Degrees, Certificates, & Transfer Programs

Respiratory Therapy 2020-2021

Respiratory Therapy is a dynamic and challenging healthcare profession. Therapists work with physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals in intensive care units and hospital floor care areas. They are involved in the treatment, management, and rehabilitation of patients with lung and heart problems. Respiratory Therapists manage the ventilation of critically ill patients, as well as provide care to patients with acute and chronic pulmonary disease. The Respiratory Therapy program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) (www.coarc.com/).

Program Learning Outcomes:

-Graduates will have acquired the necessary knowledge, skills and values for the practice of respiratory therapy.
-Graduates will be able to demonstrate appropriate critical thinking skills, time management skills, communication skills and technical skills necessary to provide competent respiratory care in multidisciplinary care settings.

Career Opportunities:

The employment outlook for graduates is good - Respiratory Therapists can work full or part-time. The average annual salary for new graduates is approximately $86,000. The average annual salary for experienced registered therapists in the Bay Area is approximately $100,000 to $110,000. Most therapists work 8 or 12-hour hospital shifts. Graduates may specialize in many different areas including but not limited to: intensive care (adult, neonatal, and pediatric), pulmonary function testing and home care. There are also many opportunities for advancement within the field of Respiratory Therapy.

Units Required

Degree Requirements:

-English proficiency: ENGL 1A, 1AH, 1S & 1T, or equivalent.
-Mathematics proficiency: MATH 105, 180, or any MATH course approved for Foothill GE Area V, Communication & Analytical Thinking.
A minimum of 90 units is required to include:
-Completion of one of the following general education patterns: Foothill General Education, CSU General Education Breadth Requirements or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
-Core courses (100 units)

NOTE: All courses pertaining to the major must be taken in sequence for a letter grade. In addition, a grade of "C" or better is required for all core courses used for the degree.

Additional Information:

Program Application:
Admittance to the Respiratory Therapy Program is through an application process. Program information, admission criteria details, and applications can be found at the Respiratory Therapy website: foothill.edu/resptherapy/

Program Prerequisites: (must be completed with a grade of "C" or better)
High school diploma, G.E.D. or equivalent.
MATH 105 or equivalent.
One of the following: ENGL 1A, 1AH, 1S & 1T, or equivalent.
CHEM 25 or 30A or equivalent chemistry course that includes a laboratory.
BIOL 40A, 40B, and 40C, or a semester of Anatomy that includes a laboratory and a semester of Physiology that includes a laboratory, or equivalent courses.
AHS 52 or a medical terminology course of at least 3 quarter/2 semester units.
Compliance with Technical Standards. See website for information: foothill.edu/resptherapy/

Core Courses (100 units)

FIRST YEAR
Fall
AHS 50A Introduction to Allied Health Programs (1.5 units)
RSPT 50A Respiratory Therapy Procedures (4.5 units)
RSPT 51A Introduction to Respiratory Anatomy & Physiology (2 units)
RSPT 52 Applied Science for Respiratory Therapy (3 units)
RSPT 54 Orientation to Respiratory Care (2 units)
RSPT 55A Mediated Studies in Respiratory Therapy I (0.5 unit)

Winter
AHS 50B Interprofessional Patient Competencies (0.5 unit)
BIOL 41 Microbiology (6 units)
RSPT 50B Introduction to Patient Care Procedures (5 units)
RSPT 53A Introduction to Respiratory Therapy Pharmacology (2 units)
RSPT 55B Mediated Studies in Respiratory Therapy II (0.5 unit)
RSPT 56 Orientation to Hospital & Patient Care I (1 unit)

Spring
RSPT 50C Therapeutics & Introduction to Mechanical Ventilation (4 units)
RSPT 51B Respiratory Physiology (3 units)
RSPT 51C Patient Assessment & Pulmonary Disease (4 units)
RSPT 55C Mediated Studies in Respiratory Therapy III (0.5 unit)
RSPT 57 Orientation to Hospital & Patient Care II (2 units)

Summer (6 weeks)
RSPT 55D Mediated Studies in Respiratory Therapy IV (0.5 unit)
RSPT 61A Adult Mechanical Ventilation (4 units)
RSPT 70A Clinical Rotation I (2 units)

SECOND YEAR
Fall
AHS 60A Cardiology for Allied Health (2 units)
PSYC 1 General Psychology (5 units)
or PSYC 1H Honors General Psychology (5 units)
RSPT 53B Advanced Respiratory Therapy Pharmacology (2 units)
RSPT 55E Mediated Studies in Respiratory Therapy V (0.5 unit)
RSPT 61B Neonatal Respiratory Care (3 units)
RSPT 70B Clinical Rotation II (8 units)

Winter
AHS 60C Advanced Cardiac Life Support (2 units)
RSPT 55F Mediated Studies in Respiratory Therapy VI (0.5 unit)
RSPT 61C Home & Rehabilitative Respiratory Care (2 units)
RSPT 63A Advanced Pathophysiology & Patient Management (3 units)
RSPT 65 Computer Patient Simulations (0.5 unit)
RSPT 70C Clinical Rotation III (8 units)

Spring
AHS 50C Interprofessional Competencies for Collaborative Practice (0.5 unit)
RSPT 55G Mediated Studies in Respiratory Therapy VII (0.5 unit)
RSPT 60C Pulmonary Diagnostics (3 units)
RSPT 61D Pediatric Respiratory Care (2 units)
RSPT 62 Management, Resume & National Board Examination (1 unit)
RSPT 70D Clinical Rotation IV (8 units)

Certificate Requirements

Certificate of Achievement in Interventional Pulmonology Assistant

Units: 16

RSPT 82 Orientation to Interventional Pulmonology (2 units)
RSPT 83 Case-Based Analysis & Critical Thinking in Diagnostic Interventional Pulmonology (2 units)
RSPT 84 Fundamentals of Pulmonary Disease (3 units)
RSPT 85 Interventional Pulmonology Theory & Application (3 units)
RSPT 86 Interventional Pulmonology Procedures (3 units)
RSPT 87A Interventional Pulmonology Clinical Internship I (1 unit)
RSPT 87B Interventional Pulmonology Clinical Internship II (1 unit)
RSPT 88 Interventional Pulmonology Research Project (1 unit)

Control Information:
2020-2021 | Status: Approved | Modified: 2020-04-27 14:05:29 | Dept Code: RSPT