Respiratory therapy student receives $7,500 scholarship

Story by Natalie Kientzy, chscommunications@missouri.edu

Madison Frisbie, a senior respiratory therapy student from Honolulu, Hawaii, was recently awarded a $7,500 scholarship from the American Respiratory Care Foundation and the National Board for Respiratory Care.

This award is presented to a third- or fourth-year student enrolled in a respiratory therapy program who has demonstrated academic success and leadership in health care. Applicants were also required to research and write a paper on some aspect of respiratory care.

Frisbie’s essay, titled “Methods of Assessing Extubation Readiness,” examined how clinicians determine when patients on ventilators are ready to be safely extubated. She reviewed several assessment methods, including the widely used spontaneous breathing trial that evaluates a patient’s ability to breathe with minimal or no support.

“My key finding was that no one test can fully determine if a patient is ready to be extubated,” Frisbie said. “Multiple factors — including clinical judgement — reduce the risk of extubation failure.”

Frisbie said she chose the topic because extubation is one of the most critical moments in respiratory care.

“Getting it wrong can lead to severe complications,” she said. “I had a couple of experiences with extubating patients prior to writing my paper, and I wanted to understand which approaches best support patient safety and outcomes.”

Reflecting on her time at the College of Health Sciences, Frisbie said the program has provided her with a strong foundation through both classroom learning and hands-on clinical experiences.

“I’ve gained the knowledge, critical-thinking skills and patient care practice needed to succeed in respiratory therapy and apply evidence-based approaches like those I explored in my essay,” she said.

Looking ahead, Frisbie hopes to continue building her expertise in respiratory therapy through ongoing education and professional development.

“I want to become a skilled respiratory therapist who provides high-quality care and contributes to advancing best practices in the field,” Frisbie said. “This award will help me fully focus on my studies and clinical training so I can reach my goals.”