Respiratory Care

Department: Respiratory Care
Department Chair: John Boatright
Program Options: B.A., B.S.

The respiratory care major prepares you for advanced level practice as a respiratory therapist. As members of an interdisciplinary healthcare team, respiratory therapists evaluate, treat and manage patients of all ages with respiratory illnesses and other cardiopulmonary disorders. In addition to performing therapeutic and diagnostic procedures, respiratory therapists promote cardiopulmonary wellness, disease prevention and management; provide patient, family and community education; participate in life support activities, and are involved in clinical decision making. Respiratory therapists are primarily employed in acute care hospitals.

The College of St. Catherine is one of the few colleges in the Upper Midwest to offer an undergraduate degree in the field of respiratory care. The program is open to women who want to complete a baccalaureate degree with a major in respiratory care. The major is offered in six consecutive semesters and one summer session for day students. Curricular options are available if you are pursuing a second major certificate or transferring undergraduate credits. The respiratory care major is also available to students matriculating in other Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities (ACTC). As a respiratory care major, you receive individualized advising to facilitate your timely completion of your professional, liberal arts and science courses.

The respiratory care curriculum integrates the respiratory care courses with a liberal arts and science background to provide you with a well-balanced depth of knowledge. This diverse foundation will prepare you to function as a competent professional in your daily interactions with clients in various healthcare settings. You will learn the essential knowledge and skills required of the respiratory care practitioner in courses such as:
• Respiratory Patient Care and Assessment
• Respiratory Therapeutics
• Principles of Ventilation
• Pathophysiology in Respiratory Care
• Respiratory Care Clinical Applications
• Critical Care Techniques
• Respiratory Care Clinical Specialty

Our faculty are highly qualified and utilize various teaching methodologies in presenting course content. The emphasis of faculty expertise is in the areas of critical care, biomedical ethics, pulmonary diagnostics and administration. Respiratory care faculty members are active in medical and community settings and in national professional organizations.

With approximately 900 hours of clinical experiences in critical care, newborn and pediatric intensive care, home care, pulmonary diagnostics, and rehabilitation, you will actively collaborate with faculty and clinicians to develop respiratory care skills, critical thinking, and professional communication. The program utilizes a preceptor model for teaching and many of the clinical experiences feature one-to-one student-to-preceptor ratios. Clinical practicum are scheduled at several nationally renowned metropolitan healthcare facilities, including Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Hennepin County Medical Center, Methodist Hospital and North Memorial Medical Center.

As a graduate with a St. Kate’s respiratory care major, you will be prepared to provide excellent patient care, influence the quality of healthcare services in diverse practice settings, promote cardiopulmonary health, and assume leadership positions in the profession. Graduates are eligible to take the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) credentialing exams. Upon completion of the NBRC entry-level exam you will be awarded the CRT (Certified Respiratory Therapist) credential. This allows you to apply to the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice to work as a respiratory therapist in the state of Minnesota. Upon successful completion of the NBRC registry exam, you are awarded the RRT (Registered Respiratory Therapist) credential, signifying advanced professional achievement.

The respiratory care program is accredited as an advanced level practice program by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs in conjunction with the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care.

The Respiratory Care Department requires that you apply to enter the respiratory care major. Applications to the major are accepted between October 1st and June 30th prior to the fall semester when you plan to begin the RESP course sequence. Applications to the major are available online: http://www.stkate.edu/RC/RESPapp/APP.php.

Admission to the respiratory care major is contingent upon completion of at least 30 college credits, completing the prerequisite courses at the designated levels of success (C or above — no prerequisite courses may be taken S/U) and the availability of space. Students who have been St. Kate’s students since the beginning of their college experience are given first access to available seats in the program. Students who indicate interest in the respiratory care major after the June 30th deadline are encouraged to contact the program chair. Late applications to enter the major will be considered on an individual and space available basis.

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

Required courses:
RESP 2100 Introduction to Respiratory Care
RESP 2200 Respiratory Therapeutics
RESP 3100 Principles of Ventilation
RESP 3110 Clinical Applications I
RESP 3120 Pathophysiology in Respiratory Care I
RESP 3200 Advanced Therapeutics
RESP 3210 Clinical Applications II
RESP 3220 Pathophysiology in Respiratory Care II
RESP 3310 Clinical Applications III
RESP 4100 Advanced Critical Care
RESP 4110 Clinical Specialty I
RESP 4200 Senior Seminar

Prerequisite courses:
CHEM 1010 General Chemistry for Health Sciences (or CHEM 1110 and 1120 General Chemistry I and II — recommended)
MATH 1050 Mathematical Ideas in Contemporary Society (or MATH 1080, PSYC 2050, ECON 2250 — Statistical Analysis — recommended)
PSYC 1001 General Psychology with Lab
SOCI 1000 Principles and Concepts of Sociology

Required supporting courses:
BIOL 2200 Introduction to Microbiology (or BIOL 2450 Applied Microbiology)
BIOL 2510 Human Anatomy (or BIOL 2400 Anatomy and Physiology I)
BIOL 2520 Human Physiology (or BIOL 2410 Anatomy and Physiology II)
INDI 1150 Basic Patient Care
INDI 1160 Respiratory Patient Care and Assessment Skills
INDI 3150 Pharmacology for the Healthcare Professional
PHIL 3400 Biomedical Ethics

The required supporting courses may be completed prior to beginning the respiratory care major or during the completion of course work in the major. The timely completion of these supporting courses is required for progression in the respiratory care major.

Recommended course:
RESP 4210 Clinical Specialty II

Respiratory Care majors satisfy the Writing Requirement for Majors by completing RESP 3200 and 4200. You complete the Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Writing Requirements with two other writing-intensive courses (CORE 1000 and CORE 3990).

URL: http://minerva.stkate.edu/academiccatalog0709.nsf/pages/respiratory_care
This page was created on 05/03/2007 and last updated on 05/03/2007.
Comments, questions and feedback about this site may be addressed to registrar@stkate.edu.