Respiratory Therapy: AAS (CTE)

Associate of Applied Science | 70 credits

Program Website
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Program Description
The Respiratory Therapy program is a selective admission program that takes four semesters to complete once accepted. Successful completion entitles the student to an Associate of Applied Science degree in Respiratory Therapy and eligibility to sit for the Registered Respiratory Therapist board exams.

Career Opportunities
Respiratory therapists, also known as respiratory care practitioners, provide treatment, evaluation, monitoring and management of patients with breathing disorders or cardiovascular problems. Respiratory therapists administer oxygen, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, manage mechanical ventilators, administer medications, monitor cardiopulmonary systems and measure lung function. Respiratory therapists treat all types of patients: premature infants whose lungs are not fully developed, elderly patients with chronic asthma or emphysema, as well as emergency care for heart attack, stroke, drowning or shock. Respiratory therapists work closely with physicians, nurses and other health care professionals to provide direct care to children and adults, including delivery of oxygen, administration of aerosolized drugs, endotracheal intubation, suctioning, management of life support, weaning of ventilation or life support, insertion of arterial lines, management of tracheostomies, and drawing and interpretation of arterial blood gas samples.

Work settings include acute care hospitals, rehabilitation centers, long-term acute care facilities, and home health agencies.

Transfer/Articulation Information
Please refer to the Student Resources section of the SLCC University Transfer webpage.

Estimated Cost for Students
Current tuition and student fees: http://www.slcc.edu/student/financial/tuition-fees.aspx
Books: $820.00
Supplies: $50.00
Course Fees: $250.00
Other (specify): LJ Licensure Study Packet: 325.00

NOTE: Fees may vary based upon specific registration and are subject to change.

Program Entry Requirements

GENERAL ADMISSIONS PROCESS

Be admitted to SLCC as a matriculated student. See http://www.slcc.edu/apply/index.aspx
High School Graduate or equivalent.
For transfer credit, submit OFFICIAL, SEALED transcripts for ALL colleges and universities where prerequisite course work has been completed.
Send to:
SLCC Office of the Registrar and Academic Records
4600 South Redwood Road
P.O. Box 30808
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0808.
Also, a request to have an OFFICIAL evaluation of student’s transcript(s) must be submitted to the SLCC Transfer Evaluation Office. The form is located at: http://www.slcc.edu/transcriptevaluation/. This process may take 4-6 weeks and must be completed before a student’s application will be considered.
Complete the SLCC placement process, or submit current SAT/ACT test scores, if MATH and ENGL course work have not been transferred to SLCC (required before you are able to register for classes that have MATH and ENGL courses as prerequisites). See: www.slcc.edu/testing.

RESPIRATORY THERAPY PROGRAM SELECTIVE ADMISSIONS APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

This program is selective admission and has additional requirements to be accepted into the degree program. Specific requirements and process can be found here: http://www.slcc.edu/respiratory-therapy/admissions.aspx. Please contact the Health Sciences Admissions Office, healthsciencesadmissions@slcc.edu or 801-957-6253, for additional information.

ACCREDITATION

The Salt Lake Community College Respiratory Therapy program holds provisional accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC; #200630).

Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care
1248 Harwood Road
Bedford, TX 76021
Phone: 817-283-2835
Fax: 817-354-8519

To prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills) and affective (behavior) learning domains of respiratory care practices as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs). Upon completion of the Respiratory Therapy program, you should have the skills and knowledge needed for board exams; TMC (Therapist Multiple Choice) exam (entry level), WRRT and/or CSE exam(s) (Registered Respiratory Therapist). Exams are administered by the National Board of Respiratory Care (NBRC). Listed exams are required for employment, along with licensure to practice respiratory therapy (Source: www.coarc.com)

Programmatic Outcomes Data

The intent of the reporting is that comparable information be readily available to the public. CoARC has completed the verification of the Outcomes data from the Annual Report of Current Status (RCS). This data is self-reported by respiratory care programs to CoARC and reflects the aggregate data for the three-year time period being reported.

https://coarc.com/students/programmatic-outcomes-data/

General Education Requirements

Complete all General Education courses. Refer to Notes for program specific requirements and recommendations.

Associate of Applied Science Degree (AAS) General Education Requirements

Program General Education Notes (18 credits min)

REQUIRED:

Quantitative Studies (QS): MATH 1050 recommended. Will accept MATH 1010, or any QL

Communication (CM): COMM 1010 or COMM 1020 or COMM 2110

Human Relations (HR): HS 2050 is highly recommended, but any HR designated course will be accepted.

Life Sciences (LS): BIOL 1610/1615, although not required for the program, is a required pre-requisite for BIOL 2320/2325 Human Anatomy w/ Lab and BIOL 2420/2425 Human Physiology w/ Lab. Students taking BIOL 2320/2325 or BIOL 2420/2425 will be required to complete BIOL 1610/1615. Students may transfer with BIOL 2320/2325 equivalent at C or better even without BIOL 1610/1615.

Physical Science (PS): CHEM 1110 is a required pre-requisite for BIOL 2420/2425 Human Physiology w/Lab. Students transferring in with Human Physiology completed, CHEM 1010 is accepted.

Social Science (SS): PSY1010 or PSY1100 or FHS1500

Program Requirements

Required Courses (51 Credits)

Time to Completion & Graduation Map

Respiratory Therapy AAS: Full-time
Students will follow the program semester schedule. Once admitted, the program is completed in four semesters (Fall, Spring, Summer, Fall). As this is a year long program students can finish in 16 months after pre-requisites.
GE classes recommended to be taken in the program may be taken before the program.

Program Learning Outcomes

Program learning outcome alignment with Student Learning Outcomes in brackets.

Demonstrate basic cardiopulmonary knowledge in respiratory care. [1,2,3,4,6,7]
Demonstrate advanced knowledge and clinical skills in the practice of respiratory care. [2,4,6,7]
Demonstrate critical thinking skills in respiratory care. [1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9]
Pass the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) Therapist Multiple-Choice Self-Assessment Examination (TMC-SAE) and NBRC Clinical Simulation Self-Assessment Examination (CSE-SAE) exams to achieve graduation. [1,3,4,8]
Qualify to take the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) Therapist Multiple-Choice (TMC) exam. [1,6,7]