What Can Exit Surveys Tell About the Quality of a Master's Degree Educational Program in Respiratory Care?

Background: The goal of Master of Science in Respiratory Care (MSRC) programs is to prepare competent advanced level respiratory therapists. While programs consider graduate success as a good measure of overall quality of the educational experience, graduates may perceive other variables as important in determining their evaluation of program’s quality. Exit surveys are often distributed to identify specific program factors that could be addressed to improve program quality. The purpose of this study was to determine specific program factors associated with graduates’ assessment of the quality of their educational program. Methods: All students who graduated between 2018 and 2021 from the MSRC program at UT Health San Antonio completed a graduate exit survey that consisted of 55 items to assess achievement of program competencies, curriculum, faculty, quality of instruction, learning resources, tuition, financial aid, clinical rotations, and career planning. A Likert scale was used to rate each item. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlations, and forward stepwise regression analyses were performed (Statistica 14.0.1, StatSoft, TIBCO Data Science). IRB approval was obtained. Results: A total of 103 graduates completed the survey. Mean age for participants was 27.6 (± 5.0) years. Most respondents were female (69.4%), attending full-time (99.8%), and Hispanic or Latino (38.8%). Overall satisfaction with the quality of the MSRC educational program was 4.12 ( ± 0.8) on a 5-point scale. The five variables participants scored the highest on program included provided knowledge (4.56 ± 0.63), provided technical skills (4.49 ± 0.60), prepared me to conduct myself ethically (4.49 ± 0.63), prepared me to think critically (4.47 ± 0.60), and campus safety (4.46 ± 0.59). Regression analysis indicated that 81% of the variance in quality of the educational program was predicted by the independent variables when used in combination (R = 0.90; R2 = 0.81, P < .001). Significant predictors included graduates’ ability to interpret data (P < .001), faculty (P = .004), financial aid (P = .005), curriculum (P = .009), faculty up to date (P = .029), career services (P = .029), and appreciation for community service (P = .035). Conclusions: This study suggests that while graduate success is a very important parameter for an academic program to determine its overall quality, numerous factors can significantly impact the perception of graduates about the quality of a master’s degree educational program in respiratory care.