Respiratory Care Courses

This course introduces foundational concepts of respiratory therapy and begins the development of a knowledge base necessary to succeed as a skilled respiratory therapist. The history of Respiratory Care as well as the profession will be examined. The principles of quality care, infection prevention, and ethical and legal issues associated with the delivery of respiratory care will be discussed in detail. The principles of physics and chemistry will be presented in relation to oxygen and carbon dioxide transport and gas exchange. There will also be a brief introduction to research in respiratory care.

This course provides information on various diseases that affect the lung and are commonly encountered by respiratory therapists in daily practice.  Each disease is discussed in terms of its pathophysiology, etiology of the disease process, and cardiopulmonary clinical manifestations associated with the disorder.  Students will have a chance to discuss disease management and prognosis associated with acute and chronic illness.  As part of the learning process, students will be assigned to develop a case report focusing on a patient they have personally worked with during their clinical practicum.  The assignment is designed to hone information gathering and decision-making skills in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with cardiopulmonary or related disorders.

This course will introduce the student to normal anatomy and physiology of the cardiopulmonary system.  Students will focus on the etiology and treatment of both pulmonary and cardiac diseases, with emphasis on the pulmonary system. Diagnostic systems commonly used in the hospital to evaluate these systems will also be discussed.  Topics include the respiratory system, ventilatory mechanics, gas transport and blood flow.  Emphasis will be on the importance of the heart-lung relationship.

Students will work under the direct supervision of a clinical instructor or preceptor.  This is an introductory clinical experience for the student to practice the respiratory care skills obtained in RSC 121.  The student will perform direct patient care by evaluating patients' medical records, assessing patients and administering basic care including oxygen therapy, humidity and aerosol therapy, hyperinflation therapy, and bronchial hygiene therapy. Students will interact with members of the healthcare team to optimize the patient's care management.  Students will also have the opportunity to disinfect and reprocess equipment and may be involved in emergent medical situations to include cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of manual resuscitators.  Students may also be exposed to emergent bedside procedures such as thoracentesis, bronchoscopy, and intubation.

This course provides hands-on experience for students to apply the cognitive knowledge they've gained in their introductory courses to simulated hospital and patient care experiences.  The student will develop psychomotor skills to enhance their confidence as they prepare for hospital clinical rotations and working with actual patients.  The basic clinical competencies taught in introductory courses are studied and practiced in the simulation setting with peer and instructor feedback to improve technique.  Competencies can be completed in the Clinical Practicum setting as time and resources permit.

This course introduces students to the concepts of critical care.  Students will be exposed to all aspects of providing respiratory care in high acuity situations in the intensive care unit, emergency department, rapid response situations, and inter/intra-hospital transport of patients requiring ventilatory support.  Covered material includes resuscitation, intubation/ventilation/weaning/extubation, stabilization, hemodynamic monitoring, arterial lines/blood gas analysis, and non-invasive ventilation.  Students will be hands-on with equipment, devices, and techniques that are essential for providing high level respiratory care to patients in need of intensive care.  At the end of this course, students will have the ability and confidence to effectively manage critically ill respiratory patients.

This course is an introduction to mechanical ventilation. The focus will be on ventilator classification, principles and operational characteristics of the equipment that is currently available in the market.  Invasive and non-invasive ventilation techniques will be covered.  Students will learn about indications for mechanical ventilation, complications of positive pressure ventilation, and the physiologic effects of mechanical ventilator use.  As students' progress through the course, they will acquire knowledge in ventilator initiation as well as ongoing patient/ventilator management. Students will gain an understanding of the critical importance of patient assessment for weaning, and practice techniques for liberating patients from ventilatory support.

This course is designed to increase the respiratory students' knowledge and understanding of cardiopulmonary diagnostic assessment.  Standard diagnostic testing and assessments are presented to include physical examination, blood chemistries and hematology, imaging studies, pulmonary function testing, bronchoscopy, thoracentesis, electrocardiograms, and hemodynamics.  At the end of this course, students will have the ability to know which assessments/testing to use when evaluating a patient, and how to analyze the data gathered from these assessments to appropriately evaluate their patients and detect potential problems.

This course is designed to increase the respiratory student's knowledge and understanding of medications used in therapeutic management of patients with cardiopulmonary disease.  The course is a study of the properties, effects, and therapeutic value of the medications most commonly used in the practice of respiratory care.  At the end of this course students will understand drug classification, routes of administration, dosage calculations and physiological interactions.

Students will work under the direct supervision of a clinical instructor or preceptor.  This second clinical practicum is an opportunity for the student to gain clinical experience and additional clinical practice for the respiratory care skills obtained in their Mechanical Ventilation and Advanced Respiratory Care courses.  The student will perform direct patient care by evaluating patients' medical records, assessing patients and administering basic care including oxygen therapy, humidity and aerosol therapy, hyperinflation therapy, and bronchial hygiene therapy. Students will interact with members of the healthcare team to optimize the patient's care management.  Students will also have the opportunity to perform blood gas puncture and analysis, and practice airway management skills.  The student may be involved in emergency medical situations such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of manual resuscitators.  Students will begin caring for patients needing ventilatory support, and this will provide students with opportunities to begin working with non-invasive positive pressure machines as well as providing some limited exposure to mechanical ventilators

This course provides hands-on experience for students to apply the cognitive knowledge they've gained in previous courses to simulated hospital and patient care experiences.  The student will develop psychomotor skills to enhance their confidence as they begin their hospital clinical rotations and work with actual patients.  The clinical competencies taught in concurrent courses are studied and practiced in the simulation setting with peer and instructor feedback to improve technique. Competencies can be completed in the Clinical Practicum setting as time and resources permit.
 

This course introduces care concepts and skills for providing respiratory therapy to the neonatal/pediatric population.  Learning emphasis is placed on the knowledge and skills needed to assess and treat the neonatal/pediatric patient including the development and physiology of the fetal and neonatal lung, perinatal circulation, and neonatal/pediatric pulmonary disorders. The curriculum focuses on respiratory care techniques, airway management, mechanical ventilation, and drugs/dosages appropriate for treatment of neonatal and pediatric patients.  

This course provides an opportunity for the advanced respiratory therapy student to observe and, in several cases, participate in special diagnostic procedures that are commonly used to assess cardiopulmonary patients.  The course is an introduction to areas that require further training and competency before students are ready to practice in those areas, but it may provide insight as to the options students will have upon graduation. At the completion of this course, students will be able to clearly define the diagnostic information that can be obtained through these specialized procedures, and how that information is used to inform the patient's care plan.
 

Students are assigned to a clinical site for a total of 8 weeks and will work under the direct supervision of a clinical instructor or preceptor.  This third clinical practicum is an opportunity for the student to gain clinical experience and additional clinical practice for the respiratory care skills obtained in their Mechanical Ventilation and Advanced Respiratory Care courses.  The student will perform direct patient care by evaluating patients' medical records, assessing patients, and administering basic care including oxygen therapy, humidity and aerosol therapy, hyperinflation therapy, and bronchial hygiene therapy. Students will interact with members of the healthcare team to optimize the patient's care management.  Students will also have the opportunity to perform blood gas puncture and analysis, and practice airway management skills.  The student may be involved in emergency medical situations such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of manual resuscitators.  Students will also rotate in the adult ICU and provide care to patients who require advanced respiratory care and ventilatory support.  Students will also have the opportunity to provide care to pediatric patients with breathing difficulties.
 

This course provides hands-on experience for students to apply the cognitive knowledge they've gained in previous courses to simulated hospital and patient care experiences.  The student will develop psychomotor skills to enhance their confidence as they continue hospital clinical rotations and working with actual patients.  The advanced clinical competencies taught concurrent courses are studied and practiced in the simulation setting with peer and instructor feedback to improve technique.  Competencies can be completed in the Clinical Practicum setting as time and resources permit.

Students are assigned to a clinical site for a total of 8 weeks and will work under the direct supervision of a clinical instructor or preceptor.  This fourth clinical practicum is an opportunity for the student to gain advanced clinical experience and additional clinical practice in providing care to critically ill adult, pediatric, and neonatal patients. The student will also be exposed to specialty diagnostic equipment and may assist physicians with procedures such as bronchoscopy and thoracentesis.  Students will learn about pulmonary function testing and increase their knowledge of cardiopulmonary stress testing and ECG testing.

This course provides hands-on experience for students to apply the cognitive knowledge they've gained in previous courses to simulated hospital and patient care experiences.  The student will continue their development of psychomotor skills with advanced and specialty procedures to enhance their confidence as they prepare for graduation and employment.  The advanced clinical competencies taught in concurrent courses are studied and practiced in the simulation setting with peer and instructor feedback to improve technique.  Competencies can be completed in the Clinical Practicum setting as time and resources permit.

This is a summation course designed to prepare the student for the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) Therapist Multiple-Choice Examination (TMC) and the Clinical Simulation Examination (CSE). Topics include licensure, certification, and registration procedures.  Material from all previous coursework is reviewed with an emphasis on problem solving scenarios.  Participants will have access to the TMC and CSE practice exams.  Advanced lifesaving certifications will be earned during this review course, and participants will also have the opportunity to develop a professional portfolio highlighting their employability skills as they transition from student to professional.