Boise State University

12/12/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 12/12/2024 10:57

Koster and McHenry receive award for innovation in education

Megan Koster and Kristen McHenry

At the recent American Association of Respiratory Care Congress conference in Orlando, Florida, Megan Koster, chair of the Department of Respiratory Care, and Kristen McHenry, director of the Master of Science in Respiratory Care, were awarded the National Board of Respiratory Care Gary A. Smith Award for innovation in education. The award is given to individuals who demonstrate creative educational methods that benefit student outcomes, inspire critical thinking, advance the respiratory care profession, and contribute to solving current challenges in respiratory care education.

Koster and McHenry were selected for this award for the implementation of a new practicum option in the master's program. The practicum opportunity affords potential students the ability to complete and demonstrate mastery of program learning outcomes through the pursuit of new or expanded roles within the field. These roles often range from new clinical roles to novel avenues in other areas of the profession. There is a deep desire throughout the field of respiratory care to push the profession forward clinically, and this opportunity aims to capture those students who may not have a desire to focus on research but do want to advance their degree.

"The faculty who work in the master's program at Boise State are always looking for ways to highlight the professional trajectory within respiratory care," Koster said. "As a team, we decided to implement a practicum experience that would allow students who may not be as excited about the research component of a graduate-level degree. The program instead utilizes a clinical experience as their culminating activity."

This award is special to Koster, as it reflects and acknowledges the team's work to propel the profession forward. The implementation of a practicum option positions Boise State as one of the first degree advancement master's programs to incorporate this into its curriculum.

"Our goal is to make a graduate-level degree in respiratory care not only accessible to as many students as we can but also relevant to as many. That means offering a variety of different options for students to tailor their experience," Koster stated.

This award will further empower Koster and McHenry to continue pushing the boundaries of respiratory care education.

"Receiving this award is exciting because it allows us to research a topic we are interested in - our master's degree graduates and their trajectory after pursuing the practicum option," McHenry said. "It also affords us the opportunity to move the needle in regard to the college's and university's strategic initiatives surrounding innovative programming and creative solutions for student success. Megan and I are thrilled to dive into this work."

This prestigious award will fuel the team's continued efforts to innovate and advance respiratory care education.

Boise State has three respiratory care programs: On Campus Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care Program, Registered Respiratory Therapy-Bachelor of Science Degree Advancement Online Program and Master of Science in Respiratory Care.