After more than a year of modified instruction and limited campus housing, President Patricia Moulton has announced the college’s intention to return to full in-person academic schedules for the fall of 2021. To serve the needs of students by providing our uniquely applied educational format, the college will reinstate a full contingent of in-person classes and labs in the fall.…
Respiratory Therapy
Respiratory therapists deliver care that helps people manage a wide range of breathing problems caused by disease, accident, or illness. Whenever and wherever breathing is an issue, respiratory therapists are there to provide care. Respiratory therapists work in hospitals or other acute care settings or are employed in clinics, physicians’ offices, or skilled nursing facilities. The respiratory therapy program prepares graduates who can demonstrate the attitudes, skills, and knowledge relevant to their role as registered respiratory therapists. Respiratory Therapists apply scientific principles to prevent, identify, and treat acute or chronic dysfunction of the cardiopulmonary system. Respiratory care includes the assessment, treatment, management, control, diagnostic evaluation, education, and care of patients with deficiencies of the cardiopulmonary system.
Under instructor supervision, students provide patient care in a variety of healthcare settings in VT, NY, and NH. All students are required to travel to hospital sites at a distance from their local site.
Graduates are eligible to apply to take the Therapist Multiple-Choice Examination offered by the National Board for Respiratory Care.
Programmatic outcomes are defined by The Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care, 1248 Harwood Road, Bedford, TX 76021-4244; (817) 283-2835.
A student with an Associate of Science in Respiratory Therapy will be able to:
- Collect, review, and evaluate clinical data to determine the appropriateness of the prescribed respiratory care plan and participate in its development
- Initiate, conduct, and modify prescribed therapeutic procedures to achieve the desired objectives
- Assemble, check function, correct malfunctions, and perform quality control of respiratory therapy equipment
- Acquire knowledge by questioning, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information
- Use numbers and formulate relationships between them to analyze, interpret, and develop appropriate strategies for respiratory care
- Work together with other professionals on the health care team in a manner that fosters mutual respect and facilitates the effective handling of patient care issues
- Completely document patient care sessions in the medical record in a concise and legible manner following a problem-oriented format and using the SOAP or other generally accepted notation
- Write clear, coherent, and comprehensive laboratory and clinical case reports
- Communicate with clients, family members of clients, and members of the healthcare team using appropriate verbal and nonverbal skills
- Inform the practice of respiratory care by actively seeking new knowledge from colleagues, clients, the community, and related educational research
- Expand the role of the respiratory therapist as an essential member of the healthcare team
- Practice respiratory care effectively in a variety of cultural contexts
- Be aware of the ethical dimension of healthcare and strive to understand and maintain the highest personal and professional standards
Graduates are eligible to attempt the credential examinations offered by the National Board for Respiratory Care. Upon successful completion of the credential exams, graduates receive the Registered Respiratory Therapist credential.
Credentialed respiratory therapists must apply for licensure to practice in Vermont and New Hampshire. The offices of professional regulation require information regarding past history of substance abuse, prior felony convictions, and failure to pay child support or taxes to determine eligibility. Other states requiring licensure for practice may ask similar questions. For more information, please refer to the Vermont Secretary of State or the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification.
This program is designed to meet the educational requirements for respiratory therapists in Vermont. If you intend to seek licensure outside of Vermont after finishing the program, please review this listing to find information on the state or U.S. territory in which you intend to be licensed in order to identify whether Vermont Tech’s Respiratory Therapy program meets or does not meet the educational requirements for licensure. If Vermont Tech’s program does not meet the educational requirements for licensure in the state or territory in question, it may meet a portion of the educational requirements. If that is the case, we recommend that you contact the licensing agency directly before beginning the Vermont Tech program. Certain states or territories may require a specific course, test, or competency license as part of the licensing process. Those requirements are independent of Vermont Tech’s Respiratory Therapy program requirements.
All BIO and RSP courses must be completed with a grade of C or better to continue in the program.
Curriculum Details
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fall Semester
- ENG 1061 English Composition
- RSP 1010 Foundations of Respiratory Care
- RSP 1011 Respiratory Care I
- RSP 1013 Respiratory Care Pharmacology
- Select One
- MAT 1210 Principles of Mathematics
- MAT 1221 Finite Mathematics
- MAT 2021 Statistics
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spring Semester
- ELE XXXX AH/SS elective
- PSY 1050 Human Growth & Development
- RSP 1012 Respiratory Care II
- RSP 1210 Respiratory Anatomy & Physiology
- RSP 1601 Respiratory Clinical Field Experience
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summer Semester
- RSP 2801 Respiratory Internship
Employers
- Albany Medical Center
- Central Vermont Medical Center
- CPVH Medical Center
- Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
- Fairfax Rescue
- Rutland Regional Medical Center
- University of Vermont Medical Center
Job Titles
- Respiratory Therapist
- Medical Assistant
- EMT
Student Stories
Student Stories
Zachary Kern
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news
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01Mar
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16Jan
Vermont Tech is pleased to announce the 2nd annual Choose Vermont Scholarship program has launched! The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Vermont Student Assistance Corporation and 13 Vermont colleges and universities, including Vermont Tech, are partnering in the 2020 Choose Vermont Scholarship Program, which will award $60,000 in scholarship money to students who commit to attend a Vermont…
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19Dec
by Zoe Newmarco Vermont Technical College President Pat Moulton’s goals for the Randolph Center campus raised eyebrows, when a WCAX report quoted her as planning to “shrink” VTC’s footprint in Randolph Center while expanding the Williston campus. Moulton explained that her comment came in relation to a plan VTC administrators are working on to develop as part of a Vermont…