Respiratory Care (AS) Program Description

Program Objectives

This program trains students for the occupation of Respiratory Therapist (SOC Code 29-1126). Azure College’s Respiratory Therapy (AS Degree) program prepares graduates for direct-patient care positions in skilled-nursing facilities, hospitals, hospices, physician’s offices, staffing agencies, and home-health care agencies.

Purpose
To prepare graduates to pass the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) Advanced Practitioner Examination and to become competent Registered Respiratory Therapists.

Upon graduation graduate will:

• Provide treatment, management, control, and care of patients with deficiencies and abnormalities associated with respiration.
• Provide patients with therapeutic use of medical gases, air, and oxygen administering apparatus.
• Appropriately use environmental control systems, humidification, aerosols, medications, and ventilatory control.
• Supervise postural drainage, chest physiotherapy, and breathing exercises.
• Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and measures and maintenance of natural, artificial, and mechanical airways.
• Use appropriate library and information resources to research professional issues and support lifelong learning.
• Formulate questions that can be addressed with data, and collect, organize and present relevant data to answer them.

Program Schedule
The program can be completed in 104 weeks. Students attend class Monday to Friday 8am to 1pm or 6pm to 11pm. Clinical training may extend to weekends and holidays.