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Associate of Science in Respiratory Care (ASRC)

Every Breath Matters. Your Impact Starts Here.

Help patients breathe easier and make a difference when it matters most. At St. Luke's College, you'll gain the hands-on experience and clinical skills to care for patients of all ages, from newborns in intensive care to adults managing serious respiratory conditions. Through hospital-based learning, small classes, and personalized faculty support, you'll prepare for a rewarding career in respiratory care.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Hands-On Clinical Experience: Develop practical skills working with patients in real healthcare settings.

Care for All Ages: Learn to treat respiratory conditions in newborns, children, and adults.

Hospital-Based Education: Connect classroom learning with clinical practice and advanced respiratory care techniques.

Professional Credentialing: Prepare for national examinations leading to respiratory therapy credentials and state licensure.

Learn more about the profession: 

Be an RT

Respiratory Care Curriculum

Respiratory Care Curriculum
Semester I (Fall)

 

 Course

Credit Hours

 RES 101 Fundamentals of Respiratory Care I

 3

 RES 102 Cardiopulmonary Anatomy & Physiology

 3

 RES 103 Introduction to Respiratory Care

 3

 RES 104 Respiratory Care Science

 1

 RES 120 Clinical Practice I

 1

 BIO 201 Anatomy & Physiology I

 4

 ENG 108 English Composition

 3

 Total Credit Hours for Semester I

 18


Semester II (Spring)

 

 Course

Credit Hours

 RES 105 Fundamentals of Respiratory Care II

 4

 RES 106 Respiratory Pharmacology

 3

 RES 107 Respiratory Disease

 3

 RES 121 Clinical Practice II

 3

 BIO 202 Anatomy & Physiology II

 4

 Total Credit Hours for Semester II

 17


Semester III (Summer)

 

Course

Credit Hours

 RES 208 Fundamentals of Respiratory Care III

 4

 RES 222 Clinical Practice III

 2

 SOC 104 Introduction to Sociology

 3

 Total Credit Hours for Summer

 9


Semester IV (Fall)

 

 Course 

Credit Hours

 RES 209 Cardiopulmonary Monitoring

 3

 RES 210 Neonatal/Pediatric Respiratory Care

 4

 RES 223 Clinical Practice IV

 4

 BIO 218 Microbiology

 4

 PSY 106 General Psychology

 3

 Total Credit Hours for Semester IV

 18


Semester V (Spring)

 

 Course

Credit Hours

 RES 211 Critical Care

 2

 RES 224 Clinical Practice V

 6

 RES 212 Comprehensive Respiratory Care

 3

 PHI 220 Ethics

 3

 Total Credit Hours for Semester 

 14

 

Program Goal

Respiratory Care Program Goal:

To prepare graduates with demonstrated competence in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains of respiratory care practice as performed by registered respiratory therapists (RRTs).

ASRC Admission Requirements

Admission Requirements - Associate Degree in Respiratory Care

  • High School Graduate (cumulative GPA of 2.50) or HiSET/GED
  • ACT examination results - 19 composite score or
  • Completion of transferrable college courses with a cumulative GPA of 2.30
Certification/Registry

Respiratory Therapist Licensure Information

State certification examination eligibility requirements can be found on the American Association for Respiratory Care website: AARC

Respiratory Therapist Credentialing

Respiratory therapy national credentialing information can be found at: https://www.nbrc.org/candidates/

Graduation from the CoARC accredited Respiratory Care Program at St. Luke's College allows students to take the Therapist Multiple Choice Exam.

The Therapist Multiple Choice (TMC) Examination is intended to objectively measure essential knowledge required of respiratory therapists at entry into the practice as well as determine eligibility for the Clinical Simulation Examination. There are two cut scores for the TMC Examination. If a candidate achieves the low cut score, he or she will earn the CRT (Certified Respiratory Therapist) credential. If a candidate achieves the high cut score, he/she will earn the CRT credential AND become eligible for the Clinical Simulation Examination (CSE). Successful attainment of the high cut score on the TMC and passing the Clinical Simulation Exam is required to earn the RRT, Registered Respiratory Therapist, credential.


 
ASRC Program Effectiveness Data

Review the ASRC Program Effectiveness Data for more information on Pass Rates, Job Placement and Graduation Rates.

ASRC Program Accreditation

Accreditation

The St. Luke’s College Respiratory Care Program, CoARC program number 200492, awarding Associate of Science degrees, from St. Luke’s College, 2800 Pierce St., Sioux City, Iowa, holds Continuing Accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (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. 

For Information on program accreditation:

Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care

St. Luke's College Program Number: 200492

COARC

COARC Programmatic Outcomes Data

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