The respiratory therapy practitioner is an allied health specialist who treats, manages, controls, and cares for patients with deficiencies and abnormalities related to breathing and associated organs. Because their training enables them to perform specific testing techniques used in monitoring, evaluating, and treating their patients, respiratory therapy practitioners are frequently required to exercise considerable independent clinical judgment in the respiratory therapy of patients under the direct or indirect supervision of a physician.

In addition to managing patients, the respiratory care practitioner supervises technicians and junior respiratory care practitioners. Furthermore, the respiratory care practitioner is capable of serving as a technical resource to physicians and to the hospital staff for information on safe and effective methods for administering respiratory care.

The Respiratory Therapy program includes classroom instruction, clinical laboratory, and in-hospital clinical practice. The clinical laboratory provides training and evaluation for skills learned and demonstrated during lecture sessions. The program’s clinical phase, conducted at local hospitals, applies a competency-based educational approach to allow mastery of each skill.

The Respiratory Therapy program has academic classes conducted during the day and clinical rotations scheduled during the day and in the evening. The graduate of the five-semester program is awarded an Associate in Applied Science degree, which satisfies the educational requirements of the National Board for Respiratory Therapy and allows the graduate to sit for the National Registry Examinations leading to the credential of Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT).

The Respiratory Therapy program is accredited by the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care.