Respiratory Care master’s student lands dream job at Mayo Clinic

Respiratory Care master’s student Brianna Guerin aimed high when she applied for a clinical rotation at Mayo Clinic.

Guerin, a second-year student and president of the Respiratory Care Class of 2025, spent one month at Mayo Clinic this fall, where she rotated through clinical settings including the emergency room, trauma intensive care unit (ICU), neurological ICU, medical ICU and electroconvulsive therapy. 

“As time went on, I kind of fell in love with it,” she said, adding that she was offered the opportunity to interview for a job while there in September.

“I just treated it like a competency check, like my program does,” she said. “A lot of the questions they asked me I’d been drilled about in the program.”

The interview went well: Guerin was offered a job in the neonatal/pediatric intensive care unit, following graduation and board certification. She is particularly excited by what she described as the autonomy that respiratory therapists have at Mayo Clinic. The rigorous respiratory care curriculum at UT Health San Antonio prepared her well for the clinical experience and the job interview, she said.

“It’s very tough,” she said of the program curriculum. “When you are in it and in the middle of it, it seems like an overload. They always tell us, ‘We’re doing it because it works.’ 

“When I came back, I was like, ‘You’re right.’ I am very thankful for how they taught us and expect us to think and be the best RTs we can,” Guerin said. 

The program encourages students to pursue clinical rotations at locations around the country and fosters a sense of confidence in students, she said.

“Our professors teach us, ‘You’ve got to find your clinic voice and you’ve got to stand your ground.’ I did find my clinic voice.”

Guerin’s accomplishment reflects well on the program and its students, said Rain Rueda, MD, RRT, RRT-NPS, assistant professor/research and director of clinical education in the Department of Respiratory Care.

“The clinical skills and dedication of our students have been exemplified by the successful internship completed by Brianna at the internationally recognized Mayo Clinic,” Rueda said. “This accomplishment highlights the commitment, skills and potential that all our students bring to the field, underscoring the bright future of respiratory care professionals.”