic asthma, so I know what it’s like to deal with a disease.”

In order to be successful in a highly detailed and demanding program, Lopez decided to quit her full-time job so she could put all of her focus into being a student. She said she was surprised by the amount of information she needs to retain, especially all of the pharmacology knowledge. While most might assume a respiratory therapist only needs to know about inhalers, there’s a wide spectrum of steroids and other critical care medications that are prescribed.

“Everything we are learning is all stuff we have to be able to retain, 实现, and use in the real world,洛佩兹说. “And the instructors have been helpful with different methods of learning and methods to help retain the information.

“This is a program where 实现ing the things you learn in class during clinicals will help everything click for you,”她说。.

Lopez credited her support system of her fiancé and family, as well as spending countless hours studying with her classmates, with helping her get through the program.

After graduation, Lopez plans to move to Texas to be closer to family and begin her career as a respiratory therapist. Her ultimate goal is to become a pulmonologist.