Ochsner Lafayette General and two agencies are partnering on a respiratory apprenticeship program that will kick off this fall that will address a need for more respiratory therapists in the region.
LSU-Eunice and Acadiana Workforce Solutions are partnering with OLG on the project, which expects to have 10 students enrolled to start and involves 18 months of academic courses followed by clinical rotations with Ochsner in which they will be compensated.
The program was highlighted during a Wednesday meeting for One Acadiana’s 55 by 25 initiative, which aims to have 55% of the adult population in the nine-parish region to have some certification by 2025. The organization issued Accelerator Awards to the program’s key partners: Karen Wyble of Ochsner Lafayette General, LSU-E Chancellor Nancee Sorenson and Brenda Foulcard of Acadiana Workforce Solutions.
The program was the result of meetings with One Acadiana’s workforce and education committee meeting during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said, which resulted in a regional need for training more respiratory therapists. Ochsner Lafayette General and other employers, including Lafayette-based VieMed, teamed up with LSU-E and Acadiana Workforce Solutions to remedy the issue.