Respiratory Care

Respiratory Care is an 18-month program which prepares its graduates for employment as allied health practitioners in the specialty area of pulmonary medicine. The program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) .

Respiratory therapists are providers of direct patient care to those with disorders which affect the lungs and impair the ability to breathe normally. Respiratory therapists may choose to be employed in a variety of settings, including: acute and chronic care hospitals; long-term care and rehabilitation centers; sleep disorders laboratories; pulmonary diagnostic clinics; medical home care agencies; and medical equipment sales/service companies. Whatever the setting, respiratory therapists are essential members of the health care team who use their expertise and highly sophisticated medical equipment to assist clients of all ages with breathing problems.

Students receive actual client care experience at clinical education sites, which have been established at a number of healthcare facilities in the immediate Worcester area, and within a 75 mile radius of the College. All such experience is directly supervised by program faculty with years of expertise in the clinical arena.

Graduates of the program are eligible to attempt the credentialing examinations offered by the National Board for Respiratory Care, Inc. Upon successful completion of the process, graduates receive the Registered Respiratory Therapist Credential (RRT.)

Licensure by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is required to work as a respiratory therapist within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (for more information on licensure contract: MA Department of Public Health, Division of Health Professions on Licensure, 239 Causeway Street, 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Boston, MA 02114. Ph: 800-414-0168).

Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care

The Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care provides outcome data for all accredited programs.

"Programmatic outcomes are performance indicators that reflect the extent to which the goals of the program are achieved and by which program effectiveness is documented." Programmatic outcomes data reported on the CoARC website include:

• 3-year period being reported;
• CRT Credentialing Success;
• RRT Credentialing Success;
• Attrition;
• Job Placement;
• Overall Graduate Satisfaction;
• Overall Employer Satisfaction;
• On-Time Graduation Rate;
• Total Number of Program Enrollees;
• Total Number of Program Graduates;
• Maximum Annual Enrollment.

Further information can be found on the CoARC Website.

Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care
1248 Harwood Road
Bedford, Texas 76021-4244
817.283.2835