Respiratory Care

Degree conferred: Associate in Applied Science – 71 credits

Limited transferability

Program contact: Division of Allied Health, (815) 921-3200 or Program Chair, (815) 921-3220

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Program Overview

Program Goals

Work and employment

Professional credential and program accreditation

Admission to the program

Admission policies

Admission procedure

Criminal background check and drug testing

Grade policy

Course Descriptions

Program overview

Respiratory therapists provide, under physician orders, all the general, critical care, and diagnostic services important for people with breathing difficulties. Such services include administering oxygen, humidity, and continuous aerosols, as well as aerosolized medications to improve lung function. Therapists also maintain life-support systems for patients who cannot breathe for themselves and may also perform cardiopulmonary procedures. Skills are mastered through classroom, laboratory, and clinical experiences.

Program goals

Respiratory Care Program Goals

The Respiratory Care Program prepares 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).

Work and employment

Graduates of the program generally work in hospitals, assuming staff respiratory therapist positions or specializing in critical care or diagnostic areas. Other opportunities exist in the home care setting or through advancement into management or educational positions.

Professional credential and program accreditation

Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the National Board for Respiratory Care’s exams leading to the Registered Respiratory Therapist credential. This meets or exceeds the requirement for practice in Illinois and any other state. The program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).
http://www.coarc.com/
http://www.aarc.org/
http://www.nbrc.org/

Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care 2011 Annual Report of Current Status Outcomes for Respiratory Care Programs

Admission to the program

Admission is selective and competitive. Prerequisite course work in chemistry, biology, and mathematics is required.

Admission policies

1.   Meet all college admission requirements.

2.  Be a high school graduate or have completed the GED. Completion of high school chemistry, algebra, and biology (or college equivalent) with at least a grade of “C” is required. At Rock Valley College, completion of Chemistry 099, Mathematics 092, and Biology 100 or 103 will fulfill this requirement. (Conditional acceptances may be granted to those who are able to complete this requirement during the spring semester before starting program courses.)

3. Chemistry requirement: One semester of college level chemistry (with a lab). At RVC it would be CHM-105 or 110 (recommended) or higher level.   BIO-185 and BIO-274 requires BIO-100 and Chemistry-105 or higher, with minimum grades of 'C', be taken within the last 5 years. Other colleges’ Biology course prerequisites may be different than RVC.

4. Math requirement: Minimum Math requirement for the Respiratory Care program is MTH-092, Beginning Algebra, at the college level. To meet chemistry’s prerequisite at RVC MTH-094 or higher level math with a minimum grade of 'C' is required. Other colleges’ Math course prerequisites may be different than RVC.

5. Grade Point Average: A minimum GPA of 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale) is required of all college course work completed for college credit.

Admission procedure

Submit a program application; up-to-date transcripts from high school, GED, and/or colleges other than RVC; Respiratory Care Program Application Questionnaire; and Essential Abilities Questionnaire. This must be done by January 20 prior to the fall term the student plans to enter the program.

Selection is based on college overall grade point average, grades in the prerequisite courses, grades in other math and science courses, general education courses within the program, and selected respiratory care courses taken as a part-time student.

Criminal Background Check and Drug Testing

Students will undergo a criminal background check and drug testing upon admission to the program. It is possible that a student’s criminal background and/or a positive drug test will prevent participation in hospital clinical practice and program completion.

Grade policy to graduate from the Respiratory Care program

At least a minimum grade of “C” is required in BIO 185, Foundations of Anatomy and Physiology before students can take Respiratory Care program courses.

Successful completion of the Respiratory Care program requires students to obtain at least a minimum grade of “C” in all Respiratory Care courses. Failure to do so will prevent a student from taking related later courses in the program or graduating.

Respiratory Care Course Requirements:			51 credits
*RSP	111	Applied Sciences	3
*RSP	112	Patient Assessment	3
RSP	113	Cardiopulmonary Anatomy and Physiology	3
*RSP	114	Clinical Medicine	3
*RSP	121	Respiratory Care Practices and Procedures I	5
*RSP	122	Respiratory Care Practices and Procedures II	5
*RSP	123	Respiratory Pharmacology	3
*RSP	131	Clinical Practice I	2
*RSP	132	Clinical Practice II	3
*RSP	221	Respiratory Care Practices and Procedures III	3
*RSP	222	Cardiopulmonary Testing and Rehabilitation	3
*RSP	223	Respiratory Care Practices and Procedures IV	4
*RSP	224	Neonatal and Pediatric Respiratory Care	2
*RSP	225	Respiratory Care Seminar	3
*RSP	231	Clinical Practice III	3
*RSP	232	Clinical Practice IV	3

General Education Course Requirements:			20 credits
HLT	110	Medical Terminology	2
*ENG	101	Composition I	3
*BIO	185	Foundations of Anatomy and Physiology	5
*BIO	274	Microbiology	4

Select one* for the speech requirement:*
SPH	201	Interpersonal Communication	3
	(recommended), or
*SPH	131	Fundamentals of Communication	3

Select one* for the elective requirement:*
HLT	105	Phlebotomy	3
FWS	237	Nutrition for Optimum Living	3
PHL	153	Medical Ethics	3
BIO	171	Biology of Human Disease	3
*MGT	270	Principles of Management	3
PSY	170	General Psychology	3
PHL	256	Contemporary Moral Issues	3

*Course has a prerequisite—refer to course descriptions below.

Cooperative community colleges are Blackhawk Technical College, Kishwaukee College, Highland Community College, McHenry County College and Sauk Valley Community College.

Course Descriptions

RSP-111
Applied Sciences
IAI: None
Applied Sciences provides a foundation in the basic sciences relevant to respiratory care. Areas covered include chemistry, physics, microbiology and mathematics. (Offered fall semester.)
Prerequisite: None
Credit: 3 semester hours
Lecture: 3 Lab: 0

RSP-112
Patient Assessment
IAI: None
Patient Assessment provides an understanding of how the patient assessment procedures of medical record review, patient interview, and physical examination are performed and how this information with radiological examination and laboratory assessment can be used to evaluate a patient's health status and response to treatment.(Offered fall semester)
Prerequisite: Admission to the Respiratory Care Program or consent of the program director.
Credit: 3 semester hours
Lecture: 3 Lab: 0

RSP-113
Cardiopulmonary Anatomy & Physiology
IAI: None
Cardiopulmonary Anatomy and Physiology provides an in-depth study of pulmonary and cardiovascular anatomy and physiology. Ventilation, circulation, blood gas transport, and acid-base balance are closely examined. Fetal pulmonary and cardiovascular developments are also studied.
Prerequisite: BIO 185 with a minimum grade of C or better. (Offered fall semester.)
Credit: 3 semester hours
Lecture: 3 Lab: 0

RSP-114
Clinical Medicine
IAI: None
Clinical Medicine is an overview of diseases of the cardiopulmonary and related systems requiring medical and/or surgical intervention. Each pathological process will be discussed with regard to etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. (Offered spring semester.)
Prerequisite: Admission to the program or consent of the program director.
Credit: 3 semester hours
Lecture: 3 Lab: 0

RSP-122
Resp Care Practices & Procedures II
IAI: None
Respiratory Care Practices and Procedures II provides a continuation and completion of classroom instruction and laboratory practice for general respiratory care procedures. Following this, there is instruction and discussion on the integrated processes of patient assessment and care planning for general respiratory care procedures. (Offered spring semester.
Prerequisite: RSP 112 and RSP 121.
Credit: 5 semester hours
Lecture: 4 Lab: 2

RSP-123
Respiratory Pharmacology
IAI: None
Respiratory Pharmacology is an introduction to the theory and use of medications, with emphasis on those used in cardiorespiratory care. Content will include weights, dosages, actions, indications, contraindications and hazards of drugs. Normal physiology and pathophysiology are reviewed to clarify the role of medications in the treatment of disease processes. (Offered spring semester.)
Prerequisite: None
Credit: 3 semester hours
Lecture: 3 Lab: 0

RSP-131
Clinical Practice I
IAI: None
Clinical Practice I is an introduction to the respiratory care profession and general health care-related concepts. Instruction is provided for clinical practices that can affect the safety of both patients and practitioners. The expectations for student performance in the clinical setting are discussed. Students will be involved in hospital orientation and introductory patient care activities toward the end of the course. (Offered fall semester.)
Prerequisite: Admission to the Respiratory Care Program.
Credit: 2 semester hours
Lecture: 2 Lab: 4

RSP-132
Clinical Practice II
IAI: None
Clinical Practice II provides, under supervision, observation, practice, and evaluation of patient assessment and general respiratory care procedures in the clinical setting. (Offered spring semester.)
Prerequisite: RSP 121 and RSP 131
Credit: 3 semester hours
Lecture: 0 Lab: 16

RSP-221
Resp Care Practices & Procedures III
IAI: None
Respiratory Care Practices and Procedures III provides classroom instruction and laboratory practice for continuous mechanical ventilation and an introduction to critical care procedures. (Offered summer semester.)
Prerequisite: RSP 122
Credit: 3 semester hours
Lecture: 2 Lab: 2

RSP-222
Cardiopulmonary Testing & Rehab
IAI: None
Cardiopulmonary Testing and Rehabilitation provides the student with an in-depth study of pulmonary function testing in the lecture and laboratory setting including types of tests, test results analysis, diagnostic value of the analysis, pulmonary functions testing equipment, and the standards for equipment and test performance. Additional areas of study include pulmonary and cardiac stress testing, pulmonary rehabilitation, performing an electrocardiogram, cardiac arrhythmia recognition, blood gas analyzer function, and the quality assurance standards for blood gas analyzers. Field trips into local hospitals may be included. (Offered summer semester.)
Prerequisite: Enrollment in the Respiratory Care Program or consent of the program director.
Credit: 3 semester hours
Lecture: 2 Lab: 2

RSP-223
Resp Care Practices & Procedures IV
IAI: None
Respiratory Care Practices and Procedures IV provides an in-depth study in the lecture and laboratory setting of mechanical ventilatory support and its use in respiratory care as well as the critical application of those principles involved in patient care. The use of the pulmonary artery catheter, end-tidal carbon dioxide measurement and other monitoring procedures will be studied as they are applied to advanced cardiopulmonary monitoring. Also, adult and infant intubation will be practiced on mannequins. (Offered fall semester.)
Prerequisite: RSP 221 and RSP 132.
Credit: 4 semester hours
Lecture: 3 Lab: 2

RSP-224
Neonatal/Pediatric Respiratory Care
IAI: None
Neonatal and Pediatric Respiratory Care provides the student with information related to fetal development, neonatal assessment before birth, during the delivery process, and after delivery; and cardiopulmonary care of the sick newborn including, but not limited to, airway management, oxygen therapy, and mechanical ventilation. Additional discussion will include assessment and cardiopulmonary care of the sick pediatric patient. Guest lecturers may be brought in to present topics related to the high risk nursery. (Offered fall semester.)
Prerequisite: Enrollment in the Respiratory Care Program or consent of the program director.
Credit: 2 semester hours
Lecture: 2 Lab: 0

RSP-225
Respiratory Care Seminar
IAI: None
Respiratory Care Seminar has a format that allows for a variety of pertinent, current respiratory care and health care topics to be presented as needed. Set topics will include preparation for the National Board for Respiratory Care's Entry Level Exam, Written Registry Exam, and Clinical Simulation Exam; critical thinking, clinical practice guidelines, and therapist driven protocols. Guest speakers may be brought in from the area health care providers to share their expertise. (Offered spring semester.)
Prerequisite: Enrollment in the Respiratory Care Program or consent of the program director.
Credit: 3 semester hours
Lecture: 3 Lab: 0

RSP-231
Clinical Practice III
IAI: None
Clinical Practice III provides supervised observation, practice, and evaluation of more advanced respiratory care skills. These skills include administration of respiratory care procedures and mechanical ventilation to critically ill patients and the use of advanced patient assessment procedures.
Prerequisite:
Credit: 3 semester hours
Lecture: 0 Lab: 16

RSP-232
Clinical Practice IV
IAI: None
Clinical Practice IV provides a continuation of supervised observation, practice, and evaluation of the skills learned in RSP 231. Increasing emphasis is placed on the assessment and management of critically ill patients. Additionally, there are scheduled experiences for intubation, home care, and other special experiences in respiratory care. (Offered spring semester.)
Prerequisite: RSP 223, RSP 224 and RSP 231.
Credit: 3 semester hours
Lecture: 0 Lab: 16

RSP-250
Special Topics in Respiratory Care
IAI: None
Special Topics in Respiratory Care is designed to satisfy specific needs or interests of Respiratory Care majors and/or the health care community. Exact course requirements and hours of credit are based on the nature of the topics under study. A maximum of four credit hours can be earned.
Prerequisite: Previous course work in Respiratory Care and/or consent of program director.
Credit: 1-4 semester hours
Lecture: 1-4 Lab: 0

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