Respiratory Care Technology, A.A.S.

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RESPIRATORY CARE

The Respiratory Care Technology Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC). This program prepares students to care for patients who have trouble breathing, such as chronic respiratory disease, like asthma and emphysema. Their patients could be premature infants with underdeveloped lungs to the elderly with lung diseases. In addition, they may provide emergency care to patients suffering from heart attacks, drowning or shock.

Student must apply and be selected prior to be admitted to the program. Evaluation for admission to the program includes, but not limited to, successfully completing program prerequisites, cumulative GPA, previous healthcare experience, and TEAS V examination. Students accepted to the program are required to provide evidence of meeting immunization requirements, drug and background screenings and evidence of personal health insurance as described on the Health Sciences Webpage. The program is a sequenced learning experience offering classroom, laboratory, and clinical experiences relevant to the practice of state-of-the-art respiratory care.

The Respiratory Care Technology Program leads to an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree and the program is completed within 24 months of acceptance into the program.

The program requires the following:

• Assignment to a cohort of approximately 30 students every Fall semester with full time attendance throughout the program to include summer enrollment.
• Respiratory Care content includes respiratory care of the adult, pediatric, and newborn patient, health promotion, education, and disease management; fundamental principles of healthcare reimbursement; fundamental principles of evaluating current scientific literature; medical ethics; provision of health care services to patients with transmissible diseases; provision of services for and management of patients with special needs; community respiratory health; medical emergencies; and legal and ethical aspects of respiratory care practice.
• Content and clinical practice experiences are designed to sequentially develop, apply, critically analyze, integrate, synthesize and evaluate concepts and theories in the performance of respiratory care procedures.  Through structured, sequential, competency-based clinical assignments, concepts of team practice, patient-centered clinical practice and professional development are discussed, examined and evaluated.
• All students must be able to meet the clinical and classroom schedules.
• Special Tuition Fee of $700 every fall and spring semester and $350 every summer semester of the program.

Upon completion of this program, the graduate is eligible to sit for their board examinations provided by The National Board for Respiratory Care. At least a Certified Registered Therapist credential is required before a Respiratory Care Technology graduate can seek a state license through the Texas Medical Board to be eligible to practice in the State of Texas. Certifications and licensures are separate mechanisms and are the responsibility of the individual student.

For more details about the program, visit our webpage at: http://alamo.edu/spc/respiratory/

Program Accreditation

The Respiratory Care Technology Program, 200423, AAS Degree Respiratory Care Technology, St. Philip’s College, San Antonio, Texas is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) (www.coarc.com). 

Commission on Accreditation
For Respiratory Care
1248 Harwood Road
Bedford, TX 76021-4244
(817) 283-2835

Students planning to transfer to a university-based Respiratory Care Program for a B.S. in Respiratory Care need to complete, Biology 2401 and Biology 2402 in lieu of the published A.A.S. prerequisite courses.