Burlington, Vt. – Vermont’s only educational pipeline for training respiratory therapists – a critical health care career that is in high demand nationwide – will be supported by University of Vermont Health Network for a third straight year, after the health system and Vermont State University (VTSU) finalized an agreement extending their previous two-year partnership. 

The agreement, approved earlier this year, extends a cost-sharing partnership between the health system and university through June 30, 2026 and allows up to 25 students to enroll in the school’s respiratory therapy (RT) program in the school’s Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters. 

As part of the partnership, UVM Health Network will continue to provide financial support to a program that was facing sustainability challenges amid lack of public awareness and understanding of RT careers in health care. Under the previous two agreements, the health system invested significantly in the program, providing tuition support for students and operational funding for the training pipeline, which is based at the University’s Williston Campus where the program’s classroom and hands-on clinical training spaces are located. 

The agreement also provides students in the program with opportunities to train at multiple hospitals in Vermont and New York State. 

“I am incredibly proud of our enduring partnership with Vermont State University and our health system’s commitment to taking a leading role in training the next generation of health care workers who will care for communities across our region,” said Mary Broadworth, interim chief people officer of UVM Health Network. “Our goals continue to be breaking down barriers for non-traditional learners, supporting and celebrating students whose desire to care for others embodies the mission of our health system, and making bold and responsible investments that address the many longstanding challenges facing rural health care organizations.” 

Success, revitalization and need 

In June, the health system celebrated the graduation of two employees from the University’s two-year RT training program, marking the first cohort of UVM Health Network employees to complete the program since the partnership went into effect in the 2023 school year. 

As part of their participation in the health system’s Pathway Program, the employees will work at UVM Health Network organizations for three years following their national certification as respiratory therapists. 

During that time, members of the health system’s existing RT workforce also contributed to the program’s sustainability. In early 2025, Darcey Lafreniere, MBA, BA, BSRC, RRT, a veteran respiratory therapist at UVM Medical Center for more than a dozen years and a graduate of the program, jumped in to serve as an instructor at the University’s request. Lafreniere’s willingness to take on the role was part of wide-ranging work that earned her Respiratory Therapist of the Year honors from the Vermont-New Hampshire Society for Respiratory Care. 

Maintaining the state’s only RT training pipeline is important for hospitals throughout Vermont, which depend heavily on the highly trained health care workers to support a wide variety of clinical services for adults and children. Most respiratory therapists practicing in Vermont were trained through the University’s program. 

“This partnership with UVM Health Network expands opportunities for VTSU students and provides further education and career progression for network employees,” noted Caitlin Stover, Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences at VTSU. “When we serve our current and future students, the needs of Vermont’s health care system by providing a skilled workforce, and the Vermonters who depend on these talented professionals, we are fulfilling our mission as a public higher education institute.” 

‘Vermont State University’s Respiratory Therapy program is a lifeline for Vermont hospitals,” said Brad Holcomb, manager of respiratory care services at University of Vermont Medical Center. “Ninety percent, if not more, of our respiratory therapists have been a direct link to that school, so their importance is huge.” 

UVM Medical Center needs approximately 85 respiratory therapists on staff at any given time, across multiple departments. Filling vacancies amid the ongoing shortage can be expensive because of the high cost of employing traveling staff, which is often necessary due to the role’s high demand nationwide. Holcomb said UVM Medical Center currently employs 17 RT travelers and has 23 vacant RT positions – challenges which have not changed significantly in the last several years. 

Third year agreement 

Under the third-year extension of the RT partnership, the health system will provide financial support for the program based on the number of students enrolled, up to a maximum of $153,000 for the 2025-26 school year. The higher the number of students enrolled in the program, the lower the health system’s cost-sharing burden becomes, according to the agreement. 

The program currently has 9 participants who are UVM Health Network employees and are either entering the program this year or beginning their second and final year of training, according to health system officials. As part of the agreement, UVM Health Network also provides additional financial support for health system employees enrolled in the program, including tuition reimbursement and paid study hours over the course of the two-year program. 

As part of the cost-sharing agreement, the health system invested $250,000 in the program during the 2023-24 school year and $135,000 during the 2024-25 school year. 

“By investing in our workforce, we create career opportunities for our community and ensure we can continue providing quality care across our region,” said Jerry Baake, network director of workforce development. “This reduces costly reliance on temporary staff and helps hospitals throughout our region—including those outside our system—access highly trained professionals.”