Respiratory Therapy

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of Respiratory Therapists is expected to increase by up to 26% in coming years. Learn more about the career outlook for a respiratory therapist.

Program Goals
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).

To prepare leaders for the field of respiratory care by including curricular content with objectives related to the acquisition of skills in one or more of the following: management, education, research and advanced clinical practice (which may include an area of clinical specialization).

Student Learning Outcomes
The following ESLOs are the specific skills, knowledge, and abilities that students are expected to acquire by the end of the program. These ESLOs are aligned with the program goal and are used to guide teaching, learning, and assessment. They clarify what students can do after completing this program, and they provide a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of this program.

1.  Demonstrate competence in the cognitive (knowledge) learning domain of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs).
2. Demonstrate competence in the psychomotor (skills) learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs).
3. Demonstrate competence in the affective (behavior) learning domain of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs).
4. Develop a research foundation to promote leadership in the respiratory therapy field.
5. Develop managerial skills to promote effective leadership in the respiratory therapy field.

Freshmen and sophomore applicants follow Radford University admission requirements. Junior level progression and junior transfer students (based on cohort availability) must:

• Have a cumulative GPA above 2.5
• Complete the first two years of the POS 
• Have a grade of  “C” or higher in A&P I and II

The Respiratory Therapy Pre-Licensure Entry to Practice Track, CoARC program number 200312, Baccalaureate degree, Roanoke campus, is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (www.coarc.com).

The CoARC accredits respiratory therapy education programs in the United States. To achieve this end, it utilizes an ‘outcomes based’ process. Programmatic outcomes are performance indicators that reflect the extent to which the educational goals of the program are achieved and by which program effectiveness is documented.

The CoARC’s outcomes webpage - https://coarc.com/students/programmatic-outcomes-data/

This program meets the educational requirements for licensure for every state.

Program Specific Minimum Technical Standards

Essential Mental Abilities:

• Follow instructions and rules.
• Apply basic mathematical and algebraic skills without the use of a calculator.
• Demonstrate safe practice within the defined clinical time.
• Critical thinking abilities sufficient for clinical judgment and making quick lifesaving decisions.

Essential Communication Skills:

• Communicate clearly with patients, families, healthcare team members, peers and faculty in verbal and written form.
• Interpersonal abilities sufficient to interact with diverse individuals, families and groups.
• Ability to independently read and accurately interpret written communications (i.e., test questions, provider orders, etc.)

Essential Physical Abilities:

• Gross and fine motor abilities sufficient to provide safe and effective care.
• Stand and walk for eight to twelve hours/day.
• Walk quickly in response to emergencies and lifesaving procedures.
• Bend, squat, kneel and twist upper and lower back.
• Assist in lifting or moving patients of all age groups and weights.
• Lift small equipment up to 35 pounds.
• Perform CPR (i.e., move above patient to compress chest and manually ventilate patient).
• Use hands for grasping, pushing, pulling and fine manipulation.
• Demonstrate eye/hand coordination for manipulation of equipment (i.e., syringes, procedures, etc.).
• Auditory abilities sufficient to hear alarms or phones.  
• Ability to withstand sudden alarms, sounds and flashing lights.
• Auditory abilities to monitor breath sounds with a stethoscope and assess health needs.
• Visual abilities to distinguish calibrated markers on related equipment, determine depth of instrumentation placement and read small print on medicine containers.
• Tactile ability sufficient for physical assessment.

Professional Behavior:

The faculty expects students to exhibit professional behavior. The following is a list of expected professional behaviors:

• Demonstrates safety and honesty in all situations.
• Incorporates professional and ethical standards, including the Patient Bill of Rights and the AARC Statement of Ethics and
• Incorporates respiratory therapy policies and procedures, standards of care and clinical practice guidelines as appropriate.
• Demonstrates professional demeanor (e.g., dress code and smoking policies per college and program handbook, respect for others, accepts criticism, cooperative, controls temper, attentive and uses professional language).
• Conform to all additional Waldron College Standards