AY24 Academic Catalog/Handbook

Respiratory Care Associate of Applied Science Degree

The Respiratory Care associate of applied science degree program is a sequence of courses that prepares students for careers in the field of respiratory care. Learning opportunities develop academic and professional knowledge and skills required for job acquisition, retention, and advancement.

The program emphasizes specialized training in areas such as pulmonary and cardiac pharmacology, medical gases, humidity/aerosol therapy, positive pressure ventilation, incentive spirometry, patient assessment, postural drainage, percussion/vibration, assessment of diseases and conditions, critical respiratory care, advanced critical care monitoring, pulmonary function testing, and pediatric and neonatal respiratory care.

Program graduates receive a Respiratory Care Associate of Applied Science Degree which qualifies them to take the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) examinations to become a Registered Respiratory Therapist. To work in the state of Georgia, all respiratory care practitioners must apply and be granted a license. The only way to obtain a license is to successfully pass NBRC board exams.

Students may enter the Respiratory Care degree program every semester. A full-time student can complete this program in 6 semesters. To graduate, students must earn a minimum of 81 semester credit hours.

For more information on Respiratory Care professions, please visit the following websites:

National Board for Respiratory Care

American Association for Respiratory Care

Georgia Society for Respiratory Care

Georgia Composite Medical Board

Completion of Oconee Fall Line Technical College’s CoARC-accredited Respiratory Care program meets educational requirements to apply for a Respiratory Care professional license in Georgia.

Offered at the Following Campuses/Delivery Mode:

  • South Campus (Dublin)

Overview

The Respiratory Care associate degree program is a sequence of courses that prepares students for careers in the field of respiratory care. Learning opportunities develop academic and professional knowledge and skills required for job acquisition, retention, and advancement.

The program emphasizes specialized training in areas such as pulmonary and cardiac pharmacology, medical gases, humidity/aerosol therapy, positive pressure ventilation, incentive spirometry, patient assessment, postural drainage, percussion/vibration, assessment of diseases and conditions, critical respiratory care, advanced critical care monitoring, pulmonary function testing, and pediatric and neonatal respiratory care.

Program graduates receive a Respiratory Care Associate Degree of Applied Science which qualifies them to take the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) examinations to become a Registered Respiratory Therapist. To work in the state of Georgia, all respiratory care practitioners must apply and be granted a license. The only way to obtain a license is to successfully pass NBRC board exams.

Students may enter the Respiratory Care degree program every semester. A full-time student can complete this program in 6 semesters. To graduate, students must earn a minimum of 81 semester credit hours.

For more information on Respiratory Care professions, please visit the following websites:

National Board for Respiratory Care

American Association for Respiratory Care

Georgia Society for Respiratory Care

Georgia Composite Medical Board

Completion of Oconee Fall Line Technical College’s CoARC-accredited Respiratory Care program meets educational requirements to apply for a Respiratory Care professional license in Georgia.

Offered at the Following Campuses/Delivery Mode:

  • South Campus (Dublin)

Employment Outlook

Career Traits/Requirements

Individuals wanting to enroll in the Respiratory Care degree program must have good work ethics, be people oriented and possess great organizational skills. Instruction and practical application of learned skills provide a broad occupational background which appeals to prospective employers.

Employment Opportunities

Graduates of the Respiratory Care degree program can find a variety of employment opportunities in hospitals, home health companies, physicians’ offices, pulmonary function laboratories, and medical equipment sales.

Program Costs

Tuition & Fees: $10,086.00

Books & Supplies: $4,500.00

Additional Fees

Malpractice Insurance: $11.00

Drug Screen: $50.00

Criminal Background Check: $51.50

BLS for Healthcare Provider: $7.00

Testing Fee (RESP 2090): $402.50

ACLS Certification: $10.00

Testing Fee (RESP 2100): $402.50

PALS: $10.00

Testing Fee (RESP 2190): $402.50

NRP Certification: $40.00

Clinical Onboarding Fees: Varies by clinical facility 

Science Lab Fees: $100.00

Testing Fee (RESP 2220): $402.50

(Costs are estimated and are subject to change.)

 

Certain facilities require clinical students to have an active health insurance policy during clinical rotations.  Therefore, all students are required to obtain health insurance coverage prior to submitting pre-clinical onboarding documents for clinical rotations.

Admission Requirements

OFTC may accept a student’s official entrance score on the following validated assessment instruments if the scores meet the required minimums:

  • COMPASS/ASSET,
  • SAT,
  • ACT,
  • PSAT,
  • PACT,
  • Accuplacer/Accuplacer Next Generation/Companion,
  • HOPE GPA after completion of 10th grade of 2.6 or higher, or High School GPA of 2.6 (for occupational programs), or 2.0 for Workforce Entry Level programs, or GED.

The College may accept transfer credit for other courses according to the College’s transfer policy.

Competitive Admission Requirements

Students must complete an application to compete for their name to be placed on the list of potential program students. If more students apply to compete than there are seats available, the competitive process is followed with the exception of PSB testing.

All steps of the competitive selection process must be completed for students to be considered for admission into program classes. 
Access links and forms for Competitive Admissions Programs
Access the Respiratory Handbook

Accreditation

The Associate of Applied Science Degree in Respiratory Care is accredited by:
Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC)
264 Precision Boulevard
Telford, TN  37690
Phone:  817-283-2835

CoARC Program Number:  200474

Program Outcomes Data may be found at coarc.com/students/programmatic-outcomes-data/

The goal of the Respiratory Care program is 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).

Curriculum

GENERAL EDUCATION CORE (Required minimum: 15 Semester Hours)

Area I - Language Arts/Communication

Course NameCourse TitleCreditsContact
ENGL 1101Composition and Rhetoric

3

45

Area II - Social/Behavioral Sciences

Course NameCourse TitleCreditsContact
PSYC 1101Introductory Psychology

3

45

Area III - Natural Sciences/Mathematics

Course NameCourse TitleCreditsContact
MATH 1111College Algebra

3

45

CHEM 1151Survey of Inorganic Chemistry

3

45

CHEM 1151LSurvey of Inorganic Chemistry Lab

1

45

Area IV - Humanities/Fine Arts

Choose one of the following:
Course NameCourse TitleCreditsContact
ENGL 2110World Literature

3

45

ENGL 2130American Literature

3

45

Non-General Education Degree Courses

Course NameCourse TitleCreditsContact
BIOL 2113Anatomy and Physiology I

3

45

BIOL 2113LAnatomy and Physiology Lab I

1

45

BIOL 2114Anatomy and Physiology II

3

45

BIOL 2114LAnatomy and Physiology Lab II

1

45

BIOL 2117Introductory Microbiology

3

45

BIOL 2117LIntroductory Microbiology Lab

1

45

Occupational Courses

Course NameCourse TitleCreditsContact
COLL 1060Introduction to College and Computers

3

50

RESP 1110Pharmacology

3

60

RESP 1120Introduction to Respiratory Therapy

3

60

RESP 1130Respiratory Therapy Lab I

4

120

RESP 1193Cardiopulmonary Anatomy and Physiology

4

90

RESP 2090Clinical Practice

2

90

RESP 2100Clinical Practice II

2

90

RESP 2110Pulmonary Disease

3

60

RESP 2120Critical Respiratory Care

2

45

RESP 2130Mechanical Ventilation and Airway Management

4

120

RESP 2140Advanced Critical Care Monitoring

1

30

RESP 2150Pulmonary Function Testing

1

30

RESP 2160Neonatal Pediatric Respiratory Care

3

60

RESP 2170Advanced Respiratory Care Seminar

3

75

RESP 2180Clinical Practice III

2

90

RESP 2190Clincal Practice IV

2

90

RESP 2200Clinical Practice V

3

135

RESP 2220Clinical Practice VI

7

315

RESP 2270Rehabilitation and Home Care

1

30

Program Pathway

The sequencing below is for seven semesters.  While a full-time student CAN complete the program in six semesters, most core students do not take a full load due to the rigor of the courses.

Semester 1

Course NameCourse TitleCreditsContact
BIOL 2113Anatomy and Physiology I

3

45

BIOL 2113LAnatomy and Physiology Lab I

1

45

COLL 1060Introduction to College and Computers

3

50

ENGL 1101Composition and Rhetoric

3

45

Semester 2

Course NameCourse TitleCreditsContact
BIOL 2114Anatomy and Physiology II

3

45

BIOL 2114LAnatomy and Physiology Lab II

1

45

CHEM 1151Survey of Inorganic Chemistry

3

45

CHEM 1151LSurvey of Inorganic Chemistry Lab

1

45

PSYC 1101Introductory Psychology

3

45

Semester 3

Course NameCourse TitleCreditsContact
BIOL 2117Introductory Microbiology

3

45

BIOL 2117LIntroductory Microbiology Lab

1

45

MATH 1111College Algebra

3

45

Choose one of the following:
Course NameCourse TitleCreditsContact
ENGL 2110World Literature

3

45

ENGL 2130American Literature

3

45

Semester 4

Course NameCourse TitleCreditsContact
RESP 1110Pharmacology

3

60

RESP 1193Cardiopulmonary Anatomy and Physiology

4

90

RESP 2090Clinical Practice

2

90

RESP 2110Pulmonary Disease

3

60

Semester 5

Course NameCourse TitleCreditsContact
RESP 1120Introduction to Respiratory Therapy

3

60

RESP 1130Respiratory Therapy Lab I

4

120

RESP 2100Clinical Practice II

2

90

RESP 2160Neonatal Pediatric Respiratory Care

3

60

RESP 2180Clinical Practice III

2

90

Semester 6

Course NameCourse TitleCreditsContact
RESP 2120Critical Respiratory Care

2

45

RESP 2130Mechanical Ventilation and Airway Management

4

120

RESP 2140Advanced Critical Care Monitoring

1

30

RESP 2190Clincal Practice IV

2

90

RESP 2200Clinical Practice V

3

135

Semester 7

Course NameCourse TitleCreditsContact
RESP 2150Pulmonary Function Testing

1

30

RESP 2170Advanced Respiratory Care Seminar

3

75

RESP 2220Clinical Practice VI

7

315

RESP 2270Rehabilitation and Home Care

1

30