Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist (AAS-RPT)

Program Location:  Bay Minette Campus

Nursing and Allied Health Division

Length: Five Semesters (A.A.S. Degree)

Coastal Alabama Community College’s Respiratory Care Therapy program is designed to prepare individuals, under the supervision of physicians, to assist in developing respiratory care plans, administer respiratory care procedures, supervise personnel and equipment operation, maintain records, and consult with other health care team members. This program includes instruction in the applied basic biomedical sciences; anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the respiratory system; clinical medicine; therapeutic procedures; clinical expressions; data collection and recordkeeping; patient communication; equipment operation and maintenance; personnel supervision; and procedures for special population groups. The program’s goal is to prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists, RRTs).

Admission Requirements

1. Unconditional admittance to the College and in good standing (minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA).
2. Submit original transcripts from all colleges attended, along with high school transcripts, to the Registrar or Admissions Office by program application deadline.
3. Submit a completed Respiratory Therapy Program Application by appropriate deadline.
4. Hold a minimum GPA of 2.5 for the academic core courses in the program.
5. Complete English Composition I (ENG101), Intermediate College Algebra (MTH100) or higher level Math, Principles of Biology (BIO103), General Psychology (PSY200) or Human Growth and Development (PSY210), and a Humanities elective with a grade of C or higher prior to application deadline. 
6. Submit a minimum composite score of 18 on the ACT for program selection criteria.
7. Meet Essential Eligibility Criteria. 

Completion of the above requirements does not guarantee admission to the program. Prospective students are rank ordered based on a point system to determine acceptance into the program.

Students are selected based on the following point system:

1. Score on ACT with a minimum composite score of 18 required
2. Three points are awarded for an A, two for a B, and one for a C in ENG 101, MTH 100, BIO 201, and BIO 202
3. One point each is awarded for completion of BIO 103, PSY 200 or 210, and a humanities course with a C or higher
4. Three points are awarded for completion of a higher-level math or chemistry with a C or higher (MTH 116 is not an accepted math). Alternately, three extra points may be awarded for current certification in a health occupation that requires direct patient contact, such as Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Certified Medical Assistant, Licensed Basic or Advanced EMT, Certified Dental Assistant, Certified Veterinary Technician, Certified Phlebotomist, or Certified Surgical Technologist. Proof (copy of the certificate of completion) must be included with the application in order to receive extra points. Applicants may receive up to 3 extra points total for this section. Example: Applicants will NOT receive 3 points for a higher-level math and 3 points for being a CNA.
5. Three points are awarded for completion of all seven general education courses required in the respiratory program with a grade of C or higher
6. All applicable courses must be completed by application deadline in order to be awarded points.

Once selected for the program, students are required to provide the following: drug screen, background check, physical exam showing ability to meet essential eligibility criteria, records of immunizations, proof of medical insurance and American Heart Association BLS CPR certification for the healthcare provider. All respiratory courses must be passed with a minimum of 75 (C) in order to progress in the program.
*Note: Students desiring to obtain BLS CPR certification at Coastal may enroll in EMS 100 during the first semester of the Respiratory Care Therapy Program.

It is highly recommended that students take the general education courses prior to beginning respiratory coursework. 

This is a career program designed for students to go directly into the labor market upon completion. Although some of the courses in this program will transfer to four-year institutions, this program is not designed to be a transfer program of study; therefore, it is not subject to the terms and conditions of Alabama Transfers state transfer and articulation reporting system.

Coastal Alabama Community College, CoARC program number 200656, an Associate in Applied Science degree program, in Bay Minette, Alabama, holds Provisional Accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (www.coarc.com). This status signifies that a program with an Approval of Intent has demonstrated sufficient compliance with the Standards (through submission of an acceptable Provisional Accreditation Self-Study Report (PSSR) and any other documentation required by the CoARC, as well as satisfactory completion of an initial on-site visit), to be allowed to admit students. It is recognized as an accredited program by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC), which provides enrolled students who complete the program with eligibility for the Respiratory Care Credentialing Examination(s). The program will remain on Provisional Accreditation until it achieves Continuing Accreditation

Comment or complaints may be directed to the following:

Commission on Accreditation of Respiratory Care (CoARC)

264 Precision Boulevard

Telford, TN 37690

817-283-2835

https://coarc.com/

CoARC accredits respiratory therapy educational programs in the United States. To achieve this end, it utilizes an "outcome based" process. Programmatic outcomes are performance indicators that reflect the extent to which the educational goals of the program are achieved and by which program effectiveness is documented. Outcomes information from all programs and program options accredited by the CoARC may be found at the following link https://coarc.com/