Respiratory Therapy

Program Chair

Greg Carter, RRT
253.566.5231 gcarter@tacomacc.edu

The Respiratory Therapy program prepares students for employment as respiratory care practitioners and leads to an Associate of Applied Science degree. The program is full time and sequential, consisting of seven instructional quarters offered during daytime hours. Students complete classroom and laboratory course work on campus and gain clinical experience in affiliated clinical sites.

Upon successful program completion, graduates are eligible to take the Certified Respiratory Therapist examination administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care. Following CRT credential completion, 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 licensed 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 administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC).

The Respiratory Therapy program is accredited by the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) (www.coarc.com). Admission to the Respiratory Therapy program is competitive. There are usually more program applicants than available positions. Students who complete program prerequisite and co-requisite courses and meet the other application requirements are not guaranteed program admission.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of the AAS degree in Respiratory Therapy, students will:

Apply the respiratory care knowledge necessary to function in a health care setting.
Use critical thinking skills to recommend appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic procedures using patient data from laboratory and physiologic evaluations.
Perform cardio-pulmonary therapeutic procedures and modalities appropriate to level of training.
Function effectively as members of healthcare teams.
Exemplify professional and ethical behavior.

ADDITIONAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Contact the Respiratory Therapy program for information about:

Criminal and federal fraud background checks
Health insurance
Immunizations

Program Prerequisites (25 credits)

All prerequisites courses must be completed with ‘C’ grades or higher and within two attempts before applications are accepted. All math and science prerequisite courses must be completed within 10-years of the application date.

BIOL& 241	Anatomy and Physiology 1	6
BIOL& 242	Anatomy and Physiology 2	6
HIM 130	Medical Terminology I	3
TMATH 100	Mathematics for the Health Sciences (recommended)	5
or MATH 095	Intermediate Algebra
PSYC& 100	General Psychology	5
or PSYC& 200	Lifespan Psychology

Associate in Applied Sciences Degree

(103-107 credits)

1st Quarter (fall 17 credits)

RC 150	Fundamentals of RC	4
RC 160	Cardiopulmonary A & P and Pathophysiology	4
RC 170	Respiratory Therapy Equipment I	3
RC 175	Respiratory Care Orientation	2
RC 180	Respiratory Therapy Clinical I	3
RC 193	Respiratory Pharmacology I	1

2nd Quarter (winter 14 credits)

RC 151	Fundamentals of RC II	4
RC 161	Arterial Blood Gases	3
RC 171	Respiratory Therapy Equipment II	3
RC 181	Respiratory Therapy Clinical II	3
RC 194	Respiratory Pharmacology II	1

3rd Quarter (spring 15 credits)

RC 152	Mechanical Ventilation	4
RC 162	Advanced RC Pathophysiology	3
RC 172	Respiratory Therapy Equipment III	4
RC 182	Respiratory Therapy Clinical III	3
RC 195	Respiratory Pharmacology III	1

4th Quarter (summer 16 credits)

CMST& 101	Introduction to Communication	5
RC 153	Alternative Procedures in RC	3
RC 165	Evolving Roles in RC	2
RC 183	Respiratory Therapy Clinical IV	4
RC 290	Ethics & Professionalism in Respiratory Care (online)	2

5th Quarter (second fall 14 credits)

RC 192	Advanced Mechanical Ventilation	4
RC 240	Advanced Assessment & Diagnosis	3
RC 263	Pulmonary Functions	3
RC 280	Speciality Clinical Rotation	4

6th Quarter (second winter 11-15 credits)

CU	Computer User course	1-5
RC 251	Respiratory Pathophysiology Case Presentations	2
RC 261	Pediatric and Neonatal Respiratory Care	4
RC 281	Advanced Critical Care Clinical Rotation	4

7th Quarter (second spring 11 credits)

ENGL& 101	English Composition	5
RC 262	Review of Applications of Respiratory Care (hybrid)	4
RC 272	Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Home Care and Assistance in Specialty Procedures	3
RC 282	Neonatal Clinical Rotation	2
RC 283	Specialty Clinical Rotation II	2

Additional Course Option (1-5 credits)

RC 299

Individual Study in Respiratory Therapy Technology

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