Reflections on a Respiratory Therapy Postgraduate Certificate Program in Chile.

Abstract

Chile is a South American country that spans 4,300 km from north to south. Population density and access to critical care are highly concentrated in Santiago's metropolitan region. After the educational challenges posed by the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, our critical care department at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago created the Respiratory Therapy Postgraduate Certificate as an educational intervention to address the shortage of healthcare professionals with knowledge and skills in performing respiratory support in critically ill patients. Throughout this Perspective, we aim to delineate the program design, major educational results, implementation of educational innovations that allowed us to adapt to the geographical challenges of the country and those imposed by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and future challenges identified for the next decade.