Purpose: The degree program in Respiratory Therapy is designed to prepare students for roles as contributing members of the modern health care team concerned with treatment, management, and care of patients with breathing,
cardiovascular, and sleep abnormalities. Occupational Objectives: Occupational objectives include employment opportunities as respiratory therapy practitioners in hospitals, clinics, research facilities, home care agencies, and alternate care sites. The respiratory therapy practitioner will be able to administer gas therapy, humidity therapy, aerosol therapy, and hyperinflation therapy; assist with mechanical ventilation, special therapeutic and diagnostic procedures, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and airway management techniques;
and follow therapeutic protocols. The respiratory therapy practitioner works under the supervision of a physician. Admission Requirements: General college curricular admission Program Notes:
The Respiratory Therapy program offers courses in both traditional and
distance learning formats. All distance learning courses within the
curriculum are classified as distance learning with in-person or proctor
required. This means that most of the instruction for the course is
delivered online and that students will be required to make a limited
number of trips to a campus site for labs, presentations, and other class
activities or to a community site for clinicals or internships. Also,
some courses may require proctored testing that can be done at JSRCC's
testing centers, testing sites at other VCCS colleges, or an approved
site outside the state of Virginia.
In order to complete the
Respiratory Therapy program, students will be required to attend both
day and evening classes.
All applicants to the Respiratory Therapy AAS
degree program must declare their curriculum plan as Pre-Respiratory
Therapy, which is located under Pre-Nursing and Allied Health Career Studies Certificate
(CSC)
program. (Please see
http://www.reynolds.edu/curriculum/programs/Pre-Nursing_AlliedHealthCSC.htm for information on
this career studies certificate.)
In order to be
officially accepted into the Respiratory Therapy AAS degree program, applicants
will need to fulfill all prerequisites included in the Pre-Respiratory
Therapy CSC. The CSC must be completed by the end of the spring
semester in the year in which the student is applying for acceptance
into the associate degree program. Applicants must also meet with the
program head or director of clinical education to review their records
prior to completing the CSC. The program head will notify students by
the middle of May regarding acceptance.
The Pre-Respiratory Therapy
Career Studies Certificate includes the following courses: ENG 111,
Social/Behavioral Science Elective, Humanities/Fine Arts Elective, BIO
141, BIO 142, SDV 100, RTH 102, and RTH 121.
Students admitted into the Respiratory Therapy program must complete the requirements
listed below before entry into major/clinical courses (RTH 110
or higher).
1. |
Take the
Mathematics Virginia Placement Test (VPT) and complete through MTE 6 if
developmental mathematics is required based on placement test
results. Students with transferable college algebra with a
grade of “C” or better will be exempt from the mathematics placement
test. |
2. | Attain
a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 in all
Pre-Respiratory Therapy CSC courses. Competitive admissions
will be used for acceptance into the program. |
3. |
Achieve a grade of "C" or better in BIO 141 and BIO 142.
BIO 141 prerequisite: High school biology and
chemistry completed within five years of registering for the
course or BIO 101 (or equivalent) or advisor approval. |
Computer Competency Requirement:
All applicants must complete the college’s computer competency exam,
administered in the testing centers at each campus, prior to acceptance
in the Respiratory Therapy program. Students not passing the computer
competency exam will be given one additional opportunity to successfully
pass the exam. Those students who do not pass the exam will be required
to complete
ITE 115 (Introduction to Computer Applications and Concepts) or
CSC 155 (Computer Concepts and Applications) or equivalent courses
prior to entering clinical.
Acceptance into Clinical Courses:
Students who have been accepted into the program will be placed in
clinical courses (RTH 190 and higher) when they have also done the
following:
1. |
Submitted completed physical examination form provided by the program,
which includes a completed immunization schedule. | 2. |
Submitted documentations of a completed and current CPR
Healthcare Providers Certification (American Heart
or American Red Cross), with bi-annual recertification. | |
3. |
Completed a certified background check. (The
inability of a student to be placed in a clinical site due to a
negative background check will result in removal from the
program.) | |
4. |
Secured transportation to and from facilities used for clinical
experiences. |
Note: The
above requirements are at the student's expense.
Mentorship Opportunities: There is a mentorship in
association with clinical courses for qualifying students on a space-available basis.
Functional Skills
Requirements: Students entering the Respiratory Therapy program must
possess the following functional skills:
-
Sufficient eyesight,
including color vision, to observe patients, perform and visualize
patient assessments, manipulate equipment, and visually read patient
records, graphs, and test results.
-
Sufficient hearing to
communicate with patients and members of the health care delivery
team, monitor patients using electronic equipment, and hear
necessary sounds during operation of equipment.
-
Satisfactory speaking,
reading, and writing skills to effectively communicate in English in
a timely manner.
-
Sufficient gross and fine
motor coordination to exhibit excellent eye-hand coordination and
dexterity to manipulate equipment, lift, stoop, and bend in the
delivery of safe patient care.
-
Satisfactory physical
strength and endurance to be on one's feet for extended periods and
move heavy equipment, patients, and supplies. Sitting, walking,
bending, and reaching motions are also requirements for respiratory
therapists.
-
Satisfactory intellectual, emotional, and psychological health and functioning to ensure
patient safety and to exercise independent judgment and discretion
in performing assigned tasks.
-
Time management of
multiple priorities, multiple stimuli, and fast-paced environments.
-
Analysis and critical-thinking skills.
Progression through the
Program: The college offers this program in affiliation with the
healthcare agencies and practitioners in the communities the college
serves. The college relies on its community affiliates to provide
clinical education opportunities for its students, expert clinical
preceptors, and course instructors for many courses. The often rapid
changes in healthcare law, standards of practice, technology, and
content of credentialing examinations increasingly necessitate sudden
changes in the program’s course content, policies, procedures, and course
scheduling. As a result, the college cannot guarantee every student
continuous and uninterrupted clinical and course instruction as outlined
in the printed catalog curriculum for this program. Circumstances beyond
the control of the college may necessitate the postponement of course
offerings or changes in the sequencing and/or location of scheduled
courses or clinical assignments. Additionally, the college may have to
change the instructor for courses after instruction has started.
Continuation in the Program:
A student must obtain permission
from the program head to continue in the Respiratory Therapy program
under the following conditions:1) a grade below "C" is earned in any
major course; 2) overall GPA falls below a 2.0 average in any one
semester.
Re-entry into the Program: Should a student leave the program
for any reason and subsequently wish to be readmitted, a new application
must be submitted. Re-entry into the program will be determined by
available space in the program and with the student demonstrating a
cumulative GPA of at least a 2.5. If a student is readmitted into the program, an
objective evaluation(s) will be used to determine placement within the
curriculum.
Clinical Contracts:
Individual contracts are in effect with each affiliate clinical agency,
and these contracts differ in requirements for students. The general
stipulations are as follows:
-
Clinical agencies reserve
the right to dismiss a student from their agency at any time with
due cause. This will be done with advanced notice except in an
emergency.
-
Proper uniform must be
worn.
-
Published hospital
policies must be followed.
-
Immunizations must be
current.
-
The student releases the
facility, its agency, and employees from any liability for any
injury or death to self or damage to personal property arising out of
the clinical agreement or use of the facility.
-
The student is
financially responsible for any medical care required while in the
clinical setting.
-
The student must have a
current American Heart Association or American Red Cross CPR
certification at the BLS level for Health Care provider.
-
A criminal background
check is required of all entering students.
Financial Requirements: Books and Supplies | $1000 | |
Miscellaneous
Fees ( Exit exam, and Seminar) |
$500 for program | Identification Badge | $15 | Uniform (approximately) | $60 | |
Background Check |
$50 | Physical Examination | Varies | |
Note: The above costs are approximate and subject to change. |
Program Exit Exam: Every
student is required to pass a comprehensive exit exam before being added
to the National Board for Respiratory Care’s electronic eligibility database. The cost of the exam is to be paid by the student.
Program Accreditation and Practitioner Certification: The Respiratory Therapy program is accredited through the
Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care, 1248 Harwood Road, Bedford, TX 76021-4244, (817) 283-2835. Graduates of this program
must first pass the Certified Respiratory Therapist
(CRT) exam before being eligible for the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT)
exam administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care Inc.
Successful completion of the CRT credentialing exam is required before
state licensure can be obtained.
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