Respiratory Care

Welcome

Respiratory therapists provide care for patients with lung disease or injuries that affect lung function. The program is structured so that the student receives classroom instruction and simulated clinical practice in the campus laboratory prior to entering the hospital environment and other clinical affiliates for clinical training.

The McLennan Community College Respiratory Care Technology Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied health Programs (CAAHEP) and the Committee on Accreditation of Respiratory Care Technology Programs (CoARC). Graduates are eligible for credentialing exams for the Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) and Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) administered by the National Baird for Respiratory Care (NBRC).

Mission

The mission of the McLennan Community College Respiratory Care Technology Program is to provide a dynamic educational program for students interested in pursuing a career in respiratory therapy. The program offers a two-year associate in applied sciences degree. The program provides students with the necessary didactic and clinical experiences needed to prepare them to provide the highest quality patient care. The program goal is to graduate competent, effective and safe advanced respiratory therapists.

Application Process

Prior to admission into the Respiratory Care Technology Program, all applicants must be admitted to McLennan Community College.

1. Admission to the College

All Respiratory Care program applicants must complete the process for admission to the college.

2. Admission to the Respiratory Care Technology Program

All Respiratory Care Program applicants must submit

NOTE:

Admissions deadline is June 1.
One class is admitted each year in the Fall semester.

Minimum requirements for admission:

Respiratory Care Technology Application

Respiratory Care Technology Program applications will not be accepted or considered complete until ALL of the above steps are completed.

Curriculum

Curriculum - Approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

First Year
Fall

Spring

Summer

Second Year
Fall

Second Semester - Spring

Summer

Clinical Practice

Students enrolled in the Respiratory Care Technology Program gain a wide variety of experiences through rotations at clinical sites in central Texas. Students are supervised in the clinical setting at all times by qualified clinical staff. Students complete approximately1000 clinical hours during their two years of enrollment. Students will gain experience working with state-of-the-art equipment during their clinical rotations, including short rotations in special clinical areas. Professional liability insurance is provided to the student through registration fees.
Ninety eight (98%) of MCC's technical program graduates are employed and/ or are continuing their education as compared to statewide percentages of 86%.
It is the student's responsibility to arrange for transportation to the clinical sites, as many as 60 miles from the MCC campus.

Cost: Because various expenses may change, applicants are encouraged to contact the program director for current information about such costs as tuition, fees, books and uniforms.

Financial Assistance: A variety of financial assistance programs are available (scholarships, grants, loans and work study opportunities). For questions regarding financial aid call: 254-299-8689.

The respiratory care curriculum is rigorous and consists of six semesters of a full time course load. Students are discouraged from working full time while enrolled in the program.

Immunizations - Drug Screens - Criminal Background Checks

Immunizations must be current for varicella, measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria/tetanus and Hepatitis B.

After enrollment in the program, the applicant must receive a negative report for a drug screen and must undergo a criminal background check before clinical courses begin. A criminal background may prohibit a student from participating in clinical course work and therefore from completing the program. A criminal background may prohibit a graduate from obtaining a license to practice respiratory therapy in Texas.

See these web sites for more information regarding the Respiratory Practice Act in Texas.

Technical Standards

Each student enrolled in the Respiratory Care Technology Program must demonstrate the following abilities:

  1. Observation - The student must be able to participate actively in all demonstrations, lab exercises, and clinical experiences in the professional program component and to assist and comprehend the condition of all patients assigned.
  2. Communication - Using the English language, the student must be able to communicate effectively, tactfully and sensitively with patients in order to elicit information, assess nonverbal communications, and be able to effectively transmit information to patients, fellow students, faculty and staff, and all members of the health care team.
  3. Motor - The student must have sufficient motor (physical) function to elicit information from patients by appropriate therapeutic maneuvers; be able to perform basic tests; possess all skills necessary to carry out therapeutic and diagnostic procedures; be able to interpret appropriate examinations and procedural results; and be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatments to patients.
  4. Intellectual/Conceptual Integrative and Quantitative Abilities - The student must be able to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize. Problem solving, the critical skill demanded of health practitioners, requires all of the aforementioned intellectual abilities.
  5. Behavioral and Social Attributes - The student must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of the student's intellectual abilities; the exercise of good judgment; the prompt completion of all responsibilities, attendant to care of patients; and the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients, fellow students, faculty and staff, and all members of the health care team.
  6. Students must also be able to tolerate expected work loads, function effectively under occasional stressful situations, adapt to changing environments, display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent to clinical problems as displayed by various patients. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interest, and motivation are personal attributes that each student should possess.

McLennan Community College does not discriminate on the basis of gender, disability, race, creed or religion, color, age, or national origin. (Nov. 2000)

For More Information

Please contact Douglas Gibson, Program Director, at Health Careers 118, (254)299-8369 or email dgibson@mclennan.edu for more information.