Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care
To provide graduates of entry into respiratory care professional practice degree programs with additional knowledge, skills, and attributes in leadership, management, education, research, and/or advanced clinical practice that will enable them to meet their current professional goals and prepare them for practice as advanced degree respiratory therapists.
Changes in health care require new skill sets and advanced knowledge in the field of respiratory care to meet requirements within the hospital setting and provide specific duties that exceed that of conventional respiratory care practitioners. This advanced knowledge is obtained through advanced degrees within the field of respiratory care. Our Advisory Board members have identified several such areas that require such advanced degrees. These areas include, but are not limited to:
- Operation of blood gas laboratories and maintenance of quality control in the blood gas lab per Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) standards.
- Competency evaluation for employees throughout the department to maintain clinical standards of care.
- Advanced Clinical Practitioners who perform duties beyond that which a typical respiratory care practitioner is prepared.
- Subject matter experts responsible for developing protocols within the department and throughout the hospital environment.
- Subject matter experts working in the medical device industry.
- Educator and leadership positions within the health care setting.
The Bachelor's Degree Program in Respiratory Care at Crafton Hills College is currently in the process of seeking CoARC accreditation for a respiratory care program. However, Crafton Hills College can provide no assurance that accreditation will be granted by the CoARC.
Preadmission requirements:
In addition, the applicant will also need to provide evidence of the following at their meeting with the counselor:
- Minimum of Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) through the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) Students who do not have the RRT credential upon admission to the program may be admitted as a CRT; however, prior to graduation, they must achieve the RRT credential.
Major/Program Requirements
Preadmission Courses:
Minimum of 41 Lower-Level Respiratory Care Units from division Respiratory Care coursework from a CoARC accredited program.
| RESP 130 | Fundamentals of Respiratory Care I | 3.5 |
| RESP 131 | Fundamentals of Respiratory Care Skills I | 8.5 |
| RESP 132 | Pulmonary Assessment | 3.5 |
| RESP 133 | Respiratory Care Clinical Application I | 1.0 |
| RESP 134 | Introduction to Pharmacology and Drug Therapy | 3.5 |
| RESP 135 | Fundamentals of Respiratory Care II | 3.5 |
| RESP 136 | Fundamentals of Respiratory Care Skills II | 5.0 |
| RESP 137 | Respiratory Care Clinical Application II | 6.0 |
| RESP 139 | Perinatal and Pediatric Respiratory Care | 3.5 |
| RESP 230 | Advanced Theory of Respiratory Care I | 2.0 |
| RESP 231 | Advanced Respiratory Care Skill Laboratory I | 2.5 |
| RESP 232 | Physiologic Basis of Respiratory Disease I | 2.0 |
| RESP 233 | Advanced Respiratory Care Clinical Application I | 3.0 |
| RESP 234 | Advanced Theory of Respiratory Care II | 3.5 |
| RESP 235 | Physiologic Basis of Respiratory Disease II | 3.50 |
| RESP 236 | Advanced Respiratory Care Clinical Application II | 5.00 |
| RESP 237 | Advanced Respiratory Care Skills Laboratory II | 4.00 |
Upper-Level Major General Education:
| RESP 301 | Medical Ethics and Patient Advocacy | 3.00 |
| RESP 302 | Multicultural Human Relations in Health Care | 3.00 |
| RESP 303 | Principles of Health Education | 3.00 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 9.00 |
Core Program Major Courses:
| RESP 401 | Quality Improvement in Health Care | 3.00 |
| RESP 402 | Advanced Cardiopulmonary Respiratory Care | 3.00 |
| RESP 403 | Sleep Medicine and Respiratory Care | 3.00 |
| RESP 404 | Advanced Respiratory Case Management | 3.00 |
| RESP 405 | Pulmonary Specialties I | 3.00 |
| RESP 406 | Pulmonary Specialties II | 3.00 |
| RESP 407 | Health Care Research Design and Methodology | 3.00 |
| RESP 408 | Advanced Neonatal and Pediatric Respiratory Care | 3.00 |
| RESP 409 | Leadership and Management in Health Care | 3.00 |
| RESP 410 | Respiratory Care Capstone Project | 4.00 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 31.00 |
Total Credit Hours: 40.00
A student receiving a degree in this field will be able to:
- Lead and manage complex systems across Respiratory Care and allied health fields.
- Work collaboratively with other leaders and managers to gather, analyze, and interpret data
and implement positive changes within across health care fields.
- Demonstrate understanding of, and be able to critically think through, processes involved in
generating positive patient outcomes across complex health care systems.
Expected Student Learning Outcomes (ESLO's) for this program are as follows:
RESP 301 - Medical Ethics and Patient Advocacy
• Analyze, compare, and evaluate a variety of moral theories (such as Utilitarianism, Kantianism, Natural Law, or Human Rights theory) that are relevant to problems in medical ethics.
• Apply theories in normative ethics to specific problems or controversies in medical ethics, e.g., experimentation, informed consent, allocation of resources, use of technologies, abortion, medically assisted dying, etc.
RESP 302 - Multicultural Human Relations in Health Care
• Analyze multiple identities through the lens of intersectionality such as ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, and generational identity.
• Utilize tools and strategies for intercultural communication and conflict resolution to appropriately work with communities specific to various professional settings
• Transform theories to practice when addressing systems of oppression that are underlying in their professional settings
RESP 303 - Principles of Health Education
• Apply child and adult learning theory to the creation and delivery of health care related curriculum.
• Develop a lesson plan that includes outcomes, objectives, content, skills and abilities.
• Develop an effective assessment tool for assessing lesson plan outcomes.
RESP 401 - Quality Improvement in Health Care
• Define quality improvement and performance improvement
• Discuss the history and development of QI in health care
• Explain the fundamental processes of QI
• Demonstrate skill in the use of QI processes such as flow charts, diagrams, control charts, LEAN techniques etc.
• Explain and utilize the PCDA, DMAIC cycles of improvement
• Complete an individualized project related to quality improvement
RESP 402 - Advanced Cardiopulmonary Respiratory Care
• Identify, apply, and evaluate advanced cardiopulmonary diagnostic procedures and
• medical interventions performed by respiratory care practitioners.
• Analyze disease-specific treatment options in cardiopulmonary and neurorespiratory care and recommend modifications based on evidence-based practice.
RESP 403 - Sleep Medicine and Respiratory Care
• Identify the components of normal human sleep.
• Explain how sleep changes at different ages.
• Assess daytime sleepiness and consequences.
• Identify key components of sleep disorder breathing, parasomnias, narcolepsy, insomnia, periodic leg movement syndrome (PLMS) and restless leg syndrome (RLS).
• Explain polysomnography, including 10-20 Electrode placement, required equipment, sleep stage scoring, abnormal event scoring, respiratory event scoring, and movement disorders.
• Identify treatment options for patients with sleep disorders.
• Identify when a patient should be referred for a sleep study.
RESP 404 - Advanced Respiratory Case Management
• Apply professional practice principles such as confidentiality, legal and regulatory requirements, risk management, interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, and negotiation strategies in the context of the case management process.
• Identify and apply strategies for assessing, planning, implementing, coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating options and services to promote quality and cost-effective outcomes.
• Analyze patient case management plans created by the healthcare delivery team to coordinate resources and services necessary to accomplish client goals.
RESP 405 - Pulmonary Specialties I
• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of pulmonary specialties discussed in this course, including: Pulmonary Rehabilitation models and patient education
• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of pulmonary specialties discussed in this course, including: CLIA requirements for blood gas laboratory quality control
• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of pulmonary specialties discussed in this course, including: Pulmonary Function techniques and assessment
• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of pulmonary specialties discussed in this course, including: Exercise Testing techniques and outcomes assessment as it relates to pulmonary rehabilitation and patient education on disease processes
RESP 406 - Pulmonary Specialties II
• Describe the importance and implementation of early mobility in critical care
• Lung ultrasound techniques and applications in monitoring methods to assess pathophysiology related to the systems
• Uses of inhaled nitric oxide and FDA guidelines for its use
• HeliOx therapy
• Detailed aspects of ECMO and perfusion techniques
RESP 407 - Health Care Research Design and Methodology
• Critically review, analyze, and interpret published research.
• Develop research design, conduct or review a study, critically assess and perform analysis of quality measurement.
RESP 408 - Advanced Neonatal and Pediatric Respiratory Care
• Differentiate approaches to care between neonatal/pediatric and adult patients.
• Distinguish and apply appropriate advanced medical treatments and modalities
• which can be utilized to appropriately care for neonatal and pediatric patients.
RESP 409 - Leadership and Management in Health Care
• Articulate a working foundation of leadership practices and theories for leading people and health organizations.
• Integrate behaviors and actions of successful leaders and develop an individual current or future leadership style.
• Distinguish the difference between leadership and management and use that knowledge to make strategic decisions and enhance organizational efficiencies and effectiveness through the development and implementation of plans.
RESP 410 - Respiratory Care Capstone Project
• Draw on multiple sources of analysis, research, and critical thinking across the curriculum to develop addressing a problem and completing a project.
• Demonstrate in a final presentation the full breadth of knowledge gained through the Respiratory Care program, focusing on one or more subject areas: cardiopulmonary pathophysiology, case management, health education, research methodology, and/or respiratory care leadership and management.