Record details
-
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 or 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), and 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, and also complete the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) in accordance with the standards of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
- Catalog Year
- 2023-2024
- Degree Type
- AAS
- Available Online
- No
- Available Hybrid
- No
- TSI
- Complete
- Degree Plan
-
Major Courses 35 Credits RSPT 1227 Applied Physics for Respiratory Care RSPT 1340 Advanced Cardiopulmonary Anatomy and Physiology RSPT 1310 Respiratory Care Procedures I RSPT 2258 Respiratory Care Patient Assessment RSPT 1166 Practicum (or Field Experience) – Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist RSPT 1311 Respiratory Care Procedures II RSPT 2217 Respiratory Care Pharmacology RSPT 2414 Mechanical Ventilation RSPT 1267 Practicum (or Field Experience) – Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist RSPT 2425 Cardiopulmonary Diagnostics RSPT 2266 Practicum (or Field Experience) – Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist RSPT 2353 Neonatal/Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Care RSPT 2210 Cardiopulmonary Disease RSPT 2267 Practicum (or Field Experience) – Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist Every Associate of Applied Science degree plan must contain at least 15 semester hours of general education courses. At least one course must be taken from each of the following areas:
- humanities/fine arts (language, philosophy & culture/creative arts)
- social/behavioral science (social and behavioral sciences/American history/government/ political science)
- natural science/mathematics (life and physical sciences/mathematics).
Major Courses: 35
General Education Requirements: 31
Total Semester Hours: 66Recommended Course Sequence:
Prerequisite Credit Hours MATH x3xx Mathematics Core
3 ENGL 1301 Composition I
3 BIOL 2401 Anatomy & Physiology I*
4 CHEM 1406 Introductory Chemistry I – Allied Health Emphasis*
4 First Semester Credit Hours BIOL 2402 Anatomy & Physiology II
4 RSPT 1227 Applied Physics for Respiratory Care
2 RSPT 1340 Advanced Cardiopulmonary Anatomy & Physiology
3 RSPT 1310 Respiratory Care Procedures I
3 RSPT 2258 Respiratory Care Patient Assessment
2 RSPT 1166 Practicum (or Field Experience) - Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist 1 Second Semester Credit Hours BIOL 2420 Microbiology for Non-Science Majors
4 RSPT 1311 Respiratory Care Procedures II
3 RSPT 2217 Respiratory Care Pharmacology
2
RSPT 2414 Mechanical Ventilation
4 RSPT 1267 Practicum II (or Field Experience) Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist
2 Summer I Credit Hours RSPT 2425 Cardiopulmonary Diagnostics
4 RSPT 2266 Practicum III (or Field Experience) Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist
2 Third Semester Credit Hours xxxx x3xx Creative Arts Core OR
HUMA 1301 Introduction to the Humanities I3 SPCH 1315 Public Speaking OR
SPCH 1321 Interpersonal Communication3 SOCI 1301 Introduction to Sociology OR
PSYC 2301 General Psychology3 RSPT 2353 Neonatal/Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Care
3 RSPT 2210 Cardiopulmonary Disease
2 RSPT 2267 Practicum IV (or Field Experience) Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist
2 Total Semester Hours 66 Courses in bold type represent general education courses that may be taken before acceptance into the Respiratory Care program.
*NOTE: BIOL 2401 and CHEM 1406 must be completed with a “C” or better before application to the Respiratory Care program. See department chair for possible exceptions.
Selective Admissions and retention rules apply. Contact the department chair for details. Department-specific courses must be taken in sequence and may have a prerequisite course. All required courses of the Respiratory Care curriculum must be completed with a grade of “C” or better and a grade point average of at least 2.5 must be maintained while in the program. Contact the department chair for details.