Respiratory Care, B.S.

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Respiratory Care, B.S.

The four-year program in Respiratory Care leads to the Bachelor of Science and therapist-level certification. Based in the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions, the program offers the student the best of two worlds: a liberal arts education and a highly skilled, allied health career. The four-year program is accredited by the Commision on Accreditation of Respiratory Care, and by the State of Connecticut. During the program the student pursues both on-campus and hospital-based study. Clinical study begins during the second year and is integrated throughout the second, third, and fourth years. With the assistance of the clinical faculty, students select two areas of specialization that may include pediatrics, adult critical care, pulmonary function, patient assessment and education, allied health education, management, supervision, or research.

The program is open to qualified full and part-time students and welcomes applications from associate-degreed, registered respiratory care practitioners.

Requirements for the Major (125 credits)

91 credits, including completion of all distribution requirements for the Bachelor of Science and the following:

Professional courses

50-51 credits in respiratory care:

RCP 210 - Respiratory Pharmacology 2 credit(s)
RCP 212 - Respiratory Therapy 3 credit(s)
RCP 213 - Pulmonary Diagnostics and Therapy 3 credit(s)
RCP 214 - Mechanical Ventilation and Resuscitation I 4 credit(s)
RCP 215 - Mechanical Ventilation and Resuscitation II 4 credit(s)
RCP 251 - Clinical Practice I 2 credit(s)
RCP 252 - Clinical Practice II 2 credit(s)
RCP 325 - Cardio-Pulmonary Anatomy & Physiology 4 credit(s)
RCP 331 - Medical-Surgical Problems 3 credit(s)
RCP 333 - Neonatal Pediatric Respiratory Care 3 credit(s)
RCP 353 - Clinical Practice III 3 credit(s)
RCP 354 - Clinical Practice IV 3 credit(s)
RCP 355 - Clinical Practice V 3 credit(s)
RCP 360 - Ethical Issues in Respiratory Care 3 credit(s)
RCP 443 - Respiratory Insufficiency and Patient Rehabilitation 3 credit(s)
RCP 460 - Advanced Clinical Practice I 3 credit(s)
RCP 461 - Advanced Clinical Practice II 2-3 credit(s)

Biology/Health Science courses

23 credits in biology/health science:

BIO 122 - Introductory Biology I 4 credit(s)
BIO 212 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I 4 credit(s)
BIO 213 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II 4 credit(s)
BIO 272W - Genetics 3 credit(s)
BIO 273W - Genetics Laboratory 1 credit(s)
HS 335 - Physiological Chemistry 3 credit(s)
BIO 440 - Medical Microbiology 4 credit(s)

Chemistry courses

8 credits in chemistry:

CH 114 - Principles of Chemistry I 4 credit(s)
CH 136 - Principles of Chemistry II 4 credit(s)

Physics course

4 credits in physics:

PHY 102 - Electricity and the Body 4 credit(s)

Additional Information:

All students must maintain an overall grade point average of 2.7. In addition, biology, chemistry, and physics courses must be completed with a grade of C or better and a minimum overall science GPA of 2.5. Each respiratory care course (RCP) must be completed with a grade of C+ or better.

Refer to the student Respiratory Care Clinical Manual for additional information about academic standards and clinical experiences. Students are responsible for transportation to clinical sites and for purchasing liability insurance.