With new degree, Jeff Porch aims to rise higher in respiratory therapy

Jeff Porch, RRT- ACCS, CPFT, doesn’t really know what it means to take a break.

As a respiratory manager for Virtua Health five days a week, he makes sure his team of respiratory therapists is well-equipped to diagnose and treat patients with a range of breathing disorders and conditions: from asthma and congestive heart failure to cardiac arrest and injury. 

To keep his clinical skills sharp, he also picks up shifts as a respiratory therapist. At home, he cares for his two young children, with a third due in May. And, as a student in the inaugural cohort for the respiratory therapy degree advancement program at Rowan-Virtua Rita & Larry Salva School of Nursing & Health Professions, he spends his nights and weekends working to progress from an associate to a bachelor of science degree in respiratory therapy (BSRT). 

May’s Commencement ceremony marks a milestone in Porch’s journey as a respiratory therapist, a career he didn’t so much plan for as fall into—and fall in love with. 

A passionate advocate for his field, he regularly explains to others what a respiratory therapist does. 

“It’s very diverse,” he explains. “There are routine scheduled therapies and treatments. There’s chest physiotherapy, helping patients cough up mucus and clear their airway. But we also respond to emergencies—if anyone has trouble breathing, we’re on the code team. We assist patients on life support or a ventilator. We intubate and do tracheostomies. Every day is unique, and you’re not doing the same thing throughout the day.”

Porch’s journey to respiratory therapy began when he started as a physical therapy aide at Virtua about 15 years ago. There, he was introduced to a few impactful individuals. He met his wife, Anna, now a manager of rehabilitation at Virtua with whom he’s built a family truly rooted in the Virtua system (his two children were born at Virtua hospitals). He also played on the hospital softball team with respiratory therapists, who explained what they do and why it might be a good fit for his career. He quickly found himself on an unexpected trajectory.

“I applied to respiratory school in May and started immediately that August, so it was like it was meant to be,” says Porch.

After earning an associate degree in respiratory therapy, he began practicing at Virtua. In the nearly 10 years since, he’s moved through the ranks to become respiratory clinical care coordinator and, now, respiratory manager, ensuring that respiratory therapy teams have the resources and support they need to deliver effective, high-quality care.  

For Porch, who hopes to continue into health care leadership, the decision to return to school for the degree advancement program made perfect sense. 

“Five to 10 years down the road, I didn't want to be the only one with an associate degree working alongside therapists who all have at least a bachelor’s,” he says. 

He was drawn to Rowan’s respiratory therapy program both for how well it fit into his life—by being fully online, it allowed him to continue working full time—and for its reputation in health care education.

“It has a very strong emphasis on evidence-based practice,” he says. “If you're going to make a policy or protocol change, you learn how to back that up with evidence and how important research is when making decisions.”

After he graduates this May, he’ll continue at Rowan to pursue his Master of Professional Studies, further delaying any semblance of a break. He hopes the program will strengthen skills that he’s already practiced through the BSRT, like leadership and decision-making, that he’ll need for his future in health care management. 

“My program really has been geared toward making it to the next level of your career,” he says. “You're already a respiratory therapist, but what's next?”