Collin’s Respiratory Care Program prepares individuals for an allied health specialty in clinical care and management of respiratory disorders. The 22-month program graduates students with an AAS degree and qualifies the individual to apply for the Registered Respiratory Therapist board examination given by the National Board for Respiratory Care.

Respiratory care courses as well as mathematics or other science courses transferred from regionally accredited programs may not exceed five years of age. The minimum passing grade for all respiratory care lecture, lab and clinical course work is 75 percent.

Students planning to transfer to a college or university should check with the Collin academic advisor prior to beginning this program to verify course transferability.

Spaces in the Respiratory Care Program are limited. Please see the Respiratory Care Program Admission Packet for details on selective admission process.

ACCREDITATION
The Respiratory Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www. caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC). They may be contacted at:

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
     1361 Park Street
     Clearwater, FL 33756
     Phone: 727.210.2350
     Fax: 727.210.2354

Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care
     1248 Harwood Road
     Bedford, Texas 76021-4244
     Phone: 817.283.2835
     Fax: 817.354.8519

Career Options
Career opportunities in the health care industry for registered respiratory therapists are increasing rapidly. Recent surveys indicate that the supply of trained respiratory care professionals has not been sufficient to meet the progressive growth in demand.

FUNCTIONAL ABILITIES / CORE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS STATEMENT
After initial acceptance to this program, all students are required to meet specific functional abilities - with or without accommodations - for successful completion of the program and to function safely and effectively in the variety of the profession’s settings. The specific functional requirements are found in the Functional Abilities / Core Performance Standards documents provided in the program information and application packets. Students who think they may not be able to meet the functional standards and need accommodation are encouraged to contact the college ACCESS department as soon as this program is of interest.

ADDITIONAL ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Registration is by permission only. Information and applications may be obtained online at www.ccccd.edu/rcp or the Health Sciences and Emergency Services Office. To apply, students must:
     • Submit the required application form by the designated deadline
     • Provide proof of high school graduation or GED
     • Submit official copies of all college transcripts
     • Complete Collin reading, writing and mathematics assessments
     • Complete Psychological Services Bureau (PSB), Health Occupations Aptitude
        Exam
     • Document acceptable findings on drug screens, background checks and
        physical / mental competencies
     • Complete successfully on program admission criteria (see Admission Packet)
     • Completion of immunizations required by the Texas Department of Health
       (TDH)*

* It is important to note that one of the required vaccinations, Hepatitis B, consists of a three dose series, which can take up to 7 months to complete. Individuals unable to receive the HBV must inform the Program Director. In such cases, the applicant must sign a declination form. All immunizations must be complete before assignment to clinical training.

Health Insurance – All Respiratory Care students are required to show proof of health insurance prior to starting clinical rotations each semester. For information on student insurance plans, contact the Health Science and Emergency Services Office at 972.548.6678.

PROGRAM COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS
In addition to completion of all respiratory care course work, students are required to complete comprehensive CRT and RRT Self Assessment Examinations during the second year of the program.
  1. The CRT Self Assessment Exam will be given in the fall semester of the
      second year.
  2. The RRT Self Assessment Exams will be given in the spring semester of the
      second year.
           a. Written Registry Self Assessment Exam
           b. Clinical Simulation Self Assessment Examination

Satisfactory completion of these exams is required for graduation from the program. Students who do not pass any of these exams will be required to complete prescribed remediation assignments and retest. The program reserves the right to limit the number of retests. Repeat testing will be at student expense.

     • Complete the written and skills exam in RSPT 2139 according to the
        standards set by the American Heart Association.
     • Be in good academic standing


CRT TRANSITION PROGRAM
The program, after admission to the college, offers a transition option to allow students who hold a CRT credential, have regionally accredited college credit in entry level respiratory care, and have one year of clinical experience as a respiratory therapist to enter the second year of the Respiratory Therapy Program, receive their degree and become registry-eligible. Content and clinical skill competency tests must be satisfactorily completed for students to enter this option. Contact the Program Director for more information.



AAS – Respiratory Care
72 credit hours

PRE-ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
A. Student must be prepared to take BIOL 2401 (Anatomy and Physiology I) by
     meeting one of the following requirements:
     1. Completion of two years of high school biology within the last three years,
         OR
     2. Completion of BIOL 1406 (General Biology I).
B. Student must be prepared to enter college-level mathematics by either
     completion of MATH 0310 or by math placement at college algebra level.

Note: Science and mathematics courses must be completed within five years of admission.

Note: Preferred core choices are underlined. See other options in AAS core, unless otherwise noted.

Note: The communication competency is met throughout the degree.

Note: The second digit in a course number indicates the number of credit hours
for that course.