Respiratory Therapist

The Respiratory Therapy program leads to an Associate of Applied Science degree. The program is full time, sequential, and offered during daytime hours; the program consists of eight quarters of instruction. Students complete classroom and laboratory work on campus and gain clinical experience in affiliated clinical sites.  Students acquire skills in reviewing and recording clinical patient data, performing respiratory therapeutic procedures, and providing for the comforts and needs of the patient during the procedures.  Respiratory therapists work under the direction of a physician to assist in diagnosis and treatment for patients with cardiopulmonary diseases and disorders. Positions are available in acute/critical care hospitals, extended care facilities, outpatient clinics, private physicians' offices, home care companies, sleep studies, pulmonary function testing, and equipment sales. Thoroughness, accuracy, mechanical aptitude, ability to troubleshoot equipment, and empathy are traits needed by persons interested in this program. They should also be versatile and able to follow precise and detailed directions.

Upon successful completion of this program, graduates are eligible to take the Certified Respiratory Therapist examination administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care. Upon passing of this exam, the graduates become Certified Respiratory Therapists (CRT).  Following completion of the CRT credential, graduates are eligible to take the Registered Respiratory Therapist examination. Upon passing this exam (both a written and a clinical simulation examination), graduates become Registered Respiratory Therapists (RRT).

Respiratory therapists must be certified by the state (as Respiratory Care Practitioners).  Requirements include: completion of an approved training program; a background investigation; and passing the entry level certification examination given by the National Board for Respiratory Care (CRT).

The Respiratory Therapy program is accredited by the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC), a specialized accrediting board, in collaboration with the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and/or the US Department of Education.

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