Rockingham Community College
Respiratory Therapy Program
Program Director
David Hughes MDiv,BA,RRT,RCP
Clinical Coordinator
Vickie Chitwood BS,RRT,RCP
Medical Director
Dr. Ed Hawkins MD,FCCP
Dean of Health Sciences
Tom Harding MS,RRT,RPFT,RCP
What is a Respiratory Therapist?
(Information provided by the American Association for Respiratory Care)
Most people take breathing for granted. It's second nature, an involuntary reflex. But for the thousands of Americans who suffer from breathing problems, each breath is a major accomplishment. Those people include patients with chronic lung problems, such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema, but they also include heart attack and accident victims, premature infants, and people with cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, or AIDS.
In each case, the person will most likely receive treatment from a respiratory therapist (RT) under the direction of a physician. Respiratory therapists work to evaluate, treat, and care for patients with cardiopulmonary disorders.
The Role of The Respiratory Therapist
Respiratory therapists work with patients of all ages and in many different care settings. They are members of the healthcare team that provide respiratory care for patients with heart and lung disorders. Most respiratory therapists work in hospitals where they perform a wide variety of diagnostic or therapeutic cardiopulmonary and neurodiagnostic procedures. They are also typically a vital part of the hospital's lifesaving response team that handles patient emergencies.
The following statistics were supplied by the AARC, and were obtained from their most recent human resource study conducted in 2005. The total number of working respiratory therapists in the United States at that time was 132,651, increasing nineteen percent from 111,706 in 2000. The mean hourly wage for respiratory therapists nationally rose thirty-eight percent from $19.62 in 2000, to $27.03 in 2005. The vacancy rate in hospitals grew from 5.96 percent in 2000, to 8.65 percent in 2005. This translates to approximately 11,695 vacant FTE's or full-time jobs in 2005.
An increasing number of respiratory therapists are additionally now working in skilled nursing facilities, physicians' offices, home health agencies, specialized care hospitals, medical equipment supply companies, and patients' homes.
Respiratory therapists perform procedures that are both diagnostic and therapeutic in nature. Some of these activities include:
Diagnosis
- Obtaining and analyzing sputum and breath specimens. They also take blood specimens and analyze them to determine levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other gases.
- Interpreting the data obtained from these specimens.
- Measuring the capacity of a patient's lungs to determine if there is impaired function.
- Performing stress tests and other studies of the cardiopulmonary system.
- Studying disorders of people with disruptive sleep patterns.
Treatment
- Operating and maintaining various types of highly sophisticated equipment to administer oxygen or to assist with breathing.
- Employing mechanical ventilation for treating patients who cannot breathe adequately on their own.
- Monitoring and managing therapy that will help a patient recover lung function.
- Administering medications in aerosol form to help alleviate breathing problems and to help prevent respiratory infections.
- Monitoring equipment and patient responses to therapy.
- Conducting rehabilitation activities, such as low-impact aerobic exercise classes, to help patients who suffer from chronic lung problems.
- Maintaining a patient's artificial airway, one that may be in place to help the patient who can't breathe through normal means.
- Conducting smoking cessation programs for both hospital patients and others in the community who want to kick the tobacco habit.
Education and Training
Respiratory therapists are required to minimally complete a two-year associate of applied science degree to be eligible for professional board examinations offered by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). More than 400 community colleges and universities nationwide offer respiratory therapy programs. In addition to their core respiratory therapy courses, all aspiring respiratory therapists must study physics, mathematics, microbiology, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, and biology. There are two levels of respiratory therapist: the certified respiratory therapist and the registered respiratory therapist.
After graduation, individuals are eligible to take a national entry-level examination that, upon passing, leads to the credential Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT). In North Carolina, graduates of accredited programs must minimally possess the CRT credential to obtain a license to practice as a respiratory care practitioner (RCP) from the North Carolina Respiratory Care Board. Subsequently, graduates may take two more examinations that lead to the advanced practitioner credential of Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT).
The Professional Association
A number of respiratory therapists are members of their national organization, the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC). For more information, you may contact the AARC at http://www.aarc.org
The Association is primarily responsible for developing educational opportunities for its members and ensuring that the standards of care and practice in the profession are developed and maintained. One ongoing project of the Association is to develop and upgrade written clinical practice guidelines, or standards, for the respiratory therapy profession, as well as for use by government agencies and other health groups. In addition, the AARC develops materials that members can use in their community health promotion and disease prevention activities.
The AARC monitors both federal and state legislative and regulatory activity that might affect the health and health care of this nation, such as issues related to Medicare, smoking, or hiring practices of healthcare workers.
The Outlook
The need for respiratory care professionals is expected to grow in the coming years due to the large increase in the elderly population, the impact of environmental problems that have already contributed to the yearly rise in number of reported asthma cases, and technological advances in the treatment of heart attack, cancer, accident victims, and premature babies.
According to the latest data supplied by the U.S. Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics, a faster-than-average employment growth is projected for respiratory therapists. Job opportunities should be very good, especially for respiratory therapists with cardiopulmonary care skills or experience working with infants. Employment of respiratory therapists is expected to grow 19 percent from 2006 to 2016, faster than the average for all occupations. The increasing demand will come from substantial growth in the middle-aged and elderly population—a development that will heighten the incidence of cardiopulmonary disease. Growth in demand also will result from the expanding role of respiratory therapists in case management, disease prevention, emergency care, and the early detection of pulmonary disorders.
Older Americans suffer most from respiratory ailments and cardiopulmonary diseases such as pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and heart disease. As their numbers increase, the need for respiratory therapists is expected to increase as well. In addition, advances in inhalable medications and in the treatment of lung transplant patients, heart attack and accident victims, and premature infants (many of whom are dependent on a ventilator during part of their treatment) will increase the demand for the services of respiratory care practitioners. Job opportunities are expected to be very good. The vast majority of job openings will continue to be in hospitals. However, a growing number of openings are expected to be outside of hospitals, especially in home health care services, offices of physicians or other health practitioners, consumer-goods rental firms, or in the employment services industry as a temporary worker in various settings.
Definition of Respiratory Care
(Position statement by the American Association for Respiratory Care)
Respiratory Care is the healthcare discipline that specializes in the promotion of optimum cardiopulmonary function and health. Respiratory therapists apply scientific principles to prevent, identify, and treat acute or chronic dysfunction of the cardiopulmonary system. Knowledge of the scientific principles underlying cardiopulmonary physiology and pathophysiology, as well as biomedical engineering and technology, enable respiratory therapists to effectively assess, educate, and treat patients.
As a healthcare profession, Respiratory Care is practiced under medical direction across the healthcare continuum. Respiratory Care is specifically focused on the assessment, treatment, management, control, diagnostic evaluation, education, and care of patients with deficiencies and abnormalities of the cardiopulmonary system, as well as on the prevention of the development of these deficiencies. Critical thinking, patient/environment assessment skills, and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines enable respiratory therapists to develop and implement effective care plans, patient-driven protocols, disease-based clinical pathways, and disease management programs.
A variety of venues serve as the practice site for this healthcare profession including, but not limited to, acute care hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, rehabilitation and skilled nursing facilities, patient's homes, patient transport systems, physician's offices, convalescent and retirement centers, educational institutions, and wellness centers
The Respiratory Therapy Program at Rockingham Community College
Fully accredited by the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
Program #200459
A large number of people die each year from heart and lung problems. The healthcare industry is currently experiencing a lack of respiratory therapists, and the shortage is expected to get even worse. Respiratory Therapy is a profession dedicated to people with cardiopulmonary disease. These patients may range from premature infants with underdeveloped lungs, to young children with asthma, to adults on ventilators, to elderly people with chronic lung disease. Even though a great deal of high-tech equipment is used, the primary focus is the patient.
The Respiratory Therapy Program at Rockingham Community College prepares students for a profession in the rapidly growing healthcare industry. As a Registered Respiratory Therapist, individuals may perform many different modes of diagnostic testing, therapeutic intervention, and management of patients with heart and lung disease. Students will master skills in patient assessment and treatment of cardiopulmonary disorders. These skills include life support, physiologic monitoring, drug administration, and treatment of patients of all ages in a variety of settings. Graduates may be employed in hospitals, clinics, extended care facilities, education, research, industry, and home health care.
Due to their expert knowledge of cardiac and respiratory physiology, respiratory therapists are valued members of the medical community. The employment outlook for respiratory therapists is excellent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that respiratory therapy will be one of the fastest growing healthcare professions in the immediate future.
On a modern, spacious, landscaped campus, students attend classes that ensure personal attention for optimal academic progress. Rockingham Community College offers many amenities and student activities to enhance the college experience.
Rockingham Community College's
Academic Champions
The "Sputum Bowl" is an academic contest held annually in which students from different programs across the state compete by answering questions related to medical sciences and respiratory therapy. During the last several years, students from Rockingham Community College's Respiratory Therapy Program have demonstrated success with this competition. We are proud of our program's academic achievements!
State Champions / 2001
State Champions / 2002
State Champions / National Competitors / 2006
Curriculum
Course Descriptions
Admission Requirements
Program Faculty
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Revised: June 2009
