Technical Standards

Technical standards are essential abilities and characteristics required for admission, progression, and graduation from the LSU Health Shreveport School of Allied Health Professions. The following standards consist of certain minimum sensory, physical, bevavioral and cognitive abilities, as well as sufficient mental and emotional stability to assure that students are able to complete the entire course of study and participate fully in all aspects of the academic and clinical curriculum, with or without reasonable accommodations:

Sensory: A student in the CPS program must possess sufficient visual and auditory skills as well as skills of observation to evaluate, interpret and treat individuals with cardiopulmonary dysfunction. These skills include the ability to:

  • Perform visual inspection of the patient for abnormalities in skin color, breathing pattern, chest wall configuration and peripheral circulation.
  • Distinguish abnormal lung, cardiac, and bowel sounds with a stethoscope.
  • Visualize metrics on various healthcare administration devices, such as monitor waveforms, cc/ml syringe markings, and engravings and/or print upon medication vials and ampules.
  • Characterize the color, consistency, and clarity of sputum specimens with additional ability to characterize generalities of other body fluids (i.e urine, blood).
  • Visualize, comprehend text, numbers, and graphics displayed in print, electronic media, or on real time monitors, such as electronic medical records, vital signs monitors and mechanical ventilators.
  • Recognize visual and auditory alarms on various healthcare equipment.
  • Identify tactile stimulation such as present or absence of airflow, hot/cold temperature, and presence of arterial pulses.
  • Distinguish pertinent odors.

Motor and Mobility Skills: A student must possess adequate motor and mobility skills to:

  1. Ambulate unrestricted within the work areas of the clinical setting, (i.e. patient room, intensive care unit, emergency department).
  2. Push or pull equipment up to 50 lbs. such as mechanical ventilators or patient bed during transport.
  3. Perform moderately taxing continuous physical work. This requires the individual to perform 8 or 12 hours per day clinical rotations on both day shift and evening shift timeslots, delivering respiratory care to patients on multiple floors with varying acuity levels of care.
  4. Reach above shoulder level and below knees while maintaining good balance.
  5. Perform fine motor tasks such as opening small vials of medicine, drawing of medications into syringes, performing arterial punctures.
  6. Use a computer keyboard, touchscreen, or electronic smart device (i.e. phone) to operate, calculate, record, evaluate, and transmit patient care information.

Communication Skills: A student must possess adequate communication skills to:

  • Communicate with individuals and groups (i.e. faculty members/preceptors, fellow students, staff, patients, and other health care professionals) verbally and in recorded format (writing, electronic media (i.e. voice-to-text, typing), or telecommunication).
  • Demonstrate proficiency in English for oral written and/or electronic communications.

Behavioral Skills: A student must possess adequate behavioral skills to:

  • Be able to manage the use of time and to systematize actions in order to complete professional and technical tasks within realistic constraints.
  • Possess the emotional health necessary to effectively apply knowledge and exercise appropriate judgment under occasional time constraints.
  • Be able to provide professional and technical services while experiencing the stresses of task-related uncertainty (i.e., ambiguous treatment order, ambivalent test interpretation), emergent demands (i.e. “stat” test orders), and distracting environment (i.e., high noise levels, crowding, complex visual stimuli).
  • Be flexible and creative and adaptive to professional and technical change requirements.
  • Recognize potentially hazardous materials, equipment, and situations and proceed safely in order to minimize risk of injury to patients, self, and nearby individuals.
  • Support and promote the activities of fellow students and other health care professionals in an effort to facilitate a team approach to learning, task completion, and problem solving for patient care.
  • Demonstrate honesty, compassion, professional ethics and responsibility, upholding the AARC Code of Ethics and the LSUHSC School of Allied Health Professions Policy and Procedures relating to Student Conduct, Dismissals and Appeals.
  • Show respect for individuals of different age, ethnic background, religion, and/or sexual orientation.
  • Exhibit professional behavior by conforming to appropriate standards of dress, appearance, language and public behavior.

LSU Health Shreveport seeks to comply with the American with Disabilities Act by providing reasonable accommodations, including resources and services, for students with disabilities, chronic medical conditions, a temporary disability, or pregnancy complications resulting in difficulties with accessing learning opportunities.
 

Cardiopulmonary Science

CONTACT US

Student Admissions Office
(318) 813-2908
ShvAHStudentAffairs@lsuhs.edu

Cardiopulmonary Science
Department

Dr. Tim Gilmore, Program Director
(318) 813-2933
Tim.Gilmore@lsuhs.edu