Program Description
A Respiratory Therapist (RT) specializes in the heart and lungs and performs many therapeutic modalities and diagnostic procedures. As a respiratory care student at TCC, you will learn how to assist and care for patients with pulmonary and cardiac disorders. You will learn about the heart and lungs and how those organs affect the rest of the body. Throughout the program, you will learn how to perform patient assessments, provide respiratory therapy treatments, gain an understanding of mechanical ventilator management and how to provide life support.
Entry into the Respiratory Care profession requires an associate degree from an accredited program, as well as successful completion of a national credentialing examination.
Duites of a Respiratory Therapist
Respiratory Therapists work in a busy environment and work with patients and their families. They work as a part of a multidisciplinary team and must communicate effectively with team members, patients, and family members. The Respiratory Therapist (RT) must have the ability to analyze data, evaluate patients, and make critical thinking decisions. RTs provide emergency care to patients suffering from heart attacks, near drowning, motor vehicle accidents, and pneumonia or other illnesses. RTs also care for patients who have trouble breathing from chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma or emphysema. Their patients range from premature infants with underdeveloped lungs to elderly patients with cardiopulmonary disorders.
Some of the day-to-day activities include:
- Interview and examine patients with breathing or cardiopulmonary disorders
- Disease management for patients with cardiopulmonary disease
- Consult with physicians to develop patient treatment plans
- Perform complex diagnostic tests such as electrocardiograms, arterial blood gas analysis, sleep studies, and pulmonary function testing.
- Treat patients using a variety of methods, including mechanical ventilation, chest physiotherapy, and medications
- Monitor and record the progress of treatment
- Teach patients and family members how to care for respiratory disorders.
Program Goals
The Respiratory Care Program is designed “To prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs).”
The Respiratory Care Program is a 2-year, 5-term, full-time day program consisting of specialized courses offered in a specific sequence. Graduates of the program are awarded an Associate Degree in Applied Science and are eligible to apply for the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) Certification and Registry Examinations. The NBRC states “The first examination for earning the RRT is the Therapist Multiple-Choice (TMC) Examination (prior to January 2015, it was known as the Written Registry Examination). The TMC Examination evaluates the abilities required of respiratory therapists at entry into practice and determines eligibility for the Clinical Simulation Examination (CSE). The CRT and/or RRT credentials are used as the basis for the licensure in all 49 states that regulate the practice of respiratory care. There are two cut scores for the TMC Examination. If a candidate achieves the low-cut score, he or she will earn the CRT credential. If a candidate achieves the high cut score, he or she will earn the CRT credential AND become eligible for the Clinical Simulation Examination (provided the candidate is eligible to earn the RRT credential).”
Accreditation
The Respiratory Care Program at Tulsa Community College is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (COARC). The COARC program number for TCC is 200146. CoARC accredits respiratory therapy education programs in the United States. To achieve this, it utilizes an ‘outcomes based’ process. Programmatic outcomes are performance indicators that reflect the extent to which educational goals of the program are achieved and by which program effectiveness is documented.
Admission to the Program
The Respiratory Care program accepts students each year. The general education courses may be taken prior to being accepted into the program to lighten term course loads.
Program Application Instructions
- All prospective Respiratory Care students who have not been enrolled at TCC within the past year must complete an application for admission to the College and submit their high school transcripts, ACT scores, and previous college transcripts to the Metro Campus Student Completion Services office at 909 South Boston, Tulsa, OK 74119. Incomplete submissions will not be considered for admission into the Respiratory Care Program. Admission to Tulsa Community College does not guarantee admission to the Respiratory Care Program.
- Applications to the Respiratory Care Program must completed online at tulsacc.edu/applyRESP Applications will be accepted Sept. 1 - Apr. 15 for Fall admission. For more information, contact the School of Health Sciences office at (918) 595-7002.”
Program Admission Requirements
A selection committee reviews all applications. Qualified applicants will be granted an interview with the Respiratory Care Program faculty. Qualified applicants are then ranked from the highest to the lowest score according to an established point system. The top applicants are selected for the next fall semester. The selection criteria are based upon the following:
- Cumulative GPA (2.5 or greater)
- High School GPA (if less than 12 college credit hours)
- Accuplacer Test minimum recommended score for Math of 237
- Accuplacer Test minimum recommended score for Reading of 263
- Successful completion of BIOL 1314 - Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology with a grade of ‘C’ or better. Student may be enrolled during the Spring Semester when applying to the program.
- Student must be able to travel to local and distant clinical sites.
- An extensive criminal background check, including but not limited to a seven-year county of residence nationwide criminal history check, national sexual predator screening, Social Security check, and Medicare/Medicaid fraud screening is required by all clinical affiliates. All Health Sciences students participating in clinicals are required to complete these background checks, immunizations and a drug screening test by the School of Health Sciences office deadline prior to the first clinical rotation. Any positive findings may be subject to review by the clinical affiliates and could prevent the student from completing clinical requirements.
Contact Information
Shiela A. Ferris MHA, BSTT, RRT-NPS
918-595-8909
sheila.ferris@tulsacc.edu
or access the Respiratory Program web page (www.tulsacc.edu/respiratorycare).
Additional Information Available
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program you will be able to:
- Apply knowledge, understanding, and troubleshooting skills to respiratory therapeutics in all patient settings. (ILO: Critical Thinking)
- Evaluate a patient in all settings and recommend proper diagnostic tools. (ILO: Critical Thinking)
- Communicate effectively with all team members and patients, recognizing diverse needs and employing methods of compassionate care. (ILO: Communication Skills)
- Uphold standards of ethics, safety, infection control, and proper documentation across all settings. (ILO: Personal Responsibility)
- Use evidence-based practices to create patient care plans based on individualized and diverse needs (ILO: Social Responsibility)
- Manage and troubleshoot respiratory care equipment across all patient settings. (ILO: Critical Thinking)
Careers
Search careers in this field at Focus 2 Career or schedule an appointment with TCC Career Services to learn more about our free career planning and job preparation services.
Student Organizations
AARC (American Association of Respiratory Care) and NN2RC (National Network of Associate Degree Respiratory Care), TCC Respiratory Care Club
Degree Requirements
View a semester-by-semester course plan of study on the Respiratory Care AAS Program Map
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