Respiratory Therapy (AAS)

(2 1/2 Year Program)

Source: MCC 2023-24 Catalog

Muskegon Community College currently offers students the therapist level of instruction. The goal of the Respiratory Therapy (RT) Program is to prepare students who graduate with the ability to demonstrate competence in the areas of cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains of respiratory therapy that is expected and performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRT’s). The student will have exposure to adult, neonatal and pediatric critical care as part of the program. This program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) and prepares graduates to take the national credentialing examinations. These exams lead to certification and registry, and provides a pathway for state licensure.

Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care
www.coarc.com

After completing an application to Muskegon Community College and being accepted, the Respiratory Therapy (RT) Program has a separate admissions process and an application to the RT Program is required. Potential RT students can visit the Respiratory Therapy Department in Room 2090, or call (231) 777-0223, or email at: rt@muskegoncc.edu.

Respiratory Therapy

Respiratory Therapists work as part of the health care team in hospitals, cardiopulmonary diagnostic laboratories, rehabilitation centers, and home care agencies. They work with physicians and other health professionals in health care planning, evaluation, and treatment of patients with cardiac and pulmonary disorders.

As clinicians they perform therapeutic and life support procedures including the administration of oxygen and aerosolized medications, breathing treatments, chest physical therapy and mechanical ventilator support. In addition, they perform diagnostic tests that assess cardiac and lung function and operate physiologic monitoring equipment and life support systems in the critical care setting.

The Respiratory Therapist program is a 28-month associate degree program, which began in January 1980. It is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC, www.coarc.com). CoARC accredits respiratory therapy education programs in the United States. To achieve this end, it utilizes an “outcomes based” process. Programmatic outcomes are performance indicators that reflect the extent to which the educational goals of the program are achieved and by which program effectiveness is documented. The outcomes data for the MCC program (#200329), can be reached by accessing the following webpage: https://coarc.com/students/programmatic-outcomes-data/

The curriculum design offers the student the Associate of Applied Science Degree (AAS). Students who graduate and receive the AAS Degree will be eligible to sit for the National Board for Respiratory Care Examinations. Upon successful completion of the examination at the Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) level, the graduate will be able to apply for licensure. Once a graduate has successfully passed the Therapist Multiple Choice and Clinical Simulation exams, they will earn the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential.

The curriculum for the program includes courses in the natural, behavioral, and social sciences, as well as respiratory care. Didactic and clinical instruction is integrated in a planned process that allows for concurrent presentation of respiratory care theory with associated clinical practice. For local students clinical practice takes place in most of the hospitals in West Michigan including the Grand Rapids hospitals.

Additionally, in response to the need for health professionals in Northern Michigan, the Respiratory Therapy program is providing distance education through a collaborative effort with Munson Medical Center and Northwestern Michigan College. Each member is responsible for providing a piece of the distance learning component; Muskegon Community College is the degree-granting institution and provides the professional courses for the program. Munson Medical Center provides the “hands-on” clinical education required by the students and Northwestern Michigan College provides the non-professional degree requirements. All students have access to the same classroom, laboratory and clinical education, no matter the location.

The Munson Medical Center cohort of the MCC Program, is also accredited by CoARC (coarc.com). The outcomes data for the Munson Medical Center Program (program #300016) can be reached by accessing the following webpage: https://coarc.com/students/programmatic-outcomes-data/. CoARC accredits respiratory therapy education programs in the United States. To achieve this end, it utilizes an “outcomes based” process. Programmatic outcomes are performance indicators that reflect the extent to which the educational goals of the program are achieved and by which program effectiveness is documented.

Admission

General Information
To better enable individuals to validate the course competencies required for admission into the Muskegon Community College Respiratory Therapy program, and to enhance their chance for success, the following high school educational preparation is recommended:

  • Biology: 1 unit
  • Chemistry: 1 unit
  • General Math: 1 unit
  • Algebra: 2 units
  • English: 3-4 units

Counseling services are available to assist students in career and educational planning (Room 1050, or call (231) 777-0362. Prospective students are strongly advised to make an appointment with the Respiratory Therapy Department (Room 2090, or call (231) 777-0223.

Individuals interested in pursuing admission are advised to make early application, as spaces are limited. Potential students must apply and be accepted to Muskegon Community College and must also apply to the Respiratory Therapy program separately. A new class starts each Fall semester. When applicants complete the entry- level requirements they are placed on a ready list. Students who have completed the entry- level requirements and have also completed non- professional courses (or non-respiratory Therapy courses), will be given preference into the program over those students who have not done so. Any applicants remaining after the available spaces are filled will need to re-apply for admission for the following year. Students who are notified of admission may defer admission once but will need to re-apply for the following year.

Applicants on the ready list are encouraged to take the required non-respiratory therapy courses.

Entry Level Requirements

  • Submit a completed Muskegon Community College Admission Application.
    (Online at muskegoncc.edu)
  • Submit a completed Muskegon Community College Respiratory Therapy Program Admission Application. (Online at http:// muskegoncc.edu/respiratory-therapy/rt- program-admission-application/)
  • Submit official evidence of high school graduation or successful completion of the General Education Development (GED) tests. Enrollment Services, Room 1043, or call (231) 777-0366
  • Show proficiency in Reading, Writing and Math. For testing services contact the Testing Center, Room 1032 or (231) 777-0394. For Reading Placement, a student must score 76-120 on Accuplacer Classic, 250-300 on Accuplacer Nextgen, 19 or higher on ACT or 25 or higher on SAT. For the Writing Placement for ENG-101, a student must score 85-120 on Accuplacer Sentence Skills, 255- 300 on Accuplacer Nextgen Writing, 19 or higher on ACT English, or 26 or higher on SAT Writing & Language. For Mathematics Placement for Math-100A, a student must score 40-62 on Accuplacer College- Level Mathematics, 86-120 on Accuplacer Elementary Algebra, 200-229 on Accuplacer Nextgen Adv. Algebra & Functions, 261-300 on Accuplacer Nextgen QAS, 19-21 on ACT Math, and 26-28.5 on SAT Math.
  • Students must have the ability to meet the Program Technical Standards (www. muskegoncc.edu/pages2283.asp), pass a criminal background check and drug screen, and provide immunization records.
  • The following courses, or their transferred equivalencies, are required to be completed and passed prior to starting the RT courses: ENG-101 English Composition, Math-100A Intermediate Algebra, BIOL-105 Anatomy & Physiology I L&L, BIOL-106 Anatomy & Physiology II L&L, CHEM-109 Chemistry for Health Sciences L&L or CHEM-100 Fundamentals of Chemistry L&L, and AH- 101 Medical Terminology, (which can be taken in the Fall semester of entry into the Respiratory Therapy Program).

Advanced Placement Applicants
Applicants with prior post-secondary respiratory education are candidates for advanced placement admission into the Muskegon Community College Respiratory Therapy Program. Admission requirements:

  • Submit a completed Muskegon Community College Admission Application. (Online at www.muskegoncc.edu)
  • Submit a completed Muskegon Community College Respiratory Therapy Program Admission Application (Online at http:// muskegoncc.edu/respiratory-therapy/rt- program-admission-application/)
  • Meet with the Director of Respiratory Therapy. Room 2090-B or call (231) 777-0389.
  • Meet all of the generic admission entry level requirements.
  • Submit official evidence of prior post-secondary Respiratory Therapy education.
  • Validate competency in the required Respiratory Therapy and non-Respiratory Therapy courses, up ton point of placement, on established competency examinations.

Acceptance of Course Credit
Credits for courses completed at Muskegon Community College or other post-secondary educational institutions will be accepted toward fulfillment of the Respiratory Therapy curriculum requirements provided all of the following criteria are met:

  • The courses are deemed equivalent to the courses required in the Respiratory Therapy curriculum.
  • The courses were completed with a minimum grade of “C” (2.0).

Official transcripts from institutions other than Muskegon Community College should be sent to the Office of the Registrar for credit evaluation Room 1048J, or call (231) 777-0310.

Progression and Retention
To progress, students in the Muskegon Community College Respiratory Therapy Program must attain a minimum grade of “C” (2.0) in each science and Respiratory Therapy course in each semester of the Respiratory Therapy curriculum. Students failing to meet this requirement will be dismissed. Students are strongly advised to complete all non- RT courses prior to the Fall semester they are entering the Program. Failure to do so could extend the student’s expected completion date or prevent them from entering the Program.

Readmission
Students may apply for readmission providing they meet all general education and course competency requirements and have not repeated a Respiratory Therapy course more than once. When readmission requirements have been met, the student will be readmitted according to availability of space in the program. This does not guarantee a student a seat in the program simply because they re-apply. Failure to attain a passing grade in a repeated Respiratory Therapy course will render students ineligible for readmission. For the full Readmission Policy, visit the RT website or the link listed. In all instances where a student is considering readmission, the student must meet with the Program Director to determine eligibility. (https://www.muskegoncc.edu/degrees-and-certificates/wp-content/uploads/ sites/127/2017/10/RT-Program-Re-admission-Policy.pdf)

Graduation
To be eligible for graduation from the Respiratory Therapy Program, students must meet all of the following requirements:

  1. Complete the Respiratory Therapy curriculum requirements for the degree with a minimum grade point of 2.0.
  2. Complete not fewer than the last 15 credit hours required in the Respiratory Therapy curriculum at Muskegon Community College.
  3. File an application for graduation at the Student Welcome Center at the beginning of the semester of the anticipated graduation.

Health Status Evaluation
Students in the Muskegon Community College Respiratory Therapy Program are required to have a health status evaluation (a physical), done by a licensed health practitioner prior to beginning the first clinical RT course. Each student admitted into the program will be given specific health information requirements during a mandatory orientation. Along with the health requirements each student will be given instructions for obtaining a required Drug Screen. A student must have a clean drug screen to remain in the program. Random drug screens may be administered any time throughout the program. Since all students will be in clinical rotations throughout various hospitals, it is recognized they may come in contact with various organisms in the environment that can cause illness. Therefore, a strict immunization and health policy is followed.

Criminal Background Check
Students are required by Michigan law to pass a criminal background check ensuring no felony history for the past 15 years and no history of misdemeanors including domestic violence, abuse, neglect, fraud, theft, or assault and battery within the past 10 years. Any student with a history of substance abuse or criminal conviction related to illegal drugs may be ineligible for Respiratory Therapy state licensure. Any student who has not resided in Michigan for at least three or more years preceding application for admission to the Respiratory Therapy Program is required to obtain an FBI fingerprint check. The student is responsible for the cost of the FBI check and criminal background check.

Pre-Requisites

CR. HRS.

ENG 101 English Composition

3

MATH 099 Math for Health Sciences

4

BIOL 152L&L Human Anatomy

4

BIOL 252L&L Human Physiology

4

CHEM 109L&L Chemistry for Health Science

5

OR

CHEM 100L&L Fundamentals of Chemistry

YEAR 1

Semester 1 (Fall: September – December)

CR. HRS.

RT 101 Respiratory Therapy Physics

1

RT 102 Basic Patient Care Skills

3

AH 101 Medical Terminology

3

PHIL 204 Biomedical Ethics

3

Semester 2 (Winter: January – February)

CR. HRS.

RT 111B Introduction to Respiratory Therapy

2

RT 110A L&L Equipment & Procedures I

3

Semester 2 (Winter: March – April)

 CR. HRS.

RT 120A L&L Equipment & Procedures II

3

RT 121 Pharmacology

2

RT 122 Clinical I

2
Semester 3 (Summer: May – August) CR. HRS.

RT 130A L&L Equipment & Procedures III

3

RT 131 Physiology

3

RT 132 Clinical II

3

RT 134 Intro to Mechanical Ventilation

1

YEAR 2
Semester 4 (Fall: September – October) CR. HRS.

RT 141 Pulmonary Pathophysiology

2

RT 144A Adult Mechanical Ventilation

2

RT 152A CLI Clinical IV

3

Semester 4 (Fall: November – December)

CR. HRS.

RT 162A CLI Clinical V

5

Semester 5 (Winter: January – April)

 CR. HRS.

RT 210 Cardiovascular & Renal Physiology

4

RT 220C Pediatric-Neonatal Critical Care

4

PSYC 201 General Psychology

4

Semester 6 (Summer: May – August)

CR. HRS.

RT 212B Advanced Clinical Practicum I

5

Semester 7 (Fall: September – December)

CR. HRS.

RT 222A Clinical Rotation VII

3

RT 230B Pulmonary Diagnostics & Rehabilitation

2

RT 240 The Health Care Environment

1
BUS 122 Principles of Management 3
TOTAL CREDITS FOR PROGRAM 90