RCT3 Respiratory Care, Associate of Applied Science Degree

Offered at the Griffin Campus

Program Entrance Term: Fall
Minimum Length of Program: 7 terms
Minimum Credit Hours for Graduation: 78

Program Description

The Respiratory Care program is a sequence of courses that prepares students for careers in the field of respiratory care. Learning opportunities develop academic and professional knowledge and skills required for job acquisition, retention, and advancement. The program emphasizes specialized training in areas such as pulmonary and cardiac pharmacology, medical gases, humidity/aerosol therapy, positive pressure ventilation, incentive spirometry, patient assessment, postural drainage, percussion/vibration, assessment of diseases and conditions, critical respiratory care, advanced critical care monitoring, pulmonary function testing, and pediatric and neonatal respiratory care. Program graduates receive a respiratory care associate degree which qualifies them to take the examinations to become a Registered Respiratory Therapist. Students may become Certified and Registry eligible by taking The Therapist Multiple Choice Examination administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care. Upon successful completion of the High Cut score Exam, the graduate is eligible to take the Clinical Simulation portion of the Registry (RRT) Exam. To work in the state of Georgia, all respiratory care practitioners must apply and be granted a license. The only way to obtain a license is to pass at least the Entry Level Certification Exam.

Accreditation

The Respiratory Care Technology program at Southern Crescent Technical College is accredited by the following:

Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care

  1. The CoARC’s main webpage www.coarc.com
  2. Programmatic outcomes data can be found at https://coarc.com/students/programmatic-outcomes-data/
  3. Program number 200482

“CoARC accredits respiratory therapy education programs in the United States. To achieve this end, it utilizes an ‘outcomes based’ process. Programmatic outcomes are performance indicators that reflect the extent to which the educational goals of the program are achieved and by which program effectiveness is documented.”

Admission Requirements

  • Submit completed application and application fee
  • Be at least 18 years of age
  • Submit official high school transcript or GED transcript with test scores and ALL post-secondary transcripts in an official sealed envelope
  • Meet overall PSB (Psychological Services Bureau)
  • EAS exam requirements (see below)

Students will be required to have a minimum grade of C in each core course and a GPA of 2.5 or higher. Students are allowed to complete one Humanities/Fine Arts elective with Respiratory Care program after program acceptance.

The student will be required to take the PSB (Psychological Services Bureau) Examination, which will be a part of the admission criteria. The student’s GPA and PSB combined score will help determine admission into the Respiratory Care program. Students will be placed on the program-ready list according to their program-ready date. All core courses and the PSB exam must be completed before the student is placed on the program-ready list. The student will then complete a program-ready card.

Applicants will be accepted into the Respiratory Care Technology program for fall term. Twenty students will be selected for each fall cohort; the cohort number is determined by clinical affiliate availability.

Candidate Selection

Selection of candidates for each respiratory care class will be based on a competitive admissions process. The following criteria will be used:

  1. Math and Science core class GPA
  2. Math and Science scores on PSB Exam
  3. Program Ready Card submission date
  4. Selection will utilize the following formula: Core class GPA X 100 + PSB Score

Note: (A) If a student changes his/her declared major from Respiratory Care to a different degree program, and then back to Respiratory Care, the latest program application date will be used to determine placement. (B) A student who has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor may be admitted to the Respiratory Care Technology program; however such conviction may prohibit a student from obtaining a Respiratory Care Practitioners’ License. License approval rests solely with the Georgia Board of Medical Examiners. (C) Drug screen and background checks must be purchased through the school’s selected vendor, and will be evaluated by clinical site only. The clinical site will have the right to refuse any student due to adverse background checks and drug screen results.

Respiratory Care Technology (Advanced Standing Program)

Students that have earned the CRT (entry-level respiratory certification) will have demonstrated mastery of the following major courses: RESP 1110, RESP 1120, RESP 1130, RESP 2090, RESP 2100, RESP 2110, RESP 2120, RESP 2130, RESP 2140, RESP 2150, RESP 2160, RESP 2180, RESP 2190, and RESP 2270. Due to their advanced standing, these students will be admitted into the Respiratory Care Technology program and will take (or transfer in) the 11 core courses, and take RESP 1193 while the regular standing students are taking their major courses. In their final semester, advanced-standing students will take RESP 2170 and RESP 2220 to graduate. Twenty-five (25) percent of coursework is needed to obtain the Associate of Applied Science degree.

Clinical Practice

RESP 2090 has two sections: A and B. RESP 2090 A and RESP 2090 B must be passed with a grade of a C or better to continue in the program.

Transfer Policy for Respiratory Care Program

In the event of a transfer from another Respiratory Care program, a letter of recommendation will be required. After review and approval of the core classes transferred and the letter of recommendation, the student may be accepted into the program. The student must test out of any transferred RESP classes by passing the final exam for each course transferred. If a passing score of 70 is not met, the student must then take the appropriate course and pass with a score of 70. Admissions will have the final decision over any courses transferred in. A transfer student’s overall GPA must be 2.5 or greater in order to transfer into the Respiratory Care Program.

Readmissions Policy

In the event a student fails to meet the minimum required grade of C in any specific RESP course, the student may no longer continue in the program. The student can re-apply to the program one time only and if there is a program-ready list, will be placed on the program-ready list. Re-admission will depend upon the student’s status on the list. Placement above program-ready students will not occur. Upon acceptance into the program for the second time, the student can select to repeat all the courses or take the final exams for each course previously taken and passed. The student will also be required to pass a skills performance and evaluation check in the school laboratory before reentrance into the clinical rotation courses.

NOTE: Grading standards for respiratory care courses are very stringent. For students to progress to the next course of study, a minimum grade of C must be achieved in every RESP course.

Approximate additional costs other than tuition, fees, and textbooks

Students in the Respiratory Care program at Southern Crescent Technical College are required to have the following items for their clinical experience.

Item Number Price
Uniform jacket w/patch 2 $44-50 ($22-25 ea.)
Blue scrub top 2 $26-32 ($13-16 ea.)
Blue scrub pants 2 $26-32 ($13-16 ea.)
White shoes 1 pair $80-100
Stethoscope 1 $25-30
Watch 1 $10-30
Bandage scissors 1 $5-10
Total: $216-257

Additional Costs

Basic life support class $20
Advanced life support class $100
Immunizations $137
AARC membership $50
GA RCP license $150
Liability insurance $20
Self-assessment exam $120
TMC exam $190
Clinical Simulation exam $190
ACEMAPP fee $50
Symplr $50
Drug Screen/Background Check $80

Graduation Requirements

All respiratory care students are required to pass two comprehensive examinations in order to graduate from the program. The two comprehensive exams are administered in RESP 2170, Advanced Respiratory Care Seminar, The Therapist Multiple Choice written exam, and RRT clinical simulation.

Program Length

Program length includes prerequisite core completion PLUS four terms of occupational (RESP) courses.

Prerequisites

Length of time to complete prerequisites varies depending on applicant’s core course progression, transfer credits, and/or testing results.

The following is a suggested path to complete this program in a timely manner. An individual’s path to completion may be different based on institutional and personal factors affecting his/her academic progress.

Note: While all courses are offered, they may vary by term and campus. See the program advisor for any questions.

Contact Us

Duane Reed, Ed.D, Program Coordinator

Email: Duane.reed@sctech.edu

Phone: 770.412.4581

 

Program Courses

First Term

ENGL 1101Composition and Rhetoric

3

BIOL 2113Anatomy and Physiology I

3

BIOL 2113LAnatomy and Physiology Lab I

1

Natural Sciences/Mathematics elective—Choose one:

MATH 1101Mathematical Modeling

3

OR

MATH 1111College Algebra

3

Total Credit Hours:3

MATH 1111: Course will be accepted when transferred in from another institution with a grade of a C or better but may not be offered at this institution.

Second Term

BIOL 2114Anatomy and Physiology II

3

BIOL 2114LAnatomy and Physiology Lab II

1

Choose ONE CHEM course and its corresponding lab:

CHEM 1151Survey of Inorganic Chemistry

3

AND

CHEM 1151LSurvey of Inorganic Chemistry Lab

1

OR

CHEM 1211Chemistry I

3

AND

CHEM 1211LChemistry Lab I

1

Total Credit Hours:4

Social/Behavioral Sciences elective—Choose one:

ECON 1101Principles of Economics

3

OR

PSYC 1101Introductory Psychology

3

OR

SOCI 1101Introduction to Sociology

3

OR

POLS 1101American Government

3

OR

HIST 2111U.S. History I

3

Total Credit Hours:3

Humanities/Fine Arts elective—Choose one:

HUMN 1101Introduction to Humanities

3

OR

MUSC 1101Music Appreciation

3

OR

ARTS 1101Art Appreciation

3

OR

ENGL 2130American Literature

3

OR

THEA 1101Theatre Appreciation

3

Total Credit Hours:3

Third Term

BIOL 2117Introductory Microbiology

3

BIOL 2117LIntroductory Microbiology Lab

1

Fourth Term

RESP 1110Pharmacology

3

RESP 1120Introduction to Respiratory Therapy

3

RESP 1130Respiratory Therapy Lab I

4

RESP 1193Cardiopulmonary Anatomy and Physiology

4

RESP 2090Clinical Practices I

2

Fifth Term

RESP 2100Clinical Practice II

2

RESP 2110Pulmonary Disease

3

RESP 2120Critical Respiratory Care

2

RESP 2130Mechanical Ventilation and Airway Management

4

RESP 2140Advanced Critical Care Monitoring

1

RESP 2180Clinical Practice III

2

Sixth Term

RESP 2150Pulmonary Function Testing

1

RESP 2160Neonatal Pediatric Respiratory Care

3

RESP 2190Clinical Practice IV

2

RESP 2270Rehabilitation and Home Care

1

Seventh Term

RESP 2170Advanced Respiratory Care Seminar

3

RESP 2200Clinical Practice V

3

RESP 2220Clinical Practice VI

7