Respiratory Therapy, BS

Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy (279002BS)

This is a great time to be choosing Respiratory Therapy for a career.  Respiratory Therapists care for patients who are having trouble breathing (e.g. asthma, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, etc.).  Most Respiratory Therapists are employed full-time especially in hospitals working with all patient age groups and covering all shifts.

Factors that you should consider when selecting the UA Respiratory Therapy program for your education:

• the exceptional pass rate of our graduates on the national certification examination (our pass rate exceeds the national average)
• our extremely positive job placement rate in less than one (1) year after graduation
• the high caliper of the students admitted into our program assures a very high probability of your completion of the program
• during the program (under the supervision of a clinical instructor) you will obtain "hands-on" clinical experience working with real patients at one of our affiliated local hospitals
• after completing your first clinical course you will be eligible to obtain part-time Respiratory employment in local hospitals while still enrolled in the program

More on the Respiratory Therapy major

Contact Information

Dr. Stacia Biddle
Associate Professor and Program Director of Respiratory Therapy
330-972-7906
stacia@uakron.edu

Program Description

Respiratory Therapists: assess, treat and care for patients with cardiopulmonary disorders. Primary responsibilities include initiation of and monitoring of therapeutic procedures, administering medications, maintaining patient records, selecting, assembling, operating and maintaining cardiopulmonary life-sustaining equipment.

Respiratory Therapists care for neonatal, pediatric and adult patients from birth to the final stage of life, and may be employed by acute-care hospitals, clinics, long-term acute care facilities, physician offices, pulmonary rehabilitation centers, home-care agencies, sleep-labs, medical device sales companies, as well as participate in intra-facility critical care ground and air transport at some hospitals.

Accreditation: The Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy program at The University of Akron is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC); 777 Cannon Drive, P. O, Box 54876, Hurst, TX 76054-4876 USA.

Requirements for Admission 

The program requires the following prerequisite courses to be completed with a C or better: Math requirement (Algebra equivalent or above), Medical Terminology, Concepts in Respiratory Therapy, Principles of Microbiology, Anatomy and Physiology I (lecture/lab) requirement, and Introduction to General, Organic & Biochemistry (lecture/lab). Program applications are due by November 30th each year, with the new cohort starting in the spring semester.

Application Deadline: Application deadline is November 30th for those students who will complete all of the pre-admission courses¹ by the end of fall semester with a minimum 2.3 GPA or higher.

Application to the program is competitive but varies each year by applicant pool. Acceptance is based on overall grade point average as well as grades earned in required math and science courses. Application to the program requires a criminal background check (FBI and BCI). Twenty (20) students are selected each year. Applications will be administered to students while they are enrolled in RESP 100 Concepts in Respiratory Therapy, or may be picked up in the School of Allied Health, Polsky 265 at any time.

¹

Pre-admission coursework, students must apply by November 30th (see Application Deadline/Requirements).

The following information has official approval of The Department of Allied Health and The College of Health and Human Sciences, but is intended only as a supplemental guide. Official degree requirements are established at the time of transfer and admission to the degree-granting college. Students should refer to the Degree Progress Report (Stellic) which is definitive for graduation requirements. Completion of this degree within the identified time frame below is contingent upon many factors, including but not limited to: class availability, total number of required credits, work schedule, finances, family, course drops/withdrawals, successfully passing courses, prerequisites, among others. The transfer process is completed through an appointment with your academic advisor.

Three year accelerated option: for first time students who have earned credits for at least the first year of courses. Credits can be earned through qualifying scores on appropriate Advanced Placement (AP) exams or through College Credit Plus Program (CCP) courses. Credits for qualifying AP scores or CCP courses are determined by the appropriate academic department. Departments may assign varied course credit, depending on the student’s score on an AP exam or grade in a CCP course. Students may also receive credit by examination or via placement tests, where appropriate.

Requirements

Summary

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Several courses required for the major also satisfy General Education requirements. The University minimum of 36 credits are required for General Education and credit for these courses will apply to multiple requirements. 

Recommended General Education Courses

Prerequisite Courses

¹

Course required for application

²

Completing 1) STAT 250 Statistics for Everyday Life or STAT 260 Basic Statistics, 2) MATH 152 Technical Mathematics II and MATH 153 Technical Mathematics III satisfies this requirement.

Core Respiratory Therapy Courses 

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Course required for application

Other Required Courses 

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Special permission granted by the School of Nursing

Recommended Sequence

¹

Pre-admission coursework, students must apply by November 30th (see Application Deadline/Requirements).

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All courses must be completed with a grade of C or better and may only be repeated one time.

³

MATH 145 Algebra for Calculus is preferred.

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Special permission granted by the School of Nursing

Policy Alert: By the end of your first 48 credit hours attempted, you should have completed your required General Education English, Math, and Communications (Speech) requirements.