Program Start Date: Fall term
Minimum Program Length: 100 academic weeks; 7 terms, day; 77 credits
Program ID: AAS.RES
Curriculum Code: 35215
Program Description
The respiratory therapist is one of the most critical members of any health care team. Respiratory therapists work closely with doctors to diagnose, treat, manage and educate patients with asthma, emphysema and a wide range of other respiratory problems. Respiratory care students learn to assess a patient’s need for respiratory care, administer the therapy, evaluate the patient’s response and modify the care to provide the maximum benefit to the patient.
Practical Experience
Students develop skills through lab simulations and clinical rotations at affiliated hospitals and other designated health care agencies.
Professional Opportunities
Registered respiratory therapists work in hospitals providing therapy, intensive care units managing ventilators, in emergency rooms delivering life-saving treatments, in newborn and pediatric units helping children with conditions ranging from premature birth to cystic fibrosis, in patients’ homes providing regular check-ups, in sleep laboratories helping diagnose disorders such as sleep apnea, in skilled nursing facilities and pulmonary rehabilitation programs helping older people get more out of life and in physicians’ offices conducting pulmonary function tests and providing patient education.
Unique Aspects
A criminal background investigation (CBI) and drug testing are required at student expense for each Health and Human Services student who has been accepted into a Spartanburg Community College curriculum program of study. For more information, please visit the Criminal Background Investigations and Drug Testing Policy section of the SCC webpage.
Graduates are eligible to apply and take the Therapist Multiple Choice examination. Graduates who earn the upper cut score are then eligible to take the Computer Simulation Exam to obtain Registry Credentials.
Important Information for Incoming Students
Students interested in the Respiratory Care program must submit a complete application packet in the spring of each year to be considered for acceptance to respiratory specific courses which start in the fall. Admission to the Respiratory Care program is competitive and should the number of applicants exceed the number allowed in the fall, admissions will be based on a “Selective Admission Ranking” which is included in the application packet. It is likely that some students will be placed on a wait list, while others will be advised to consider another curriculum or reapply for a future semester.
RES courses are offered in the day only on the main campus of SCC. Clinicals may be scheduled in Cherokee, Rutherford, Spartanburg and Union Counties. Clinicals start at 6:45 a.m. Students should not work more than 20 hours/week when clinicals start and should have a backup system in place for daycare and transportation before the semester begins.
EEDA Career Cluster:
Health Sciences
Program Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to:
- Successfully complete all self-assessment board preparation exams as they progress through the program.
- Demonstrate the ability to speak publicly, listen actively, and respond effectively.
- Demonstrate competence in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective. (behavior) learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs).
- Demonstrate knowledge and skills needed to successfully pass the TMC exam with the high cut score as determined by the NBRC.
- Apply medical ethics and law specific to the practice of respiratory care.
Prerequisites:
- One unit high school biology or chemistry or equivalent
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