Respiratory therapists play an important role in helping patients with breathing difficulties and cardiopulmonary disorders get the best care possible.
Our Respiratory Care degree helps you gain the technical proficiencies and academic training required to become a respiratory therapist. Within this field, you are tasked with important responsibilities, such as providing and managing therapeutic and life support services, administration of gasses and aerosol therapy, and cardiopulmonary assessment and monitoring.
Our Respiratory Care program is a two-year curriculum that includes one semester (15 credit hours) of prerequisite courses and four semesters (51 credit hours) of didactic, laboratory, and clinical classes that prepare the student for a career as a Respiratory Therapist. The program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).
Enrollment in this program is limited. All prerequisite courses should be completed before application for enrollment into the respiratory care program. See the Selective Admissions requirements in the Admissions section of this Catalog or at www.tjc.edu/respiratorycare.
As a graduate of the program, you will receive an associate of applied science degree and be eligible to apply for the Therapist-Multiple Choice (TMC) examination administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). The graduate who achieves the low cut score will attain the CRT credential. The graduate who passes the TMC at the high cut score will then be eligible to sit for the NBRC Clinical Simulation Exam. When successful, the credential of Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) will be attained.
After obtaining your RRT credential, you will also be eligible to apply for additional specialty examinations which include: neonatal/pediatric specialist (NPS), certified pulmonary function technologist (CPFT), registered pulmonary function technologist (RPFT), sleep disorders specialty (SDS) credentials, and Adult Critical Care Specialty Examination (ACCS).
In addition, all graduates are trained American Heart Association Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) providers, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) providers.
Marketable skills for this award include: critical thinking, interpersonal skills, self-starter, team work, technical skills and time management.
Associate of Applied Science
TSI Complete
